Solid-state joining of preformed features, such as bosses, flanges, gaskets, centralizers and other features to substrates or cast parts by a solid-state MELD additive manufacturing process is disclosed. Joining can be between same or different materials using same, similar or dissimilar filler material than the materials of the feature and the part that need to be joined.

In a double-acting friction stir spot welding device or a double-acting friction stir spot welding method, a pin member and a cylindrical shoulder member that rotates around the axis of the pin member are used as rotary tools, and a clamp member that has a cylindrical shape positioned so as to surround the outside of the shoulder member and is configured to press a workpiece from an obverse surface with an annular pressing surface of the distal end is used as a holding jig. The clamp member has an inclined surface that is adjacent to the inner edge portion of the pressing surface and inclined so as to reduce the inner diameter of the clamp member toward the back side as viewed from the pressing surface.

A method for manufacturing a liquid cooling jacket has a feature of using a primary joining rotary tool provided with a tip side pin and a base side pin having a taper angle larger than a taper angle of the tip side pin and comprising a first primary joining process in which inserting the tip side pin and the base side pin of the rotary tool that is rotating into the sealing body member and moving the rotary tool along the first abutted portion with an outer circumferential face of the base side pin being in contact with a front face of the sealing body member and with the outer circumferential face of the tip side pin being kept off a step side face of the peripheral wall step portion while having a second aluminum alloy of the sealing body member flow into the gap.

Additive friction stir methods for joining materials are provided. The methods comprise providing first and second substrates to be joined; providing a forming plate comprising one or more forming cavities; placing the first and second substrates in communication with the forming plate; placing the first and second substrates in communication with each other; rotating and translating an additive friction-stir tool relative to the substrates; feeding a filler material through the additive friction-stir tool; deforming the filler material and the first and second substrates; and extruding one or more of the filler material and the first and second substrates into one or more of the forming cavities of the forming plate. Interaction of the additive friction-stir tool with the substrates generates heat and plastic deformation at the joint to weld the substrates at the joint. The methods include introduction of reinforcing material at the joint through addition of the filler material.

A tool holder of a machine tool, in which the machine tool includes a spindle head and a spindle supported by the spindle head, includes: a shank portion attached to the spindle; a rotary portion integrally provided to the shank portion and to which a welding tool (processing tool) used for friction stir welding is attachable; a bearing mechanism (bearing) supporting the rotary portion so that the rotary portion is rotatable; and a bearing holder holding the bearing mechanism, in which the bearing holder is disposed facing the spindle head and is capable of transmitting a load applied to the bearing mechanism to the spindle head.

A friction stir welding apparatus includes a FSW tool that is held by a housing and welds to-be-welded members to each other by friction stir, and a gradual cooling device that gradually cools a weld site of the to-be-welded members welded by the FSW tool. The gradual cooling device is a contactless heat source that heats the weld site without coming into contact with the weld site. The contactless heat source is a high-frequency heat source.

A method of joining a first work-piece to a second work-piece is provided. Each of the first work-piece and the second work-piece include a top surface, an opposed bottom surface, and a side surface connecting the top surface and the opposed bottom surface. In one aspect, the method includes positioning the side surface of the first work-piece adjacent to the side surface of the second work-piece, and advancing a friction stir additive manufacturing tool across the top surface of the first work-piece and the top surface of the second work-piece along a weld line between the first work-piece and the second work-piece. As the friction stir additive manufacturing tool advances along the weld line, a filler material is deposited along the weld line and into a plurality of through holes formed in either or both of the first work-piece and the second work-piece. Each of the plurality of through holes includes a first opening on the top surface, a second opening on the opposed bottom surface, and a passageway through the work-piece between the first opening and the second opening. The method further includes joining the first work-piece and the second work-piece together.

A device for friction stirring a workpiece material includes a body, a spindle, a driver, and a biasing element. The spindle is configured to rotate around a rotational axis. The driver is rotationally coupled to the spindle. The biasing element supports the driver and is configured to apply a biasing force in an axial direction, wherein the biasing element axially overlaps the spindle.

A friction stir tool control method is a control method for controlling an operation of a friction stir tool by supplying a necessary drive electric current to a drive source of the tool. The control method includes obtaining a pressurizing force change ratio by comparing a set pressurizing force predefined as a pressurizing force at plunging of the tool into a workpiece with an actual pressurizing force occurring at actual plunging of the tool into the workpiece by supplying a drive electric current for generating the set pressurizing force to the drive source. The drive electric current is regulated in accordance with the pressurizing force change ratio so that the actual pressurizing force comes to the set pressurizing force, and the drive source is driven with the regulated drive electric current.

The invention relates to a device and to a method for homogeneously welding two-dimensionally bent structures by friction stir welding.