Apparatus and method for mobile friction stir welding of two tubular structures

2:

• The apparatus as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that the welding shoe (27) has a material outlet region (25) and a chip groove (29).

3:

• The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the welding shoe (27) can be moved vertically in an incremental manner in the region of the receiving flange (35) by means of a drive spindle (31) for force control.

4:

• The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that sensors (43, 46, 47, 48) are used to detect an inductive power supply and a measuring signal transmitter with an antenna in the region of the bell-shaped holder 33 is used to detect all relevant process parameters during a welding process for incremental force control.

5:

• The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that, for holding and fixing the tubular structures, the annular basic body (2) is assigned a second such basic body in the form of a fixing ring (23) which is connected to the first basic body (2) by means of a number of connecting clips (22), wherein the fixing ring (23) has lifting cylinders (3) which are movable radially by means of a drive (5).

7:

• The method as claimed in claim 6, characterized in that the centering of the basic body (2) with the joining partners takes place entirely or partially under program control by means of the extension of the lifting elements.

8:

• The method as claimed in claim 6, characterized in that the satisfactory functioning of the closure device (1) is ensured by means of an electronic monitoring device.

9:

• A computer program with a program code for carrying out the method steps as claimed in claim 6 when the program is executed on a computer.

10:

• A machine-readable storage medium with the program code of a computer program for carrying out the method as claimed in claim 6 when the program is executed on a computer.