Disclosed is a friction welding method including: a heating step wherein, in relation to joining surfaces (S1, S2) defined by opposite end surfaces of a pair of materials (W1, W2), the pair of materials (W1, W2) are moved from a state in which their axes are unaligned with each other, in a direction for aligning the respective axes with each other, to a prescribed position where the joining surfaces (S1, S2) are brought into contact with each other and friction heated; and a pressure contacting step wherein the pair of materials are brought into pressure contact with each other. The method is characterized in that the heating step and the pressure contacting step are carried out while rotating each of the materials (W1, W2) at the same rotation speed in the same direction, as seen from one side in the axial direction.

Provided are a friction stir welding apparatus and a friction stir welding method that achieve highly accurate and highly reliable joining while minimizing an effect of bending of a pressing force receiving portion (carrying table) as a result of a press by a joining tool unit. The friction stir welding apparatus joins joining target members by friction stir welding. The friction stir welding apparatus is characterized by including: an apparatus main body; a control device that controls an operation of the friction stir welding apparatus; a C-shaped frame connected to the apparatus main body via a first vertical movement drive mechanism unit; a holder unit connected to one end of the C-shaped frame via a second vertical movement drive mechanism unit; and a joining tool held by the holder unit. The C-shaped frame includes a held portion connected to the apparatus main body via the first vertical movement drive mechanism unit, a holder unit holding portion connected to the holder unit via the second vertical movement drive mechanism unit, and a pressing force receiving portion connected to the other end of the C-shaped frame and receiving a pressing force from the joining tool. The control device includes a first joining mode that performs friction stir welding based on a joining command signal that determines a joining condition of the joining tool, and a first holding position determining signal that determines a first holding position of the first vertical movement drive mechanism unit, and a second joining mode that performs friction stir welding based on the joining command signal and a second holding position determining signal obtained by correcting the first holding position determining signal such that a depth or a range of a joined portion becomes constant in accordance with a state of the pressing force receiving portion. The first joining mode and the second joining mode are included in one joining pass from insertion of the joining tool into the joining target members to extraction of the joining target members.

A component for use in a linear friction welding system includes a base portion terminating at a predefined boundary plane associated with a weld interface between the component and a further component when the component is welded to the further component. The boundary plane defines a cross sectional area of the component. A shaped charge portion extends from the boundary plane. The shaped charge portion includes a contact initiation portion having a surface area and is configured to provide initial contact between the component and the further component during the welding procedure. The cross sectional area is larger than the surface area.

A production method of a joint material includes a tab installation step of installing an end tab on a pair of workpieces to be joined at a joining line therebetween by friction stir welding, a tool installation step of installing a probe of a tool for friction stir welding at a cutout portion; an approach step of moving the tool while rotating itself from an opening into the cutout portion; a waiting step of causing the tool for friction stir welding to standby in the cutout portion at an extension line; and a joining step of starting movement of the tool along the joining line at a time at which a temperature of the workpieces at a joining portion in front of the tool in an advancing direction of the tool in the waiting step is a predetermined temperature or more and joining the workpieces with each other.

A low-temperature joining method effectively suppresses reductions in the mechanical properties of a junction of various types of high-tensile steel or aluminum, and of a heat-affected zone; and produces a joint structure. A method for joining two metal materials by forming a joint interface in which the two metal materials face each other at a joint portion and plunge a rotation tool caused to rotate at a prescribed speed into the joint, the method for low-temperature joining of metal materials characterized in that the peripheral velocity of the outermost periphery of the rotation tool is set to 51 mm/s or less, whereby the recrystallization temperature inherent to the metal materials is reduced by introducing a large strain to the joint, and recrystallized grains are generated at the joint interface by setting the joining temperature to less than the recrystallization temperature inherent to the metal materials.

A friction stir spot welder includes a controller configured to: drive a rotary actuator and an advancement/withdrawal actuator to cause a pin to press workpieces while rotating; after the pressing, drive the rotary actuator and the advancement/withdrawal actuator to cause the pin and a shoulder to press the workpieces while rotating; and after the pressing, drive the rotary actuator and the advancement/withdrawal actuator to cause the pin and/or the shoulder to plunge into a weld region of the workpieces while rotating and stir the weld region to weld the workpieces together.

An inspection system is configured to inspect the condition of a braze joint formed within a structure, wherein the braze joint is formed from a braze filler material having a tracer material disposed therein. The inspection system includes an energy source for directing energy towards the structure, an energy detector for detecting information regarding the structure following interaction with the energy directed from the energy source, and a data analysis system for analyzing the information detected by the energy detector. The data analysis system is configured to distinguish the tracer material from the remaining materials forming the structure in order to determine a suitability of the braze joint.

The invention relates to a device and method for avoiding an interruption in the welding process during friction stir welding, in particular breakage of the friction pin, wherein the device has: g) at least three strip-like sensors (8), oriented at an angle of 120 degrees to one another, on the long sides of a wedge-shaped tool dome (7), wherein the tool dome (7) guides a welding pin (19) by means of a tool receiving cone (28) and a welding shoe (11), and the sensors (8) are configured to determined force, pressure and travel, h) a conical evaluation means in the lower region of the tool receiving cone (28), which serves to receive a sensor (22) for sensing the axial force, the torque and the bending moment on the welding pin (19), i) a piezoelectric vertical adjustment means for the welding pin (19), j) an arrangement of a laser measuring sensor (10) in the region of the welding shoe (11), the directivity of which passes over a round hole (27) in the passage region of the pin tip (12), wherein an airborne noise sensor (3) is arranged opposite the laser measuring sensor (10) and a welding shoe temperature sensor is provided, k) a sensor signal amplifier (23) having a rotor antenna for receiving, amplifying and passing on all sensed measured values, wherein these measured values are passed on to a machine controller by a static antenna (16), I) an inductive power supply system for supplying the measuring system from a moving secondary winding (24) and a stationary primary winding (25).

In some implementations, an apparatus comprises a pipe, a stud that is forge-welded to the pipe, creating a forge-welded stud, a bracket that is operably coupled to the forge-welded stud, and a walkway operably coupled to the bracket.

A linear friction welding system in one embodiment includes a welding control system operably connected to a hydraulic press and a ram, the welding control system including a processing circuit operably connected to a memory and configured to execute program instructions stored in the memory to bring a shaped charge portion of a first component to be welded into contact with a second component to be welded, and establish an initial scrub load pressure between the two components based upon a ratio between initial surface area of a contact initiation portion of the shaped charge portion and a final surface area of the first component. The processing circuit increases pressure between the components from the initial scrub load pressure to a target scrub load pressure before terminating oscillation of the ram and establishing or maintaining a weld load pressure.