Low voltage electromagnetic pulse actuator

Claim 2

A high energy electromagnetic pulse actuator, comprising: an actuator means, including (a) a river having a first portion which is receptive to the establishment of eddy currents therein and a second portion adapted to receive a tool or the like for metal forming or other high force impact work on a workpiece, and (b) a coil positionable in close proximity to said first portion of said driver; a source of stored charge defining a selected, relatively low voltage, adapted to produce a current pulse through the coil when connected thereto; control means for selectively connecting the stored charge to the coil to produce a relatively large, short duration current pulse in the coil which in turn results in the creation of a high energy, rapidly changing magnetic field and the subsequent induction of eddy currents in the first portion of said driver, wherein said first portion of the driver is configured so as to reduce the axial diffusion of the rapidly changing magnetic field to such an extent that the current pulse in the coil which is produced by the relatively low voltage still results in a magnetic force pulse large enough to repel the driver away from the coil toward the workpiece with sufficient momentum to accomplish the desired impact work.

Claim 3

An apparatus of claim 1, wherein the configuration of the first portion of the driver is determined primarily by thickness.

Claim 4

An apparatus of claim 2, wherein the first portion of the driver is sufficiently thick and is highly electrically conductive such that the magnetic force pulse produced by the current pulse in the coil does not substantially diffuse before said sufficient momentum is achieved.

Claim 5

An apparatus of claim 1, wherein said control means includes switch means connecting the source of stored charge to the coil and further includes means for controlling said switch means.

Claim 6

An apparatus of claim 4, wherein said switch means is a silicon controlled rectifier.

Claim 7

An apparatus of claim 4, wherein said control means further includes a diode which is connected relative to the coil in such a manner that following the initial current pulse through the coil resulting from the closing of said switch means, subsequent current flow occurs between the coil and said diode, thereby protecting said source of stored voltage from being negatively charged.

Claim 8

An apparatus of claim 6, wherein said subsequent current flow between the coil and said diode results in the duration of the current pulse and the magnetic force pulse being longer than otherwise.

Claim 9

An apparatus of claim 1, wherein the source of stored charge is a plurality of electrolytic capacitors.

Claim 10

An apparatus of claim 1, wherein the stored charge is such as to define a voltage of approximately no greater than 1200 volts DC.

Claim 11

An apparatus of claim 1, wherein the coil, the source of stored charge and the switch means define an electrical circuit and wherein the electrical resistance of said electrical circuit is less than 0.050 ohms.

Claim 12

An apparatus of claim 10, wherein at least the majority of the electrical resistance and inductance in said electrical circuit is in the coil, so that the electrical resistance and inductance of the electrical circuit can be conveniently adjusted by changing the impedance of the coil, which in turn determines the rise time and pulse duration of the force acting on the driver.

Claim 13

An apparatus of claim 1, wherein said first portion of the driver is a copper plate which forms the rearmost portion thereof.

Claim 14

An apparatus of claim 1, wherein the rise time and pulse duration of the current pulse is sufficiently slow that metal is formed by the resulting action of the driver without generating shear cracks and without substantial loss in electrical efficiency.

Claim 15

An apparatus of claim 12, wherein the copper plate has sufficient thickness that only negligible axial diffusion of the magnetic field created by the current pulse occurs across the thickness of the plate during the time that said sufficient momentum is being imparted to the driver.

Claim 16

An apparatus of claim 12, wherein the copper plate is thicker than one magnetic diffusion length of copper for the selected current pulse duration.

Claim 17

An apparatus of claim 14, wherein the copper plate has a thickness of approximately on the order of 1.2 centimeters.

Claim 18

An apparatus of claim 1, wherein the rise time of the current pulse is within the range of 0.3 milliseconds to 1.0 milliseconds.

Claim 19

An apparatus of claim 1, wherein the duration of the current pulse is approximately at least 1 millisecond.

Claim 20

An apparatus of claim 1, wherein the duration of the current pulse is longer than the time necessary to complete the driver work, such that the magnetic force continues during the time that the driver is rebounding back toward the coil, thereby at least partially slowing the driver during that time and at least partially protecting the coil from impact by the driver.

Claim 21

An apparatus of claim 1, wherein the electrical leads between the source of stored voltage and the coil are relatively low in both resistance and inductance.

Claim 22

An apparatus of claim 20, wherein the electrical leads are either in a coaxial configuration or a quadrapole configuration.

Claim 23

An apparatus of claim 1, wherein said control means and said source of stored voltage are located in relatively close physical proximity to the actuator means.

