A system and method for making adjustments to output effort from a spindle driver using a multi-stage nested control loop of an active controller to provide constant power to a friction stir zone during a friction stir operation. Providing constant power facilitates temperature control within the friction stir zone and thereby improves the result of the operation such as a weld.

An apparatus for friction stir welding with a drive shaft, a probe, which has a first friction surface, and a shoulder element having a second friction surface. An annular cavity is formed between an inner surface of the shoulder element and the drive shaft and/or the probe. The shoulder element includes first and second through holes that are spaced apart in the longitudinal direction. An annular ring element is rotatable with respect to the shoulder element and is rotatably supported on the shoulder element by first and second support members between which an annular channel is formed. The annular channel is arranged such that the first through hole connects the annular channel with the annular cavity. The annular ring element radially outwardly delimits the annular channel and includes a through bore which extends to the annular channel.

The friction stir welding apparatus includes a pin (20) on which a soft nitrided layer (50) is formed. The soft nitrided layer (50) is formed of an iron lithium oxide layer (51) and a nitrided diffusion layer (52). The atom of the iron lithium oxide layer (51) penetrates into a space between atoms at the surface of the pin (20) to form the nitrided diffusion layer (52).

A friction stir welding apparatus includes a hollow stirring bar, a clamping mechanism, a welding machine main shaft, a supporting carriage, a cooling system, a coolant tank, a guide rail, and pipes. The cooling system is connected with the outer surface of the welding machine main shaft through two sealed bearings; the clamping mechanism is connected with the welding machine main shaft; the clamping mechanism clamps one end of the stirring bar; the other end of the stirring bar penetrates the welded workpiece to engage with the supporting carriage; the guide rail is installed below the supporting carriage; the pipes includes a first pipe and a second pipe; one end of the first pipe is connected with the outlet of the tank, and the other end of the first pipe is connected with the inlet of the cooling system. The second pipe returns the cooling medium to the tank.

A friction stir joining device includes a tool, a rotary driver, a linear-movement driver, and a control device. The control device is adapted to (A) dispose so that a first member opposes to the tool, and the first member, a second member and a third member are located in this order, (B) control the linear-movement driver and the rotary driver so that a tip-end part of the tool presses a joined part of a to-be-joined object while the tool is rotated, (C) control the linear-movement driver and the rotary driver so that the third member softened extends above an upper surface of the second member, and the tip-end part of the tool reaches a first position, and (D) control the linear-movement driver and the rotary driver so that the tool is drawn out from the joined part while the tool is rotated.

Provided is a rotating tool used in a joining device, the rotating tool including: a main body including a fixation portion and a rotating shaft; a stir member including a stir pin that performs friction stirring on the to-be-joined members, the stir member provided to be rotatable by receiving the rotating force from the rotating shaft and provided in the main body to be movable in an axial direction of the rotating shaft; an elastic member configured to bias the stir member toward a distal end side in the axial direction of the rotating shaft; and a restriction member configured to restrict movement of the stir member toward a based end side in the axial direction of the rotating shaft.

There is provided a transmission device comprising a rigid casing configured to be mounted perpendicularly on a pair of parallel rotatable driving and driven shafts. Annular driving and driven gears are provided in the casing. The annular driving gear is adapted for rotating simultaneously with the driving shaft, and is also adapted for forwarding rotational motion of the inner section to a transmission device. The annular driven gear is adapted for engaging and rotating simultaneously with the driving shaft and sliding over the same, and for forwarding to the inner section rotational motion received from the transmission device. The transmission device is rotatively connected to the annular driving and driven gears for transmitting rotational movement of the driving shaft to the driven shaft. There is also provided a portable boring-welding apparatus using this transmission device and a method for rotating a driven shaft using a parallel driving shaft.

A vehicular subframe structure comprises a light alloy member including a left side section and a right side section each extending in a front-rear direction of the vehicle and a cross section extending in a width direction of the vehicle, and a steel plate member including a left thinned plate section and a right thinned plate section each extending in the front-rear direction of the vehicle. When the light alloy member is stacked on the steel plate member they are joined together by friction stir welding from a side of the light alloy member, thereby forming a closed section.

A friction stir spot welding apparatus includes a pin member formed in a solid cylindrical shape, a shoulder member formed in a hollow cylindrical shape, the pin member being inserted in the shoulder member, a rotary actuator that rotates the pin member and the shoulder member on an axis that is in agreement with an axial center of the pin member, and a linear actuator that linearly moves each of the pin member and the shoulder member along the axis.

A welding structure capable of rotational movement and a welding method for the same are introduced. The welding structure capable of rotational movement includes a seat member and a rotational movement member. The seat member has a welding portion. The rotational movement member is movably fitted to the seat member. The rotational movement member has a pressing portion for welding the welding portion to an object; thus, the rotational movement member undergoes rotational movement while the pressing portion is pressing against a pressed object, thereby causing displacement of the object. Therefore, the welding structure capable of rotational movement and the welding method for the same exhibit enhancement of ease of use, labor saving, and convenience.