Smith International, Inc.

Megastir Technologies LLC

Advanced Metal Products, Inc.

Brigham Young University

Sii Megadiamond, Inc.

Other

Mazak Corporation

Sandvik Ab

Sandvik Aktiebolag

Megastar Technologies LLC

Sandvik Atibolag

Sandvik Intellectual Property Ab

Scott M Packer

Russell J Steel

Jonathan A Babb

Carl D Sorensen

Tracy Wendell Nelson

Paul Allen Felter

David Rosal

Ronald B Crockett

Arturo A Rodriguez

Peter Littecke

Rodney Dale Fleck

Monte E Russell

Paul T Higgins

Jeremy Peterson

Ronald K Eyre

Ghanshyam Rai

John L Williams

Richard A Flak

Brian E Taylor

Steve W Larsen

Russell Kingston

Jennifer Aubrey

Madapusi K Keshavan

John M Hall

Michael P Miles

Patrick Richard Sessions

Chris Reed

Samuel C Sanderson

Murray Mahoney

Kent Kohkonen

John Williams

Rod W Shampine

Peter Thomas Cariveau

Stefan S Ederyd

Scott L Horman

Nathan R Anderson

Charles E Allen

Cary A Roth

Qingyuan Liu

David P DenBoer

Carl David Sorenson

Tracey W Nelson

David Den Boer

Matt Collier

Mike Lockwood

Richard L Dixon

Barry Wayne Struthers

Ghanshyan Rai

Patrick Sessions

Kent Kingston

Lance Richman

Hobie Smith

Carl D Sorenson

Johnathan A Babb

In one aspect of the present disclosure, a friction stir processing tip is provided for a friction stir processing device. The friction stir processing tip includes a body having a central longitudinal axis, a friction stir processing portion of the body, and a connecting portion of the body configured to connect to a tip holder of the friction stir processing device. The connecting portion includes splines configured to receive a torque from the tip holder for rotating the body about the central longitudinal axis.

Friction stir processing tip, apparatus, and method

A friction stir processing (FSP) tool includes a pin having a pin body and a rotational axis. The pin is configured to rotate about the rotational axis in a rotational direction. The pin has a radial protrusion protruding radially from the pin body, and the radial protrusion has a working surface oriented in the rotational direction with a depth in a radial direction relative to the rotational axis.

Friction stir processing tool with radial protrusion

A system and method for providing a folding load bearing hard tonneau cover, wherein each folding section is constructed using friction stir welds for strength, stiffness and visual appeal, wherein edge extrusions may include an integral attachment track which is capable of sustaining high tie down loads, wherein a spring loaded latching system has the strength to react the moments generated by heavy loads on top of the tonneau cover, wherein installation does not require modification to the bed but instead uses a 2 bolt attachment system, and wherein the tonneau cover may carry heavy loads on top that are easy to secure, and wherein a custom carrying frame is easily attachable to the tonneau cover to enable large and heavy loads, even some that are longer than the pick-up bed, to be carried on the tonneau cover while enabling use of the pick-up bed for other cargo.

Load bearing tonneau cover with integral track, improved latch to vehicle and custom frame attachment

A tool includes a friction stir welding (FSW) tool, a first body, a second body, and a plurality of biasing elements. The FSW tool has a rotational axis. The first body is rotationally fixed relative to the FSW tool and the second body is rotational fixed relative to the FSW tool. The plurality of biasing elements is positioned longitudinally between at least a portion of the first body and at least a portion of the second body.

Compressible friction stir welding tool for conventional machining equipment

A system and method for providing a folding load bearing hard tonneau cover which includes a hinge/connection element using a novel friction stir welding method to weatherproof the bed contents, wherein each folding section is constructed using friction stir welds for strength, stiffness and visual appeal, wherein the system does not rely on attached bed rails to support and lock the cover because loads are reacted on the bed caps, wherein a spring loaded latching system has the strength to react the moments generated by heavy loads on top of the cover, wherein installation does not require modification to the bed, and wherein the tonneau cover may carry heavy loads on top that are easy to secure, while still allowing a cover that folds open.

