The present invention relates to tooling and methods for disposing, coating, building up, repairing, or otherwise modifying the surface of a metal substrate using frictional heating and compressive loading of a consumable metal material against the substrate. Embodiments of the invention include friction-based fabrication tooling comprising a non-consumable member with a throat and a consumable member disposed in the throat, wherein the throat is operably configured such that during rotation of the non-consumable member at a selected speed, the throat exerts normal forces on and rotates the consumable member at the selected speed; and comprising means for dispensing the consumable member through the throat and onto a substrate using frictional heating and compressive loading. Embodiments of the invention also include fabrication methods using the tools described herein.

In a process for friction stir welding together pieces of dissimilar material, a first piece of a second metal is overlaid onto a first piece of a first metal that is dissimilar from the second metal such that at least a portion of the first piece of second metal overlaps a portion of the first piece of first metal. The first piece of second metal has a plurality of holes therein and the holes are disposed in overlapping relationship with the portion of the first piece of first metal. Each of the holes is filled with a plug formed from the first metal. The first piece of first metal is friction stir welded to the first piece of second metal at each of the plug locations.

An additive friction stir fabrication method and system is described which may be used to fabricate and join a rib to a metallic substrate or to repair a defect in a metallic substrate through extrusion. The method may be carried out with or without the addition of preformed ribs. One such method involves feeding a friction-stir tool with a consumable filler material such that interaction of the friction-stir tool with the substrate generates plastic deformation at an interface between the friction-stir tool and a metallic substrate to bond the plasticized filler and substrate together and extrude this material through a forming cavity to form a rib joined to the metallic substrate. Further described is a system for fabricating a rib joined to a metallic substrate through extrusion.

A friction stir welding device includes a friction stir welding tool equipped with a fixed shoulder on an outer periphery of a probe on a proximal end side, a main shaft positioning mechanism which relatively moves the friction stir welding tool with respect to a corner portion between workpieces a control device thereof, and a filler supply unit which supplies a filler to a stirring region in which the workpieces are stirred by the probe at the time of friction stir welding. When the probe is immersed into the corner portion to perform the friction stir welding, the fixed shoulder is maintained at a position separated by a gap from the surfaces of the workpieces with the control device.

Systems, methods, and devices are disclosed herein that repair and fill exit holes created by welding operations on vehicle components or parts. Methods may include inserting a plug into the exit hole in one or more vehicle parts, where the exit hole is created by the welding operation performed on the one or more vehicle parts. Methods may further include positioning a first pin on the plug such that the first pin is contacting an exposed surface of the plug, and rotating the first pin while contacting the exposed surface of the plug, where the rotating generates thermal energy based on a frictional force associated with the first pin and the plug. The methods may also include filling the exit hole by heating and plasticizing the plug via the thermal energy, and consolidating a material of the plug with the one or more vehicle parts.

A method for forming a metal matrix composite (MMC) structure includes forming an assembly including at least two blocks of a primary phase material sharing an interface at which a secondary phase material is disposed. The assembly has a length, a width, and a thickness. The method also includes clamping the assembly to at least one of urge the at least two blocks toward each other or maintain the at least two blocks at a predetermined position. Also, the method includes passing a rotating friction-stir pin along the interface from the front edge to the rear edge. The friction-stir pin has a mixing length extending at least the width of the assembly, and passing the friction-stir pin along the length of the assembly disperses the secondary phase material into the primary phase material and welds the at least two blocks together.

This invention discloses a 3D printing apparatus and method utilizing friction stir welding (FSW). The apparatus includes a material feeding mechanism, a control mechanism, a friction stir welding (FSW) mechanism, and a friction stir welding (FSW) rotation drive mechanism. The control mechanism controls the material feeding mechanism, the FSW mechanism and the FSW rotation drive mechanism. In addition to the control mechanism, the FSW mechanism also connects to the FSW rotation drive mechanism. The method comprises the steps of: 1, start the control mechanism; step 2, the control mechanism controls the material feeding mechanism to feed filling material; step 3, print 3D product with FSW mechanism. The invention achieves additive manufacturing and 3D printing with a new friction stir welding technology. The invented method has many advantages such as can handle a wide range of raw materials, has high printing speed, has high efficiency, has low energy consumption, requires low cost, is broadly applicable in different situations, is environmentally friendly, and is easy to automate. The products manufactured following this invention is formed through semi-solid forming technology. They will have good mechanical properties and low price.

Additive friction stir methods for repairing substrates, coating substrates, fabricating/adding/attaching ribs, joining substrates, stiffening and enhancing structures, surface modification, enhancing surface properties, welding, coating, and extrusion are described. An additive friction stir fabrication method and system is described which may be used to fabricate and join a rib to a substrate or to repair a defect in a substrate through extrusion. The method may be carried out with or without the addition of preformed ribs. One such method involves feeding a friction-stir tool with a consumable filler material such that interaction of the friction-stir tool with the substrate generates plastic deformation at an interface between the friction-stir tool and a substrate to bond the plasticized filler and substrate together and extrude this material through a forming cavity to form a rib joined to the substrate. Further described is a system for fabricating a rib joined to a substrate through extrusion.

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 method of manufacturing an article is described. At S102, the method comprises obtaining a first layer having a first face and a reverse second face, wherein the first layer comprises and/or is a first metal and wherein the first metal is a heat treatable first aluminium alloy. At S104, the method comprises providing a second layer on the first face of the first layer by cold spraying particles comprising a second metal thereupon, wherein the second metal is a second aluminium alloy. At S106, the method comprises depositing a third layer on the second layer by additive friction stir deposition using a third metal, wherein the third metal is a third aluminium alloy.