Soldering device particularly suited to making high quality wiring joints for aerospace engineering utilizing capillary attraction to regulate flow of solde

Booth, F. W.

English

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ATTN OF: G p  
TO: 
NATIONAL AERONAUTiCS AND SPACE ADMlNlSTRATlON 
WASHINGTON. D.C. 20516 
~ ~ ~ / s c i e n t i f i c  61 Technical Information Division 
Attention: M i s u  Winnie M. Morgan 
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Patent Matters 
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I n  accordance w i t h  the procedures agreed upon by Code GP 
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The follawing information is provided: 
U. S. Patent No. 
Government or 
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Source ( if  dpplicable) t 
NASA Patent Case No. 
NOTE - If this  patent covers an invention made by a corporate 
employee of a NASA Contractor, the following is applicable: 
yes NO 0 
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https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=19710017738 2020-03-17T03:12:56+00:00Z
FIG. 2 FIG. 3 FIG. 4 
-52 
FIG. 5 
INVENTOR. 
FRANKLIN W. BOOTH 
V ATTORNEYS 
United States Patent ~ l ~ l  39575,336 
---- - - - -- 
[ 721 Inventor Franklin W. b t h  
Nampton, Va. 
[2  1 1 Appl. No 777,764 
[22] Filed Nov. 21, I968 
[45 j Patented Apr. 20,1971 
1731 Assignee the United States of Ameriw as represented 
by the Administrabr ofthe Nationat 
Aeronautics and Space Admb*ation. 
[54] SOLDERMG DEVICE 
3 Clnhans, 5 Drawing Figs. 
[52] U.S. CI ..................................................... 2.28153, 
2191229 
I511 Int.CI ....................................................... B23k3/04 
1501 Field of Search ......................................... 22815 1, 52, 
53; 2191229 
1561 References Cited 
UNITED STATES PATENTS 
1,457,508 611923 Dellman ....................... 228153 
......................... 1,626,552 411927 Quillen 2214152 
2,462,i 3 1 211949 Rustin .......................... 22813 
2,49 1,165 1211 949 De Rugeris ................... 228/55 
3,443,734 511969 Fortune ........................ 228152 
3,484,033 1211969 Sachs ........................ ... 22815 1 
FOREIGN PATENTS 
533,005 211 94 1 Great Britain ................ 228152 
Primary Examiner-John F. Campbell 
Assistant Examiner-Ronald J. Shore 
Attorneys-Howard 9. Osborn, John R. Benefiei and G. T 
McCoy 
ABSTRACT: A soldering tool and method whsch utiiizes 
controlled capilpary attraction of the solder and the roo! rc 
regulate solder flow into and out of the tool tip and on and off 
the workpieces. 
3,575,334 
B 2 
SOLDERING DEVICE shown in FIG. 4. The free movement of the solder is aided by 
The invention described herein was made by an employee the venting of air through the clearance 40 between the wire 
of the U.S. Government and may be manufactured and usec; 32 and the passage 36. The Pevel90 which it will rise depends 
by or for the Government of the United States of America %i. on the particular contact angle between the solder and wall 
governmental purposes without the payment of any royalties 5 46, the diameter of the opening, and other known factors as is 
thereon or therefor. well established from the application of general scientific 
This invention relates to a soldering device which is principles concerning the phenomenon of surface terasion. 
pasPicu,ahly suited to making high-quality wiring joints such as The soldering device is then in the ciharged state, having a 
are necessary in aerospace work. quantity of liquid solder 48 contained in the tip. The joint to 
Prior devices have long sought to provide precise 10 be soldered is heated with the tip and coated with a rosin flux. 
over the flow of onto and off the pieces to be so,dered, The lever 26 is then released to allow the control wire 32 to 
in order to attain a reasonable working speed and Po avoid advance as shown in FIG. 4 so as to cause the solder to 
excess solder deposits on the joints, and also to maintain p r o ~ n ~ d e  slightly at 50. By touching this protrusion to the 
uniebrm solder Other devices have also wires to be soldered, the attraction of soEder for ,these wires 
developed to remove excess solder from joints or to remove 15 overcomes the capillary forces to some extent and causes the 
solder to flow out onto the joint. However, once eke joint has 
solder when disconnecting soldered joints. These prior art been coated, the attractive forces are considerably lessened, devices usually relied on various suction arrangements, or and capillary forces reassert themseives on tiire solder and 
solder reservoirs with a valve control. prevent any additional flow, thus producing a uniformly In general, these devices suffer from the drawbacks of 20 perfect joint, any excess deposiB. 
relative complexity and the lack of sufficiently precise control As is known faom the scientific concer,3ing 