Load bearing tonneau structure

A system and method for modifying a work piece surface of high melting temperature materials such as Advanced High Strength Steels, wherein a friction stir welding tool may include cutting elements located on the outside diameter of a collar assembly, wherein the collar assembly may be retrofitted for existing friction stir welding tools, or may be designed as a custom attachment for a new hybrid friction stir welding tool, wherein the surface of the work piece may be modified by removing detrimental flash and burr created during operation of the friction stir welding tool.

Material surface modification using friction stir welding hybrid process

A system and method for friction stir welding of small diameter tubing, wherein the small diameter tubing is held in a correct position with a grasp sufficient to perform FSW when the tubing is comprised of high melting temperature materials, wherein the small diameter tubing can be rotated by the positioning and holding system while a FSW tool is held stationary, or vice versa, wherein internal mandrels are also described which can fit inside the smaller dimensions of the small diameter tubing and expand to provide a counter force to prevent deformation of the tubing when forces are applied by the FSW tool, wherein new FSW tool geometries are also described which enable the FSW tool to direct more heat on a tool/workpiece interface to counteract a lack of contact between the FSW shoulder and the workpiece because of tube curvature, and wherein the FSW tool is positioned on a small diameter tube by trailing the joint to provide desirable heating at the joint/workpiece interface and surface finishing.

Out of position friction stir welding of casing and small diameter tubing or pipe

A system and method for providing a mandrel that can be used to react the loads that are created by a friction stir joining tool as it performs friction stir joining of tubulars, the mandrel selected from a disposable mandrel, a partially disposable mandrel, a reusable mandrel, and a mandrel that is partially disposable and partially reusable.

Disposable mandrel for friction stir joining

A probe for friction stir welding MMCs, ferrous alloys, non-ferrous alloys, and superalloys, as well as non-ferrous alloys, the probe including a shank, a shoulder, and a pin disposed through the shoulder and into the shank, wherein the pin and the shoulder at least include a coating comprised of a superabrasive material, the pin and shoulder being designed to reduce stress risers, disposing a collar around a portion of the shoulder and the shank to thereby prevent movement of the shoulder relative to the shank, and incorporating thermal management by providing a thermal flow barrier between the shoulder and the shank, and between the collar and the tool.

Friction stir welding using a superabrasive tool

A roller cone drill bit includes a bit body, at least one leg extending downward from the bit body, a journal on each leg, and a roller cone mounted on each journal. A ball race is configured between each journal and roller cone, and a plurality of retention balls is disposed within each ball race. A ball hole extends from the back face of each leg to the ball race, and a ball hole plug fits within the ball hole. The ball hole plug is secured to the leg by a friction stir weld.

Ball hole welding using the friction stir welding (FSW) process

An ultra-hard construction is disclosed that is prepared by a method comprising the steps of treating a material microstructure having a polycrystalline matrix first phase material and a second phase material from at least a partial region of the material microstructure, wherein the second phase material is disposed within interstitial regions of the material microstructure, and wherein removal of the second phase material creates a porous material microstructure characterized by a plurality of empty voids and replacing the removed second phase material with a replacement material having a thermal characteristic that more closely matched polycrystalline matrix first phase that the second phase material.

Ultra-hard constructions with enhanced second phase

A mandrel that provides a counter-force to the pressure exerted on the outside of a pipe or other arcuate surface by a friction stir welding tool, wherein the mandrel is expandable through the use of a wedge, and wherein the mandrel enables multiple friction stir welding heads to simultaneously perform welding on the arcuate surface.

Expandable mandrel for use in friction stir welding

A method is taught for creating a hollow sphere that is created by joining two cylinders together that have a semispherical hollow formed in the ends being joined together, wherein a metallic reinforcing disk is inserted at an interface between the two ends of the cylinders, wherein the two cylinders and reinforcing disk are joined using friction stir welding to create an inner sphere from the two hemispherical hollows that is bisected by the metallic reinforcing disk, and wherein the joined cylinders and reinforcing disk are machined to thereby create an outer spherical surface that is centered around the inner sphere.

Methods to fabricate fully enclosed hollow structures using friction stir welding

Growing community of inventors

Alpine, UT, United States of America

Scott M Packer