Claim 24

An apparatus of claim 1, wherein the coil includes cooling means therefore, comprising radial passageways which extend through the coil windings and means permitting the movement of cooling fluid therethrough.

Claim 25

An apparatus of claim 1, wherein the diameter of the first portion of the driver is greater than the outside diameter of the coil by at least five percent.

Claim 26

An apparatus of claim 1, wherein the duration of the current pulse is at least as great as the rise time of the force pulse of the driver acting against a load, such as a rivet.

Claim 27

An apparatus of claim 1, wherein the rise time of the driver impact force pulse is approximately at least 500 microseconds.

Claim 28

An apparatus of claim 1, wherein all electrically conducting portions of the actuator except the driver are paced at least two centimeters from the coil.

Claim 29

An apparatus of claim 1, wherein the actuator means includes an actuator body containing said driver and said coil, through which body the second portion of the driver extends, the body including therein shock absorbing material against which a part of the front surface of the driver contacts in the event that the actuator is operated when the tool is not in contact with a load, thereby preventing damage to the driver.

Claim 30

An apparatus of claim 1, including means for moving the driver away from the coil prior to clamp-up of the driver against the load, so as to prevent damage to the apparatus in the event of discharge of said stored charge when the driver is not in contact with the load.

Claim 31

An apparatus of claim 29, wherein said moving means is a spring.

Claim 32

An apparatus of claim 1, wherein the actuator means includes means for controlling the recoil thereof.

Claim 33

An apparatus of claim 31, wherein the recoil means includes an air cylinder having front and rear chambers and a pressure relief valve connected between the front and rear chambers, the pressure relief valve being arranged to relieve pressure in the rear chamber at a selected value in order to provide a substantially constant force deceleration of the actuator.

Claim 34

An apparatus of claim 32, wherein the recoil means includes means for pressurizing the rear chamber of the air cylinder- to advance the driver against a rivet or other workpiece load, and further includes means for isolating the front and rear chambers from external pressure and discharge for a selected period of time following operation of said actuator.

Claim 35

An apparatus of claim 33, wherein the selected value of the pressure relief valve is somewhat greater than the driver advance pressure in the rear chamber of the air cylinder.

Claim 36

An apparatus of claim 31, wherein the recoil means includes a recoil mass.

Claim 37

An apparatus of claim 35, wherein the recoil mass is variable.

Claim 38

An apparatus of claim 31, including a fixed outer body containing therein the actuator means and a decelerating element connected between the outer body and a recoil mass positioned to the rear of said coil in such a manner that the decelerating element absorbs the momentum of the recoil mass and further including a hydraulic damping element connected between the outer body and the recoil mass in such a manner as to absorb the spring back of the decelerating element, so as to prevent harmful recoil contact between the recoil mass and the fixed outer body and harmful contact between the actuator means and the workpiece.

Claim 39

An apparatus of claim 1, wherein the actuator means includes an actuator body containing the coil and driver, the body comprising a front plate which includes an opening through which the second portion of the driver extends, a rear plate, and an intermediate portion connecting the front and rear plates.

Claim 40

An apparatus of claim 38, wherein the outside diameter of the first portion of the driver is approximately the same as the inside diameter of the intermediate portion of the actuator body, and wherein the opening in the front plate includes means for supporting a section of the second portion of the driver.

Claim 41

An apparatus of claim 39, including a surrounding body within which the actuator body is mounted, and bearing means permitting sliding movement of the actuator body axially relative to the surrounding body.

Claim 42

An apparatus of claim 1, including an actuator body which contains the coil and the driver, wherein the control means and the source of stored charge are also contained within the actuator body.

Claim 43

An apparatus of claim 41, wherein the source of stored charge comprises a plurality of capacitors and wherein the apparatus includes a DC power supply for charging said capacitors.

Claim 44

An apparatus of claim 42, including means supplying power to the DC power supply, said means supplying power also being contained within the actuator body.

Claim 45

An apparatus of claim 43, wherein the means supplying power is a battery.

Claim 46

An apparatus of claim 1, wherein the coil includes between 10 and 20 turns per inch of diameter.

Claim 47

An apparatus of claim 45, wherein the coil is approximately within the range of 11/2-4 inches in diameter.

Claim 48

An apparatus of claim 1, wherein the coil is positioned in a backing member which contacts the back surface and the interior side surface of the coil, including means for cooling the coil.

Claim 49

An apparatus of claim 47, wherein the coil comprises a length of electrically conducting material wound in the form of a pancake coil, and wherein the cooling means includes a tubular element positioned along the back edge of the length of electrically conducting material, for movement of a cooling fluid therethrough.