Over Oow necessary for tinned connections' capiliarity, the size of the passage, the angle of tlre passage; the Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide contact angle, may be varied so that the capiijaay forces arc 
a device which can yield u n i f o r m i ~  proper developed of the proper magnitude so as to be avcpcome by 
solder deposits on soldered connections. 25 the initial attraction for the joint, in order to provide the 
It is a to provide a method of "ldering a proper coating for the size of the members involved, as well as 
connection so as to produce uniformly perfect joints. to provide a sufficiently quantity of solder. A 1116-inch I.D. 
lt  is another object to provide a simple device for precisely passage has proved to be satisfactory Fa>r general electrtsaic 
controlling solder flow on and offa connection. work. 
~ a s i c a l i ~ ,  these objects are accomplished by providing 30 An alternative arrangemenlt is shown in FIG. 5, where 51 
controlled capillary attraction of the solder and the soldering indicates another device according to the inu,ewtjon,  
device by use of a solder wettable passage in the device. this form, a concentric passage 54 is formed i n  the tip, with a 
FIG. 1 shows in partial section a soldering device according solder insert 56 lining this pa,ssag,, A 58 is 
to the present invention. provided instead of a clearance gap between the control sod 
F%. 2 shows an enlarged view of a partial section of the tip 35 60 and the passage 54, to allow free movement of the solder in 
of the device shown in FIG. 1. and out of the tool. 
FIG. 3 shows an enlarged partial section of a tip charged f hi^ arrangement provides a poeentiai 
with solder and with the control wire inactive. capacity for more massive joints. 
FIG. 4 shows an enlarged partial section of a tip with the From the above description, it can be seen that an 
control wire activated. 40 extremely simple device has been provided which is capable of 
FIG. 5 shows a partial section an alternate form of the producing uniformly perfect joints without relying on operatcr 
invention. skill by balancing fluid-attractive forces between the joint and 
Referring to FIG. I, 10 indicates a soldering device suitable the tool. 
for connecting wires, etc., in general electronic work. T h i ~  In addition, a simplified solder removal tool has been 
device nqy be of conventional construction in most regards, 45 provided which does not require auxiliary suction assists, but 
having a handle 12, insulator 14, radiation shield 16, heating relies on capillary forces alone. 
element 18 supplied with electric power through lines PO, and I claim: 
a working tip 22. 1. A soldering tool comprising: 
This device is nonconventional in that a solder control a tip member; 
arrangement 24 has been added. This arrangement is 50 a passage formed in said tip having vakII&s which are solder 
composed of a control lever 26, which may be rotatably wettable and opening onto the surface of said tip 
connected to tool 10 by means of a bracket 28. Secured tc, an member; 
arm 30 of the lever 26 is a control wire 32, which passes heater means for heating said tip men?bes to the melting 
through a bracket 34 and into a passage 36 bored in tibe tip 22. point of solder; 
A spring 38 biases the assembly so as to cause the control wire 5 5  means for venting said passage to allow free movement of 
to advance into the passage 36 when the lever 26 is released. solder into said passage due to capillary forces; and 
In FIG. 2, the details of the tip 22 and control wire 32 control means for selectively counteracting said capillary 
assembly are shown. The control wire 32 is undersize so as to forces and causing solder deposited in said passage to 
loosely fit in the bore 36 with a clearance 40. The face 42 of protrude above the surface of said tip member, whereby 
tip 22 and the end wall 44 of the passage 36 is made to be 60 contact of contained solder with members to be 
solder wettable, as by means of an internal rosin flux coating. connected may be facilitated. 
]in use, power is supplied to the heating element 18, the tip is 2. The tool of claim 1 wherein said control means includes a! 
brought up to temperature, and while restraining the lever 26 CO*~'O~ member slidably inserted in said passage. 
so as to withdraw control wire 32. is brought inPo 3. The tool of claim 2 wherein said vent means includes 
contact with the hce 42 and passage 36 of the tip 22 in order 65 means providing considerable clearance between said control 
to raise its temperature to the melting point. Since the interior member and said pasage, and also including another opening 
surface 46 is capillary action affect any to the surface of said tip in communication with said passage. 
solder liquified and cause it to rise up into the passage 36 as 


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