Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

Ford Motor Company Limited

Alvin Kenneth Oros

Dawn Roberta White

Susan Marie Ward

Fred G Sawyer

Rudolf P Noworyta

Jay C Chennat

Paul D DeJager

Yoshihiro Yamaguchi

A method of making a low distortion frame construction, the construction having joint regions formed by first and second overlapping members defining a lapped interface, the joint regions being comprised of material that can be converted to a solid state deformable plastic condition by friction heat, comprising: (a) providing a stir friction welding tool having (i) a rotatable thermally conductive body presenting a shoulder to engage the joint region for storing friction-generated heat, and (ii) a friction generating pin rotatable with said body about a pin axis and selectively extendable from the shoulder to progressively penetrate the overlapping members as the joint region in contact with the pin becomes plastic; (b) placing the tool shoulder against the joint region with the pin axis transverse to the lapped interface and spinning the body while progressively extending the pin at a rotational speed effective to generate friction heat that converts the adjacent material of the joint to a plastic condition allowing the spinning of the probe to stir such plastically converted material; and (c) controlling the depth of penetration of the spinning probe while translating the tool across the joint region to perfect a friction stirred welded zone that extends through the interface and between the overlapping members to provide a welded joint that is exceptionally strong in shear.

Fabricating low distortion lap weld construction

Method of one side spot welding of a metallic auto body construction containing vaporizable coatings or ingredients, the construction having overlapping metal plys, comprising: impinging a plasma column on a selected spot of one side of the construction, the plasma column being generated by passing a plasma gas at a predetermined flow rate through an electrical arc created by a predetermined electrical current path; shielding the plasma column in an inert gas containing at least 5-35% by volume of oxygen, the shielded plasma column melting at least the metal on one ply at the spot while the oxygen increases the fluidity and wetablility of the melted metal and reduce its surface tension allowing any vaporization of the ingredients to quiescently escape through the molten metal; and ceasing plasma arc impingement for allowing the molten metal to solidify and complete the spot weld.

Plasma arc spot welding of car body steels containing vaporizable

A torch angle measuring device, comprising: (a) a support rigidly clampable to the nozzle of the torch; (b) a reference member; (c) joint means between the reference member and the support providing axes of rotational movement therebetween, the axes being at 90.degree. to each other and each being transverse by 90.degree. to the nozzle axis; and (d) plumb level means on the reference member for displaying levelness in planes parallel to the joint means axes. The joint means has the first of the axes effective to determine lead angle and the second of said axes effective to determine transverse angle. The device additionally includes means for holding the device in an adjusted angle position.

Quick setting angle device for a welding torch

Method of welding aligned aluminum torque tube components, comprising (i) defining a stepped square-butt joint to be welded by preforming the ends of said torque tubes and assembling such ends together in the nested condition; (ii) establishing an electrical direct current arc between a positive consumable aluminum-based electrode and said joint as cathode, the arc being shrouded in a shielding gas consisting, by volume, of 2-5% oxygen and the remainder inert gas, the current to the arc being pulsed at a frequency of 40-60 cycles per second while maintaining an average current of at least 200 amps; and (iii) while holding the pulsed arc in a predetermined orientation (i.e., position angle 45.degree.-60.degree., lead angle 5.degree.-15.degree., transverse angle 12.degree.) to the joint, moving the arc along the joint in a single pass at a relative speed of at least 60 inches per minute.

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Farmington Hills, MI, United States of America

Alvin Kenneth Oros