A subassembly includes a wheel hub and a constant velocity joint having a bell in which the wheel hub is connected to the bell by friction welding. A first one of the wheel hub and the bell may include an axial projection and the other one of the wheel hub and the bell may include a recess in which the axial projection is received. Also a method of connecting a wheel hub to a constant velocity joint by friction welding.

A liquid cooling jacket is produced by forming a first butted portion where a step side face of a peripheral wall portion and an outer peripheral side face of a sealing body butt each other and a third butted portion where a step side face of a support pillar portion and a hole wall of the hole portion of the sealing body portion butt each other with a gap, and friction-stirring by inserting a tip side pin and a base side pin of a primary joining rotary tool that is rotating into the sealing body and moving the primary joining rotary tool along the third butted portion with an outer circumferential face of the tip side pin being kept off the step side face while having a second aluminum alloy of the sealing body flow into the gap.

A machine tool includes a first spindle, a second spindle, and a joining means for joining the axial ends of workpieces gripped by the spindles to form a joined workpiece. The machine tool further includes an electric servomotor for moving the first spindle in the direction intersecting the axis of the first spindle, a current value detection means for detecting the current value of the electric servomotor, and a misalignment detecting means for detecting misalignment of a first workpiece and a second workpiece in the joined workpiece, based on the current value detected by the current value detection means when the joined workpiece gripped by the two spindles is rotated.

A machine tool includes a first spindle, a second spindle, and a joining means for joining the axial ends of workpieces gripped by the spindles to form a joined workpiece. The machine tool further includes an electric servomotor for moving the first spindle in the direction intersecting the axis of the first spindle, a current value detection means for detecting the current value of the electric servomotor, and a misalignment detecting means for detecting misalignment of a first workpiece and a second workpiece in the joined workpiece, based on the current value detected by the current value detection means when the joined workpiece gripped by the two spindles is rotated.

The invention has a feature of comprising a butting process of forming a stepped butted portion and a joining process of performing friction-stir-welding on the stepped butted portion, wherein the rotary tool includes a base side pin having a taper angle larger than a taper angle of a tip side pin, and a pin step portion in a staircase shape is formed on an outer circumferential face of the base side pin, and wherein in the joining process, a rotation direction and a translation method of the rotary tool are set such that the second metal member is on an advancing side, a target angle by which a rotation axis of the rotary tool is inclined toward the second metal member is set such that a burr formed on a front face of the second metal member after the joining process has a thickness between 0 and 130 μm.

A stamped part includes a first blank, a second blank, and a weld joining the first blank to the second blank. The weld includes opposing ends. At least one of the opposing ends of the weld is recessed from adjacent edges of the first and second blanks.

Apparatus and associated methods relate to a unitary ring gear-flange body (URGFB). In an illustrative example, the flange body may be spin-formed and may, for example, include a riser body extending substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis and a flange extending substantially radially outward from the riser body. To the riser body may, for example, be welded a ring gear to form a unitary assembly, the ring gear having an axis of revolution aligned with the longitudinal axis. A continuous coating may, for example, be applied to at least a selected portion of a surface of the unitary assembly. Various embodiments may advantageously provide a cost-efficient, weight-efficient, and/or time-efficient unitary body which may, for example, be coupled to machinery to provide a shaftless torque-transmitter.

Apparatus and associated methods relate to a unitary ring gear-flange body (URGFB). In an illustrative example, the flange body may be spin-formed and may, for example, include a riser body extending substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis and a flange extending substantially radially outward from the riser body. To the riser body may, for example, be welded a ring gear to form a unitary assembly, the ring gear having an axis of revolution aligned with the longitudinal axis. A continuous coating may, for example, be applied to at least a selected portion of a surface of the unitary assembly. Various embodiments may advantageously provide a cost-efficient, weight-efficient, and/or time-efficient unitary body which may, for example, be coupled to machinery to provide a shaftless torque-transmitter.

A vehicle door beam and related methods of making door beams include a flat-rolled aluminum alloy sheet, where two edges of the sheet that are transverse to the roll direction of the sheet are brought together to form a tube. The two edges are friction stir welded together to form a butt joint along a length of the tube. The tube is arranged, along with other optional components, as a side-impact door beam in a vehicle door, such that the butt joint is facing away from an expected impact direction of the vehicle door.

A connection element for securing to a component, in particular a component made of a fiber composite material, comprising a main part, a functional part and a friction welding inlay, which in turn comprises a thermoplastic material. A tool application point is formed on an upper side of the main part. The friction welding inlay may be interlocking.