Apparatus and method for assembling a missile warhead

Claim 1

AN ASSEMBLING AND WELDING FIXTURE FOR HOLDING A ZIGZAG BANK OF SERIES-CONNECTED, ELONGATED BARS IN JUXTAPOSITION TO A PAIR OF ARCUATE END MEMBERS FOR MAKING WELD CONNECTIONS THEREBETWEEN, WHICH COMPRISES A SUPPORT, AN AXLE ROTATABLY MOUNTED ON SAID SUPPORT, A PAIR OF END DISCS FIXEDLY MOUNTED ON SAID AXLE IN SPACED RELATIONSHIP, AN UPWARDLY EXTENDING ARCUATE FLANGE MEANS AT THE OUTER EDGE OF EACH SAID END DISC, AT LEAST ONE INTERMEDIATE DISCS FIXEDLY MOUNTED ON SAID AXLE INTERMEDIATE SAID END DISCS, SAID INTERMEDIATE DISC AND SAID END DISCS HAVING THE SAME DIAMETER, A PAIR OF STOP BARS MOUNTED AT EACH END UPON THE OUTER PERIPHERY OF SAID END DISCS AND EXTENDING BETWEEN SAID ARCUATE FLANGE MEANS AND PARALLEL TO SAID AXLE, SAID STOP BARS BEING SPACED AROUND THE PERIPHERY OF SAID END DISCS TO DEFINE AN ARC BETWEEN CORRESPONDING SURFACES THEREON, A PLURALITY OF STRAIGHT HOLD-DOWN BARS MOUNTED LONGITUDINALLY OF SAID AXLE AND REMOVABLY SECURED AT EACH END TO SAID FLANGE MEANS, A RIGID ARCUATE HOLD-DOWN BAR MOUNTED RADIALLY OUTWARDLY OF SAID INTERMEDIATE DISC, THE RADIUS OF CURVATURE OF THE OUTER PERIPHERIES OF SAID ARCUATE HOLD-DOWN BAR AND SAID ARCUATE FLANGE MEANS BEING SUBSTANTIALLY THE SAME, FIRST MEANS ON SAID STRAIGHT HOLD-DOWN BARS TO BRING PRESSURE TO BAR ON A PAIR OF ARCUATE END MEMBERS TO BE HELD BY SAID FIXTURE, ONE OF SAID END MEMBERS TO BE HELD BEING DISPOSED UPON EACH OF SAID END DISCS ADJACENT SAID FLANGE, AND SECOND MEANS ON SAID STRAIGHT HOLD-DOWN BARS TO MOVE SAID RIGID ARCUATE HOLD-DOWN BAR TOWARD SAID INTERMEDIATE DISC TO THUS CLAMP THEREBETWEEN A ZIGZAG BANK OF SERIES-CONNECTED BARS TO BE HELD BY SAID FIXTURE, SAID BANK OF BARS TO BE HELD BEING DISPOSED TO EXTEND BETWEEN SAID ARCUATE END MEMBERS AND BEING LAID ABOUT SAID END DISCS AND SAID INTERMEDIATE DISC WITHIN THE ARC DEFINED BY SAID STOP BARS, SAID SECOND MEANS BEING ADAPTED TO BE ALTERNATELY LOOSENED AND TIGHTENED WHEREBY TO RELEASE SAID ARCUATE HOLD-DOWN BAR FOR SELECTIVE FREEING OF PAIRS OF SAID ZIGZAG-CONNECTED BARS DURING WELDING THEREOF TO SAID ARCUATE END MEMBERS.

Claim 3

A METHOD OF SECURING THE END PORTIONS OF A TWOLAYER ZIGZAG BANK OF SERIES-CONNECTED, ELONGATED, RECTANGULAR IN CROSS-SECTION METAL BARS TO A PAIR OF ARCUATE METAL END MEMBERS TO THEREBY FORM A SECTION OF A CYLINDER, WHICH COMPRISES CLAMPING SAID ARCUATE END MEMBERS IN ALIGNED, PARALLEL, SPACED APART POSITIONS, SAID END MEMBERS BEING SPACED APART A DISTANCE SLIGHTLY GREATER THAN THE LENGTH OF SAID BARS, CLAMPING IN POSITION BETWEN SAID END MEMBERS ALL OF SAID BANK OF BARS EXCEPT FOR A SMALL NUMBER OF BARS AT ONE SIDE THEREOF, THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS SAID BARS LYING GENERALLY PARALLEL TO THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF SAID CYLINDER, MANIPULATING SAID FREE BARS TO ALIGN THE OPPOSITE ENDS THEREOF WITH SAID END MEMBERS AND TO CAUSE THE TRANSVERSE AXES OF SAID BARS TO LIE ALONG RADII EMANATING FROM THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF SAID END MEMBERS, FREEOPPOSITE ENDS OF SAID FREE BARS TO SAID END MEMBERS, FREEING ADDITION ONES OF SAID BARS ADJACENT SAID WELDED BARS, MANIPULATING SAID ADDITIONAL BARS INTO POSITION FOR WELDING WITH THE OPPOSITE ENDS THEREOF ALIGNED WITH SAID END MEMBERS AND WITH THE TRANSVERSE AXES THEREOF LYING ALONG RADII OF SAID CYLINDER, WELDING SAID ADDITIONAL BARS TO SAID END MEMBERS, AND SEQUENTIALLY FREEING, MANIPULATING AND WELDING FURTHER ADDITIONAL BARS UNTIL THE ENTIRE BANK IS WELDED TO SAID END MEMBERS.

Claim 4

A METHOD OF SECURING THE END PORTIONS OF A TWOLAYER ZIGZAG BANK OF SERIES-CONNECTED, ELONGATED, RECTANGULAR IN CROSS-SECTION METAL BARS TO A PAIR OF ARCUATE METAL END MEMBERS TO THEREBY FORM A SECTION OF A CYLINDER, WHICH COMPRISES CLAMPING SAID ARCUATE END MEMBERS IN ALIGNED, PARALLEL, SPACED APART POSITIONS, SAID END MEMBERS BEING SPACED APART A DISTANCE SLIGHTLY GREATER THAN THE LENGTH OF SAID BARS, CLAMPING IN POSITION BETWEN SAID END MEMBERS ALL OF SAID BANK OF BARS EXCEPT FOR A SMALL NUMBER OF BARS AT ONE SIDE THEREOF, THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS SAID BARS LYING GENERALLY PARALLEL TO THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF SAID CYLINDER, MANIPULATING SAID FREE BARS TO ALIGN THE OPPOSITE ENDS THEREOF WITH SAID END MEMBERS AND TO CAUSE THE TRANSVERSE AXES OF SAID BARS TO LIE ALONG RADII EMANATING FROM THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF SAID END MEMBERS, FREEOPPOSITE ENDS OF SAID FREE BARS TO SAID END MEMBERS, FREEING ADDITION ONES OF SAID BARS ADJACENT SAID WELDED BARS, MANIPULATING SAID ADDITIONAL BARS INTO POSITION FOR WELDING WITH THE OPPOSITE ENDS THEREOF ALIGNED WITH SAID END MEMBERS AND WITH THE TRANSVERSE AXES THEREOF LYING ALONG RADII OF SAID CYLINDER, WELDING SAID ADDITIONAL BARS TO SAID END MEMBERS, AND SEQUENTIALLY FREEING, MANIPULATING AND WELDING FURTHER ADDITIONAL BARS UNTIL THE ENTIRE BANK IS WELDED TO SAID END MEMBERS.