# US 2018/0021882 A1 · Friction stir welding device, and rotary tool used for friction stir welding > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2018/0021882 A1 - Document ID: US20180021882A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 15/532,741 - Filed: 2016-01-07 - Published: 2018-01-25 - Earliest claimed: 2015-01-07 - Assignees: Yamamoto Metal Technos Co., Ltd. - Applicants: Yamamoto Metal Technos Co., Ltd. - Inventors: Kengo YAMAMOTO; Taizoh YAMAMOTO; Masafumi ARAKI; Shigeru NAKAYAMA; Masatoshi ENOMOTO - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20180021882A1 ## CPC - B23K 20/1255: {Tools therefor, e.g. characterised by the shape of the probe} - B23K 20/122: {using a non-consumable tool, e.g. friction stir welding} - B23K 20/1235: {with temperature control during joining} - B23K: SOLDERING OR UNSOLDERING; WELDING; CLADDING OR PLATING BY SOLDERING OR WELDING; CUTTING BY APPLYING HEAT LOCALLY, e.g. FLAME CUTTING; WORKING BY LASER BEAM ## Abstract An objective of the present invention is to provide a friction stir welding device with which the temperature in the proximity of a weld part on a member to be welded can be intermittently measured by enabling the temperature of a plurality of sites in a rotary tool (4) used for friction stir welding to be ascertained in real-time when welding. This rotary tool (4) for a friction stir welding device comprises: a hollow channel (26a) that extends from the upper end of a shoulder part (4c) to the proximity of the lower end of a probe (4d), and that is on substantially the same axis as the axis of rotation of the shoulder part (4c); and a hollow, outer periphery channel (26b) that is apart from the axis of rotation of the shoulder part (4c) in the radial direction and in proximity of the outer periphery of the shoulder part (4c), and that extends from the upper end of the shoulder part to the proximity of the lower end thereof. A temperature measurement element (5a) is respectively disposed in the proximity of the lower end of the hollow channel and of the outer periphery channel. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A friction stir welding device comprising: a rotary tool having a cylindrical shoulder part rotatable about an axis of rotation and a probe coupled to a lower end of the shoulder part, rotated about a same axis as the axis of rotation, and protruding downward so as to contact members to be welded; a tool holder connected to an upper side of the rotary tool and rotated about a same axis as the rotary tool in cooperation with the rotary tool; and a device body having a mechanism connected to an upper side of the tool holder, rotating the rotary tool and the tool holder about the axis of rotation, and moving the rotary tool and the tool holder in an axial direction so as to press the members to be welded, wherein the rotary tool at least comprises: a hollow lower end channel extending from an upper end of the shoulder part to a vicinity of a lower end of the probe; and a hollow outer edge channel spaced apart from the axis of rotation in a radial direction to a vicinity of an outer edge of the shoulder part and extending from the upper end of the shoulder part to a vicinity of a lower end of the shoulder part, wherein temperature measurement elements are provided in the lower end channel and the outer edge channel, the temperature measurement elements being located in a vicinity of lower ends of the lower end channel and the outer edge channel, and wherein the friction stir welding device further comprises a transmission means for transmitting a temperature measurement result created using a temperature measurement means from the respective temperature measurement elements. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The friction stir welding device according to claim 1, wherein the rotary tool further comprises a hollow auxiliary channel for the probe extending from the upper end of the shoulder part to an intermediate position of the probe part in a depth direction, and wherein a temperature measurement element is provided in the auxiliary channel for the probe, the temperature measurement element being located in a vicinity of a lower end of the auxiliary channel for the probe, a temperature measurement result being created using the temperature measurement means from the temperature measurement element. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The friction stir welding device according to claim 2, wherein the lower channel extends along almost a same axis as the axis of rotation, and wherein the auxiliary channel for the probe is spaced apart from the axis of rotation in the radial direction in the probe part. ### Claim 4 A friction stir welding device comprising: a rotary tool having a cylindrical shoulder part rotatable about an axis of rotation and a probe coupled to a lower end of the shoulder part, rotated about a same axis as the axis of rotation, and protruding downward so as to contact members to be welded; a tool holder connected to an upper side of the rotary tool and rotated about a same axis as the rotary tool in cooperation with the rotary tool; and a device body having a mechanism connected to an upper side of the tool holder, rotating the rotary tool and the tool holder about the axis of rotation, and moving the rotary tool and the tool holder in an axial direction so as to press the members to be welded, wherein the rotary tool at least comprises: a hollow lower end channel extending from an upper end of the shoulder part to a vicinity of a lower end of the probe; and a hollow root channel extending from an upper part of the shoulder part to a vicinity of a junction of the shoulder part and the probe, wherein temperature measurement elements are provided in the lower end channel and the root channel, the temperature measurement elements being located in a vicinity of lower ends of the lower end channel and the root channel, and wherein the friction stir welding device further comprises a transmission means for transmitting a temperature measurement result created using a temperature measurement means from the respective temperature measurement elements. