Mazda Motor Corporation

Hitachi Power Solutions Co., Ltd.

Kobe Steel, Ltd.

Kabushiki Kaisha Kobe Seiko Sho

Katsuya Nishiguchi

Yukihiro Sugimoto

Toshiyuki Gendou

Koujirou Tanaka

Yasuhiro Morita

Tomio Odakura

Motoyasu Asakawa

Koichi Ishiguro

Kohei Funahara

Kenji Takase

Shun Shinohara

Akihiro Satou

Hiroki Abe

Yukio Yamamoto

Kenichi Yamamoto

Yushi Matsuda

Seiji Sasabe

Takahiro Kimura

Nobuyuki Oda

Kotoyoshi Murakami

Toshitsugu Ueoka

Tomoyuki Iwashita

Tsuguhisa Miyamoto

Yohei Shoji

Kenji Murase

Kojiro Tanaka

Satoko Shimada

Provided are a friction stir welding apparatus and a friction stir welding method that achieve highly accurate and highly reliable joining while minimizing an effect of bending of a pressing force receiving portion (carrying table) as a result of a press by a joining tool unit. The friction stir welding apparatus joins joining target members by friction stir welding. The friction stir welding apparatus is characterized by including: an apparatus main body; a control device that controls an operation of the friction stir welding apparatus; a C-shaped frame connected to the apparatus main body via a first vertical movement drive mechanism unit; a holder unit connected to one end of the C-shaped frame via a second vertical movement drive mechanism unit; and a joining tool held by the holder unit. The C-shaped frame includes a held portion connected to the apparatus main body via the first vertical movement drive mechanism unit, a holder unit holding portion connected to the holder unit via the second vertical movement drive mechanism unit, and a pressing force receiving portion connected to the other end of the C-shaped frame and receiving a pressing force from the joining tool. The control device includes a first joining mode that performs friction stir welding based on a joining command signal that determines a joining condition of the joining tool, and a first holding position determining signal that determines a first holding position of the first vertical movement drive mechanism unit, and a second joining mode that performs friction stir welding based on the joining command signal and a second holding position determining signal obtained by correcting the first holding position determining signal such that a depth or a range of a joined portion becomes constant in accordance with a state of the pressing force receiving portion. The first joining mode and the second joining mode are included in one joining pass from insertion of the joining tool into the joining target members to extraction of the joining target members.

Friction stir welding apparatus and friction stir welding method

A friction stir welding apparatus and method maintains a depth of a welded part constant without varying a depth-direction position of a welding tool leading end part relative to welded members. A control device controls an operation of the friction stir welding apparatus, and a holder unit is connected to a swing mechanism unit via a revolving mechanism section, and a welding tool is held to the holder unit. The control device has a first welding mode in which friction stir welding is performed on the basis of a welding condition signal for deciding a welding condition of the welding tool, a swing control signal for controlling the swing mechanism unit, a first hold position decision signal, and a second welding mode in which friction stir welding is performed on the basis of the welding condition signal, the swing control signal, and a second hold position decision signal.

Disclosed is a method for joining a metal member and a thermosetting resin member together with a thermoplastic resin interposed therebetween.

Method for joining metal member and thermosetting resin member, and metal member, thermosetting resin member, and thermoplastic resin sheet for use therein

The joining method includes a step of lapping the aluminum alloy plate and the plated steel plate via adhesive, a pre-heating step of clamping both metal plates lapped in the lapping step between a pair of electrodes for spot welding and applying pressure thereto, and applying a current between the pair of electrodes, a cooling step of pressurizing both metal plates at a pressing force higher than that at the start of the pre-heating step in a state where conduction between the electrodes is stopped, and continuing this pressurization over a predetermined cooling time, and a welding step of pressurizing both metal plates at a pressing force higher than that at the start of the pre-heating step, and welding both of the metal plates by applying a current higher than the conduction current value in the pre-heating step between the pair of electrodes.

