The invention relates to a method for producing an axle housing of a vehicle axle, by means of integrally connecting an axle tube (1) to an axle shaft (2) which is positioned on the longitudinal axis (L) of the axle tube, is equipped with bearing surfaces (3) for mounting a vehicle wheel, and has a tube cross-section facing said axle tube (1) which is substantially the same as the tube cross-section of the axle tube. In order to develop a welding method for the production of an axle housing that consists of an axle tube and an axle shaft secured thereto, which method is optimised in terms of the dynamic loads to which the axle housing is typically subjected in a driving operation, the method comprises the following steps: •—arranging the axle tube (1) and the axle shaft (2), with the abutting surfaces of their tube cross-sections positioned coaxially to one another, in a workpiece receiving portion of a welding installation (10), said welding installation additionally comprising an arc welding device (11) and a laser welding device (12) which is operated in parallel, •—continuously miming a weld seam (20) in the peripheral direction of the tube cross-sections, both welding devices (11, 12) being directed, actively and from the outside, onto substantially the same peripheral section of the abutting surfaces, wherein the laser beam (S) meets the outside (14) of the tube at right angles, and intersects the longitudinal axis (L) of the axle tube (1), and •—stopping running the weld seam (20) once this has passed over a peripheral angle of at least 360°. A corresponding axle housing is also disclosed.

The invention relates to a method for producing an axle housing of a vehicle axle, by means of integrally connecting an axle tube (1) to an axle shaft (2) which is positioned on the longitudinal axis (L) of the axle tube, is equipped with bearing surfaces (3) for mounting a vehicle wheel, and has a tube cross-section facing said axle tube (1) which is substantially the same as the tube cross-section of the axle tube. In order to develop a welding method for the production of an axle housing that consists of an axle tube and an axle shaft secured thereto, which method is optimised in terms of the dynamic loads to which the axle housing is typically subjected in a driving operation, the method comprises the following steps: •—arranging the axle tube (1) and the axle shaft (2), with the abutting surfaces of their tube cross-sections positioned coaxially to one another, in a workpiece receiving portion of a welding installation (10), said welding installation additionally comprising an arc welding device (11) and a laser welding device (12) which is operated in parallel, •—continuously miming a weld seam (20) in the peripheral direction of the tube cross-sections, both welding devices (11, 12) being directed, actively and from the outside, onto substantially the same peripheral section of the abutting surfaces, wherein the laser beam (S) meets the outside (14) of the tube at right angles, and intersects the longitudinal axis (L) of the axle tube (1), and •—stopping running the weld seam (20) once this has passed over a peripheral angle of at least 360°. A corresponding axle housing is also disclosed.

A joining method including an overlapping step of overlapping a front surface of a first metal member and a back surface of second metal member such that the front surface is opposed to the back surface; and a welding step of performing a laser welding and a MIG welding by using a hybrid welding machine including a preceding laser welding unit and a following MIG welding unit, in which the laser welding is performed by emitting a laser beam onto a front surface of the second metal member, the MIG welding is performed on an inner corner portion formed by the front surface of the first metal member and an end surface of the second metal member, and a target position for the laser beam from the laser welding unit is located against the second metal member relative to a target position for a MIG arc by the MIG welding unit.

A joining method including an overlapping step of overlapping a front surface of a first metal member and a back surface of second metal member such that the front surface is opposed to the back surface; and a welding step of performing a laser welding and a MIG welding by using a hybrid welding machine including a preceding laser welding unit and a following MIG welding unit, in which the laser welding is performed by emitting a laser beam onto a front surface of the second metal member, the MIG welding is performed on an inner corner portion formed by the front surface of the first metal member and an end surface of the second metal member, and a target position for the laser beam from the laser welding unit is located against the second metal member relative to a target position for a MIG arc by the MIG welding unit.

A steel plate frame and a thin plate are made of different materials. A plurality of through holes are formed in a portion of the thin plate to be placed on the steel plate frame. A plurality of projections 6c are formed on a support plate, each of the projections being allowed to be inserted into a corresponding one of the through holes. An adhesive is applied to a portion of the steel plate frame on which the thin plate is placed. The thin plate is placed on the steel plate frame, and the steel plate frame and the thin plate are bonded together by the adhesive. The support plate is placed on the thin plate to insert the projections into the through holes. The projections and the steel plate frame are welded to form a plurality of welded spots.

A welding clamping device includes a base plate and two positioning slide blocks, each of the positioning slide blocks includes a slide base and a cam, wherein the slide base includes a support plate and two cam holders fixed at two opposite ends of the support plate; the cam is rotatably mounted between the two cam holders via a camshaft for press-fitting a workpiece to be welded; and the base plate is provided with a slide slot, and the two positioning slide blocks are relatively slidably mounted in the slide slot. The device can better position a workpiece to be welded, improving welding quality; and clamping and unloading are easy and take a short time, improving welding efficiency.

A gas tungsten arc welding torch includes a handle and a nozzle located distal of the handle and having a central bore. First and second tungsten electrodes are located partially within the central bore of the nozzle. The torch includes at least one filler wire channel that terminates radially inward of the first tungsten electrode and the second tungsten electrode. The torch includes a torch trigger. Operation of the torch trigger controls delivery of a first filler wire and a second filler wire through the at least one filler wire channel. The torch includes a wire feed speed control. Operation of the wire feed speed control adjusts a wire feed speed of both of the first filler wire and the second filler wire.

A gas tungsten arc welding torch includes a handle and a nozzle located distal of the handle and having a central bore. First and second tungsten electrodes are located partially within the central bore of the nozzle. The torch includes at least one filler wire channel that terminates radially inward of the first tungsten electrode and the second tungsten electrode. The torch includes a torch trigger. Operation of the torch trigger controls delivery of a first filler wire and a second filler wire through the at least one filler wire channel. The torch includes a wire feed speed control. Operation of the wire feed speed control adjusts a wire feed speed of both of the first filler wire and the second filler wire.

An assembly includes a first steel component that is joined to a second steel component by a weld joint formed in a hybrid welding process. At least one of the first and second steel components is a through-hardened bearing steel. In the hybrid welding process, base material of the first and second steel components is melted, and a molten filler material including at least 90% nickel is added. The weld joint is formed after solidification of the molten base material and of the molten filler material. The weld joint has a central solidified portion and a peripheral solidified portion, and the central solidified portion includes at least 80% filler material and the peripheral solidified portion includes no more than 20% filler material.

A welding method for joining a first plate made of a material other than steel and a second plate made of steel includes a step of making a hole through each of the first plate and the second plate, a press-fitting step, an overlapping step, and a filling and welding step. A shaft portion of a joining assist member being solid, being made of steel, and having an outer shape with step having the shaft portion and a flange portion is press-fitted in the hole of the first plate. The first plate and the second plate is overlapped such that the shaft portion faces the hole of the second plate. The hole of the second plate is filled with a weld metal and the second plate and the joining assist member are welded.