The method for producing a metal member includes a step of preparing a first member made of a first metal and having a recessed portion formed therein, and a second member made of a second metal having a smaller deformation resistance than the first metal, and a step of joining the first member and the second member. The step of joining includes a step of increasing temperatures of the first member and the second member by relatively rotating the second member with respect to the first member while pressing the second member against the first member with at least a part of the second member being received in the recessed portion, and a step of stopping the relative rotation of the second member with respect to the first member and cooling the first member and the second member with the members being pressed against each other.

The method includes a step of preparing a first member made of a first metal and a second member made of a second metal having a smaller deformation resistance than the first metal, and a step of joining the first member and the second member. The step of joining includes a step of disposing the second member in a cavity of a mold, a step of heating the first member and the second member by relatively rotating the first member with respect to the second member, while pressing the first member against the second member, without changing a positional relationship, and a step of cooling the first member and the second member with the members being in contact with each other. In the step of disposing, the second member is disposed such that a second member contact surface is surrounded by the sidewall of the cavity.

A fastener assembly includes a bolt having a shaft and a head. The shaft has proximal and distal shaft ends and a shaft body, with the head at the proximal shaft end. At least a bondable portion of the shaft body is at least partially made of a bondable material. At least one collar has proximal and distal collar ends longitudinally separated by a collar body which includes a longitudinally oriented collar aperture extending through a thickness thereof between proximal and distal collar surfaces. The collar aperture defines an inner collar wall having a bondable portion which is at least partially made of a bondable material. At least the bondable portion of the shaft body is located inside the collar aperture. The bondable material of both of the inner collar wall and the shaft body is activated to bond the shaft and the collar into an integral fastener assembly structure.

The invention relates to a fastening element (10) for connecting to a component (12), wherein the fastening element (10) comprises a flange with drive structures, wherein a connection region is formed on the flange, through the fusing of which the fastening element (10) can be fastened to the component (12) by friction welding, wherein the fastening element (10) comprise a shaft which is arranged on the side of the flange opposite the connection region. The fastening element (10) further comprises a guide region between shaft and connection region in the axial direction, which comprises a guide surface, which comprises at least one segment of an outer surface, which is associated with a cone which broadens in the direction of the connection region. The invention is characterized in that the guide region has a flat surface on the end thereof facing towards the shaft, wherein the extension of the flat surface in a radial direction is greater than the diameter of the shaft.

A friction-welded ground assembly that includes an alloy substrate with a clearance hole; an aluminum alloy weld nut having a bolt bore and an outer wall; and a grounding bolt. The bore is located substantially within the clearance hole and a portion of the outer wall is joined to the substrate at a friction-welded attachment. Further, the bolt is threaded within the bore. In addition, a method for making a ground includes the steps: rotating an aluminum alloy weld nut having an outer wall at a predetermined speed; lowering the outer wall of the rotating nut into contact with an aluminum alloy substrate to generate a frictional force for a friction time; arresting the rotation of the nut; and applying an axial forging force to the outer wall and the substrate for a forging time.

A method of friction welding an airfoil (32) onto a rotor disk of a turbine engine, the disk having at its outer periphery a projecting stub (18) onto which the airfoil is to be welded, the method comprising a step consisting in mounting chocks (24) on leading and trailing edges of the stub, the method being characterized in that, before friction welding, the chocks are secured to the stub by welding, and in that during the friction welding operation, the beads of welding (28) between the chocks and the stub are expelled, at least in part, in seams of material (34) that form around the connection zone between the airfoil and the stub and that are subsequently to be removed or eliminated, e.g. by machining.

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 friction-welded ground assembly that includes an alloy substrate with a clearance hole; an aluminum alloy weld nut having a bolt bore and an outer wall; and a grounding bolt. The bore is located substantially within the clearance hole and a portion of the outer wall is joined to the substrate at a friction-welded attachment. Further, the bolt is threaded within the bore. In addition, a method for making a ground includes the steps: rotating an aluminum alloy weld nut having an outer wall at a predetermined speed; lowering the outer wall of the rotating nut into contact with an aluminum alloy substrate to generate a frictional force for a friction time; arresting the rotation of the nut; and applying an axial forging force to the outer wall and the substrate for a forging time.

A friction-welded ground assembly that includes an alloy substrate with a clearance hole; an aluminum alloy weld nut having a bolt bore and an outer wall; and a grounding bolt. The bore is located substantially within the clearance hole and a portion of the outer wall is joined to the substrate at a friction-welded attachment. Further, the bolt is threaded within the bore. In addition, a method for making a ground includes the steps: rotating an aluminum alloy weld nut having an outer wall at a predetermined speed; lowering the outer wall of the rotating nut into contact with an aluminum alloy substrate to generate a frictional force for a friction time; arresting the rotation of the nut; and applying an axial forging force to the outer wall and the substrate for a forging time.

A method for joining materials using additive friction stir techniques is provided. The method joins a material to a substrate, especially where the material to be joined and the substrate are dissimilar metals. One such method comprises (a) providing a substrate with one or more grooves; (b) rotating and translating an additive friction-stir tool relative to the substrate; (c) feeding a filler material through the additive friction-stir tool; and (d) depositing the filler material into the one or more grooves of the substrate. Translation and rotation of the tool causes heating and plastic deformation of the filler material, which flows into the grooves of the substrate resulting in an interlocking bond between the substrate and filler material. In embodiments, the depositing of the filler material causes deformation of the grooves in the substrate and an interlocking configuration between the grooves of the substrate and the filler material results.