Inflatable ring for supporting friction welding workpieces, and associated systems and methods

1. A support assembly for processing workpieces, comprising:

a carriage;

a generally ring-shaped support member rotatable relative to the carriage, the support member including:

a body; and

at least one inflatable member carried by the body and positioned to expand from a first configuration to a second configuration for engaging a workpiece; and

a roller and a roller track positioned to facilitate rotation of the support member relative to the carriage.

2. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the inflatable member expands in a radially inward direction from the first configuration to the second configuration.

3. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the roller is rotatably mounted at a fixed location relative to the carriage, and wherein the roller track is carried by the support member.

4. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the inflatable member is one of multiple inflatable members positioned along a common axis.

5. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the inflatable member is one of multiple inflatable members positioned at different circumferential locations around a common axis.

6. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the inflatable member includes an inflatable volume and a retention portion, and wherein the support member includes a retainer element engaged with the retention portion to at least restrict motion of the inflatable member relatable to the support member.

7. The assembly of claim 1 , further comprising:

a motor;

a first drive element operatively coupled to the motor; and

a second drive element carried by the support member and engaged with the first drive element.

8. The assembly of claim 7 wherein activation of the motor rotates the support member relative to the carriage.

9. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the support member is releasably carried by the carriage and is movable relative to the carriage between a first position in which the support member is carried by the carriage and a second position in which the support member is not carried by the carriage.

10. The assembly of claim 9 wherein the carriage includes an arm movable between a first position in which the arm is operably engaged with the support member and a second position in which the arm is disengaged from the support member.

11. The assembly of claim 1 , further comprising a friction weld head positioned proximate to the carriage for access to a workpiece carried by the support member.

12. The assembly of claim 11 , wherein the carriage is a first carriage, the support member is a first support member, the body is a first body, and the inflatable member is a first inflatable member positioned to expand in a radially inward direction from the first configuration to the second configuration, and wherein the assembly further comprises:

a second carriage, wherein at least one of the first and second carriages is movable toward and away from the other; and

a generally ring-shaped second support member carried by the second carriage, the second support member including:

a second body; and

at least one second inflatable member carried by the second body and positioned to expand radially inwardly from a third configuration to a fourth configuration.

13. The assembly of claim 1 wherein the support member includes a complete ring.

14. A friction welding system, comprising:

a friction welding head;

a motion path positioned proximate to the friction welding head;

a first translating support positioned on the motion path to carry a first welding workpiece;

a second translating support positioned on the motion path to carry a second welding workpiece;

a motor, assembly powering two first drive elements; and

a rotating support assembly positioned along the motion path proximate to the friction welding head, the rotating support assembly including:

a first carriage having a first roller;

a first drive ring carried by the first carriage and rotatably engaged with the first roller;

a second carriage having a second roller;

a second drive ring carried by the second carriage and rotatably engaged with the second roller; wherein

each of the first and second drive rings includes a cylindrical body, at least one inflatable member carried by the cylindrical body and inflatable to expand radially inwardly from a first configuration to a second configuration, at least one roller track carried by the cylindrical body and positioned radially outwardly from the at least one inflatable member to engage with a corresponding one of the first and second rollers, and a second drive element rotatably engaged with a corresponding one of the first drive elements.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein the first drive elements include gears and wherein the second drive elements include first flange-mounted roller bearings carried by the first drive ring and engaged with the one of the gears and second flange-mounted roller bearings carried by the second drive ring and engaged with another of the gears.

16. A support assembly for processing workpieces, comprising:

a first carriage and a second carriage, wherein at least one of the first and second carriages is movable toward and away from the other,

a generally ring-shaped first support member carried by the first carriage, the first support member including:

a first body; and

at least one first inflatable member carried by the first body and positioned to expand in a radially inward direction from a first configuration to a second configuration for engaging a workpiece; and

a friction weld head positioned proximate to the carriage for access to a workpiece carried by the support member; and

a generally ring-shaped second support member carried by the second carriage, the second support member including:

a second body; and

at least one second inflatable member carried by the second body and positioned to expand radially inwardly from a third configuration to a fourth configuration.