A structural member is provided that includes a steel sheet with a tensile strength of 980 MPa or higher overlying another metal plate and joined thereto by welding, where a break initiating near a welded portion is less likely to be produced. A structural member (10, 10a, 10b, 10c) includes: a first member (1), the first member being a steel sheet with a tensile strength of 980 MPa or higher; a second member (2) overlying the first plate (1), the second member being a metal plate; a plurality of welded portions (3, 31, 32); a plurality of heat-affected zones (5, 51, 52) each formed to surround the corresponding one of the welded portions (3, 31, 32), the heat-affected zones having a Vickers hardness lower than that of the first member by 50 HV or more. A pair of edge sections (4) of the first member (1) are provided between adjacent heat-affected zones (5, 51, 52). The pair of edge sections (4) of the first member located between the adjacent heat-affected zones (5, 51, 52) extend to cross a line (LC1) linking the adjacent welded portions (3, 31, 32).

There is provided a resistance spot welding apparatus including a first rod-shaped electrode body, second rod-shaped electrode body, first ring-shaped member, second ring-shaped member, first elastic body, and second elastic body. The first rod-shaped electrode body and second rod-shaped electrode body are arranged facing each other, the first rod-shaped electrode body is inserted into a through hole of the first ring-shaped member, the first elastic body is connected to an opposite side of first ring-shaped member to second rod-shaped electrode body side, the first rod-shaped electrode body and first ring-shaped member are not electrically connected to each other, the second rod-shaped electrode body is inserted into a through hole of the second ring-shaped member, the second elastic body is connected to an opposite side of second ring-shaped member to first rod-shaped electrode body side, and the second rod-shaped electrode body and second ring-shaped member are not electrically connected each other.

An application of the laser welding process in the joining of shaped and machined components for the production of a front suspension lower swing arm of automotive vehicles. This arm is composed of two shaped parts (4, 5), a tube with a larger circular section (9) for implantation of a cylindrical rubber bushing (2) coupled to a flanged region (6), a cylindrical pin (8) fixed to a cylindrical tube with a smaller circular section (7) to ensure connection of the pin with the shaped parts (4, 5), a bushing with fixing flanges (1), and one socket joint (3). Alternatively, a rubber bushing fixed in the vertical form (15), fixed by pressure in the housing in the already laser welded plates (4, 5) may be used instead of the cylindrical pin (8) fixed in a tube with smaller circular section (7) and a bushing with fixing flanges (1).

A vehicle pillar structure and a method for manufacturing a vehicle pillar in which, in a pillar framework, a member is easily disposed on a surface facing a transparent panel in an overlapping manner, while reducing the width of the pillar framework, and a corner butt portion on the side of the transparent panel has increased welding accuracy are provided. A flange of an outer panel and a flange of an inner panel are welded by spot welding. An end surface of a front end of the inner panel is butted against an inner surface end of the outer panel, and is welded thereto by laser welding, such that welding beads are thereby linearly formed at established intervals.

A method for producing an overlap composite material from sheet metal is described, wherein a first sheet (1) of a first metal and a second sheet (2) of a second metal, which has a lower strength than the first metal, are positioned one above another in an overlapping manner in an edge region, and are then joined by rolling. In accordance with the invention, provision is made for the first sheet (1) to have a wedge-shaped edge in cross-section, and for the second sheet (2) to be positioned with its edge on a side surface (3) of the first sheet (1) formed by the wedge-shaped edge, wherein the side surface (3) formed by the wedge-shaped edge of the first sheet (1) has a greater width than the side surface (4) of the edge of the second sheet (2) positioned on the said side surface (3) of the first sheet (1), and, after positioning, the sheets (1, 2) are joined by rolling.

A method and a device for fusion welding one or more steel sheets made of press-hardenable steel, preferably manganese-boron steel; are disclosed. In the method, the fusion welding is performed by supplying filler wire into a molten bath generated a laser beam. In order to improve the hardenability of the weld seam, regardless of whether the steel sheets to be welded to one another are steel sheets of identical or different material quality, the filler wire is coated with graphite particles prior to fusion welding and the filler wire coated in this manner is introduced directly into the molten bath in such a way that the tip of the filler wire melts in the molten bath, the graphite particles are mixed with a waxy or liquid carrier medium to be applied to the filler wire, and the mixture is applied in the form of a coating to the filler wire. The method and the corresponding device are distinguished by a high productivity and a relatively low energy consumption. The method can be implemented with a relatively low equipment outlay.

A series of many electrical resistance spot welds is to be formed in members of an assembled, but un-joined, body that presents workpiece stack-ups of various combinations of metal workpieces including all aluminum workpieces, all steel workpieces, and a combination of aluminum and steel workpieces. A pair of spot welding electrodes, each with a specified weld face that includes oxide-disrupting features, is used to form the required numbers of aluminum-to-aluminum spot welds, aluminum-to-steel spot welds, and steel-to-steel spot welds. A predetermined sequence of forming the various spot welds may be specified for extending the number of spot welds that can be made before the weld faces must be restored. And, during at least one of the aluminum-to-steel spot welds, a cover is inserted between the weld face of one of the welding electrodes and a side of a workpiece stack-up that includes the adjacent aluminum and steel workpieces.

The present invention relates to a method for joining a first blank and a second blank, wherein at least one of the first and second blanks comprises at least a layer of aluminum or an aluminum alloy. In particular, the method comprises placing the first and second blanks for welding; laser welding the first and second blanks following a welding path thus forming a tailor welded blank, wherein the welding path combines a linear movement along a welding direction and oscillating movements substantially transverse to the welding direction and then hot deforming and quenching the tailor welded blank to form a component, wherein the welding is done without using a filler.

A method of resistance spot welding a workpiece stack-up comprising overlapping first and second steel workpieces is disclosed, wherein at least one of the steel workpieces comprises an advanced high-strength steel substrate. The workpiece stack-up is positioned between a pair of opposed first and second welding electrodes. A cover is disposed between at least one of the first steel workpiece and the first welding electrode or the second steel workpiece and the second welding electrode at an intended weld site. The workpiece stack-up is clamped between the first and second welding electrodes at the weld site such that at least one of the weld faces of the first and second welding electrodes presses against the cover. The first and second steel workpieces are welded together by passing an electrical current between the first and second welding electrodes at the weld site.

The present invention relates to a joined component used in a semiconductor manufacturing process or a display manufacturing process, in which the joined component is formed by welding parent members by friction stir welding.