Joining method of dissimilar metal plates and dissimilar metal joined body

A crash can is made of aluminum-alloy casting and provided between a side frame extending in a vehicle longitudinal direction at a side portion of a vehicle and an end portion of a bumper reinforcement extending in a vehicle width direction. The crash can comprises a hollow tube portion extending in the vehicle longitudinal direction and having a cross-shaped section. At least one of an outwardly-projecting corner portion and an inwardly-projecting corner portion of the tube portion is formed by a groove such that a thickness thereof is thinner than that of the other portion of the tube portion. Accordingly, an impact which a vehicle body or a passenger may receive in a vehicle collision can be reduced by the crash can.

Crash can made of aluminum-alloy casting

A main body of an impact energy absorber is formed by integrally molding a deformable portion and a plurality of deformation controlling portions which are adapted to control the direction of plastic deformation of the deformable portion. The deformation controlling portions have such a configuration and shape that, when a compression load equal to or greater than a predetermined value is input to the main body in a tube axis direction, the deformable portion undergoes plastic deformation in at least one of a radially outward direction and a radially inward direction of the main body concurrently with the compressive plastic deformation in the tube axis direction.

Impact energy absorber and fabrication method thereof

A metal plating applied on a joining portion of a first metal member is heated before a rotating tool under rotation being pressed against a second metal member. Herein, the rotating tool under rotation starts being pressed against the second metal member when the metal plating is heated at least up to a specified temperature that is high enough to make the metal plating in a softened solid state. Thereby, a properly-high joining strength can be provided in a frictional joining of a metal member with a metal plating thereon and another metal member.

Joining method and joining apparatus

In the third step of joining of the metal members, the pressing force of the rotational tool under rotation is maintained at the third pressing force that is smaller than the second pressing force until a specified period of time elapses after the tip of the pin portion of the rotational tool has reached the specified point that is at a distance from the joining face. Accordingly, the proper plastic flow of the metal member can be generated and thereby the joining strength with a sufficient period of time of agitation can be ensured, by maintaining a high temperature enough to soften the metal member and by preventing the rotational tool from coming into the metal member too deeply or from penetrating the metal member.

Frictional spot joining method and frictional spot joining apparatus

In a spot joining method and apparatus, pressing force of a rotating tool is maintained at a first pressing force, the frictional heat due to the rotation of the rotating tool is generated on a surface of an aluminum plate, and the aluminum plate is softened by this frictional heat, so as to ensure the centering of a pin portion of the rotating tool. Thus, even if the pin of the rotating tool is short, a stable joining position can be obtained, so that the aluminum material can be prevented from accumulating on the rotating tool, the appearance of joining surfaces can be prevented from deteriorating, and the sufficient joining strength can be obtained.

Spot joining method of metal members and spot joining apparatus of metal members

An aluminum plate and a steel plate are lapped. A rotating tool is placed on the aluminum plate, and then a pressing force and a rotational force around a pressing axis of the rotating tool are applied to the aluminum plate and the steel plate. A zinc plating layer having oxidation-prevention function is formed on the surface of the steel plate in advance. When joining the both plates, an oxidation film formed on the aluminum plate is destroyed and the zinc plating layer is pushed out outward from a joining portion, by applying the above pressing force and frictional heat and plastic flow due to the rotation of the rotating tool. Thereby, respective new uncovered surfaces of the both plates are directly contacted.

Frictional joining method and frictional joining structure

It is an object of the invention to provide high-ductility alloy which is improved both in casting characteristics and elongation without lowering strength by selecting a good combination of ingredients and a proportion thereof. It is another object of the invention to provide a casting which has an good elongation without being heat-treated. It is a further object of the invention to provide a method of manufacturing integral parts having some portions with specific construction which make it impossible for a set of molding dies to be separated after finishing casting by means of in-one-piece molding. Those objects can be accomplished bay providing an high ductility aluminum alloy which contains manganese ingredient, iron ingredient, magnesium ingredient and slice of unavoidable impurity, wherein a content of the iron usually regarded as impurity is set within specified limits, magnesium content is relatively less and manganese content is relatively more than that in a conventional aluminum alloy. More specifically the high ductility Al alloy contains 1.0-2.0% by weight manganese, 0.4-1.5 & % by weight iron, 0.91-0.5% bit weight magnesium and the balance of aluminum and impurities.

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Hiroshima, Japan

Katsuya Nishiguchi