The example methods and apparatus reduce and/or eliminate adverse effects of welding work pieces having dissimilar compositions. An example method includes depositing a first weld layer on a first end of a first work piece. The first work piece has a first content of a metallic element and the first weld layer has a second content of the metallic element higher than the first content. The example method includes depositing a second weld layer between the first weld layer and a second end of a second work piece to couple the first work piece to the second work piece. The second weld layer has a third content of the metallic element higher than the second content, and the second work piece has a fourth content of the metallic element higher than the first content.

A hot formed joined blank includes a first metal blank having an ultimate tensile strength of ≥about 1300 MPa to ≤about 2000 MPa and defining a first surface, a second metal blank having an ultimate tensile strength of ≥about 400 MPa to ≤about 1200 MPa and defining a second coated surface having a coating disposed thereon. The coating includes aluminum and silicon or in alternative variations, zinc. A third surface of the second metal blank is joined to the first surface of the first metal blank to form the hot formed joined blank. A weld nugget is disposed along a boundary between the first and second metal blanks that is configured to join the first and second metal blanks, where the weld nugget optionally includes less than or equal to about 1.5 weight percent aluminum or a microstructure comprising austenite and delta-ferrite.

A gas supply device for a laser machining head is provided for generating a homogeneous gas flow. The gas supply device includes a gas inlet, a shared volume for superimposing a laser beam and the gas flow, and a gas channel system which, starting from the gas inlet, branches at least twice and connects the gas inlet with several outlet openings at the shared volume. The gas channel system and the outlet openings are configured to provide a substantially homogeneous gas flow to the shared volume.

A manufacturing method for a joint body having a first metal member and a second metal member joined together by causing a laser oscillation system to irradiate a surface of the second metal member placed on the first metal member with laser light to form a joint portion including a welded portion where the first metal member and the second metal member are joined together includes continuously supplying the second metal member while pressing the second metal member against the first metal member, the second metal member being a hoop material, and causing the laser oscillation system to emit the laser light.

A bearing including a backing formed of a steel material, a lining formed of aluminum or an aluminum alloy, and a diffusion barrier layer disposed between the backing and the lining is provided. The diffusion barrier layer is formed of nickel or a nickel alloy and has a thickness ranging from 1 micron to 100 microns. The bearing is typically formed by cladding the lining or plating the steel backing with the diffusion barrier layer, bonding the lining and the backing with the diffusion barrier layer between, heating to a temperature of at least 400° C., and forming the bearing into a shape after or before the heating step.

A reflected beam detector detects a reflected beam reflected from a sheet metal when the sheet metal is irradiated with a laser beam so that the sheet metal is cut. A processing state determination unit is provided with a standard deviation value calculation unit and a quality determination unit. The standard deviation value calculation unit calculates, in a predetermined calculation cycle, a standard deviation value of a reflected beam detection value at a monitoring wavelength from among reflected beam detection values in a predetermined wavelength band output from the reflected beam detector. The quality determination unit determines whether or not a burning defect has occurred in which a cut surface of the sheet metal is excessively melted based on a comparison result of comparing, with a first threshold value, the standard deviation value calculated by the standard deviation value calculation unit.

A wire for gas-shielded arc welding includes, based on a total mass of the wire C: 0.01 mass % or more and 0.10 mass % or less, Si: 0.05 mass % or more and 0.55 mass % or less, Mn: 1.60 mass % or more and 2.40 mass % or less, Ti: 0.05 mass % or more and 0.25 mass % or less, Cu: 0.30 mass % or less, Al: 0.10 mass % or less, P: 0.025 mass % or less, and S: 0.010 mass % or less with the remainder being Fe and inevitable impurities. In addition, the following relationship is satisfied: 0.1≤[Ti]/[Si]≤3.0, where [Si] is the content of Si (mass %) based on the total mass of the wire and [Ti] is the content of Ti (mass %) based on the total mass of the wire.

A wear-protected substrate includes a substrate and a continuous wear protection layer brazed to the substrate. The continuous wear protection layer includes components having interlocking features that are configured to interlock the components side-by-side to form the continuous wear protection layer.

This joint component is a joint component including a first steel member, a second steel member, and a spot-welded portion that joins the first steel member and the second steel member, in which the first steel member includes a steel sheet substrate having a predetermined chemical composition and a coating that is formed on a surface of the steel sheet substrate, contains Al and Fe, and has a thickness of 25 μm or more, in a cross section in a thickness direction of the first steel member and the second steel member including the spot-welded portion, a filled metal containing Al and Fe is present in a gap between the first steel member and the second steel member in a periphery of the spot-welded portion, in the cross section, the filled metal has a cross-sectional area of 3.0×10.sup.4 μm.sup.2 or more, and has a filling ratio of 80% or more in the gap in a range of 100 μm from an end portion of a corona bond formed in the periphery of the spot-welded portion, and includes a first region and a second region.

A resistance spot welding method for spot welding plural steel sheets including at least one galvanized steel sheet containing 0.08 mass % or more of C and 0.50 mass % or more of Si and having a tensile strength of 980 MPa or more, the resistance spot welding method includes, using a pair of electrodes including a pair of electrode tips configured to sandwich and pressurize the plural steel sheets and a pressurizing force absorbing mechanism provided in at least one of the pair of electrode tips and capable of absorbing a pressurizing force in an axial direction of the electrode tips, welding by sandwiching the plural steel sheets between the pair of electrode tips and energizing the pair of electrode tips with a pressurizing force applied, while absorbing a fluctuation load of the pressurizing force generated during the energization by the pressurizing force absorbing mechanism.