Claim 50

An apparatus of claim 47, wherein the cooling means includes radial passageways which are in contact with the coil and a connecting passageway to the exterior surface of the coil and backing member combination, for movement of cooling fluid therethrough.

Claim 51

An apparatus of claim 47, wherein the edge of the length of electrically conducting material defining the back surface of the coil is relieved, and wherein said cooling means includes radial passageways in contact with the coil in the relieved portions of the coil, for movement of cooling fluid therethrough.

Claim 52

An apparatus of claim 47, including means for wetting the outer winding of the coil.

Claim 53

A n apparatus of claim 23, wherein the radial passageways are located relatively away from the front surface of the coil.

Claim 54

An apparatus of claim 23, wherein the radial passageway are etched by acid so as to prevent electrical bridging of adjacent turns of the coil.

Claim 55

An apparatus of claim 31, wherein the recoil means includes a decelerating element to absorb the momentum of the actuator means moving away from the workpiece and a damping element for absorbing springback of the actuator means in the direction of the workpiece following recoil of the actuator means.

Claim 56

An apparatus of claim 54, wherein the damping element is hydraulic.

Claim 57

A high energy electromagnetic pulse actuation system, comprising: first and second actuator means positioned in an opposing relationship for operation on opposite sides of the same workpiece, each actuator means including (a) a driver having a first portion which is receptive to the establishment of eddy currents therein and a second portion adapted to receive a tool or the like for metal forming or other high force impact work on the workpiece, an (b) a coil positionable in close proximity to said first portion of said driver; a source of stored charge defining a selected, relatively low voltage associated with each actuator means, adapted to produce a current pulse through the coil when connected thereto; control means associated with each actuator means for selectively connecting its associated stored charge to the coil to produce a relatively large, short duration current pulse in the coil which in turn results in the creation of a high energy, rapidly changing magnetic field and the subsequent induction of eddy currents in the first portion of the driver in each actuator, wherein the first portion of each driver is configured so as to reduce the axial diffusion of the rapidly hanging magnetic field to such an extent that the current pulse in the coil which is produced by the relatively low voltage still results in a magnetic force pulse large enough to repel the driver away from the coil toward the workpiece with sufficient momentum to accomplish the desired impact work.

Claim 58

A high energy electromagnetic pulse actuation system, comprising: first and second actuator means positioned in an opposing relationship for operation on opposite sides of the same workpiece, each actuator means including (a) a driver having a first portion which is receptive to the establishment of eddy currents therein and a second portion adapted to receive a tool or the like for metal forming or other high force impact work on the workpiece, an (b) a coil positionable in close proximity to said first portion of said driver; a source of stored charge defining a selected, relatively low voltage associated with each actuator means, adapted to produce a current pulse through the coil when connected thereto; control means associated with each actuator means for selectively connecting its associated stored charge to the coil to produce a relatively large, short duration current pulse in the coil which in turn results in the creation of a high energy, rapidly changing magnetic field and the subsequent induction of eddy currents in the first portion of the driver in each actuator, wherein the first portion of each driver is configured so as to reduce the axial diffusion of the rapidly hanging magnetic field to such an extent that the current pulse in the coil which is produced by the relatively low voltage still results in a magnetic force pulse large enough to repel the driver away from the coil toward the workpiece with sufficient momentum to accomplish the desired impact work.

Claim 59

An apparatus of claim 56, wherein the first portion of each driver is sufficiently thick and comprises a material which is highly electrically conductive, such that the magnetic field produced by the current pulse in the coil does not substantially diffuse axially through the first portion of the driver before said sufficient momentum is obtained.

Claim 60

An apparatus of claim 56, including means for simultaneously triggering the respective control means, thereby producing substantially simultaneous actuation of the respective actuator means.

Claim 61

An apparatus of claim 58, wherein the actuation system is characterized by an absence of mechanical connection between the first and second actuator means, thereby permitting the respective actuator means to be positioned on opposite sides of a workpiece without regard for throat depth limitations.

Claim 62

An apparatus of claim 58, wherein the system is arranged such that substantially equal force is applied to the workpiece at substantially the same time by the two opposing actuator means.

Claim 63

An apparatus of claim 56, including means for controlling the timing of the operation of the respective control means so that the respective actuator means may be actuated at different times.

Claim 64

An apparatus of claim 56, including means for delaying the actuator means relative to the other.

Claim 65

An apparatus of claim 61, including means for controlling the amount of charged stored in each stored charge means and hence the voltage defined thereby.