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The friction stir welding device according to claim 4, wherein the rotary tool further comprises a hollow auxiliary channel for the probe extending from the upper end of the shoulder part to an intermediate position of the probe part in a depth direction, and wherein a temperature measurement element is provided in the auxiliary channel for the probe, the temperature measurement element being located in a vicinity of a lower end of the auxiliary channel for the probe, a temperature measurement result being created using the temperature measurement means from the temperature measurement element. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The friction stir welding device according to claim 1, wherein the temperature measurement means and the transmission means are mounted to the tool holder. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The friction stir welding device according to claim 1, wherein the temperature measurement means is mounted to the device body. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The friction stir welding device according to claim 1, wherein the lower end channel and the outer edge channel, or the lower end channel, the outer edge channel, and the auxiliary channel for the probe, or the lower end channel and the root channel, or the lower end channel, the root channel, and the auxiliary channel for the probe are arranged in almost a same radial direction, and wherein at a time of welding two members to be welded that are made of different materials, the temperature measurement means, which is synchronized with rotation of the rotary tool, performs temperature measurement when the respective channels are positioned on one of the members to be welded and performs temperature measurement again when the respective channels are positioned on the other of the members to be welded, which are repeated. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The friction stir welding device according to claim 8, wherein the temperature measurement means performs temperature measurement while the rotary tool is rotated by a predetermined angle after the channels in the rotary tool enter the respective members to be welded and move a predetermined angle, which is set as an allowable temperature measurement time, and averages results of the temperature measurement. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The friction stir welding device according to claim 9, wherein measurement by the temperature measurement means is performed at a plurality of points in one of the members to be welded while being synchronized with the rotation of the rotary tool within the allowable temperature measurement time. ### Claim 11 (depends on 8) The friction stir welding device according to claim 8, wherein the temperature measurement means performs temperature measurement when the channels in the rotary tool enter the respective members to be welded at a predetermined angle. ### Claim 12 A rotary tool used for friction stir welding, the rotary tool having a cylindrical shoulder part rotatable about an axis of rotation and a probe coupled to a lower end of the shoulder part, rotated about a same axis as the axis of rotation, and protruding downward so as to contact members to be welded, wherein the rotary tool comprises: a tool holder connected to an upper side of the rotary tool and rotated about a same axis as the rotary tool in cooperation with the rotary tool; and a device body having a mechanism connected to an upper side of the tool holder, rotating the rotary tool and the tool holder about the axis of rotation, and moving the rotary tool and the tool holder in an axial direction so as to press the members to be welded, and wherein the rotary tool at least comprises: a hollow lower end channel extending from an upper end of the shoulder part to a vicinity of a lower end of the probe; and a hollow outer edge channel extending from the upper end of the shoulder part to a vicinity of a lower end of the shoulder part. ### Claim 13 A rotary tool used for friction stir welding, the rotary tool having a cylindrical shoulder part rotatable about an axis of rotation and a probe coupled to a lower end of the shoulder part, rotated about a same axis as the axis of rotation, and protruding downward so as to contact members to be welded, wherein the rotary tool comprises: a tool holder connected to an upper side of the rotary tool and rotated about a same axis as the rotary tool in cooperation with the rotary tool; and a device body having a mechanism connected to an upper side of the tool holder, rotating the rotary tool and the tool holder about the axis of rotation, and moving the rotary tool and the tool holder in an axial direction so as to press the members to be welded, and wherein the rotary tool at least comprises: a hollow lower end channel extending from an upper end of the shoulder part to a vicinity of a lower end of the probe; and a hollow root channel extending from an upper part of the shoulder part to a vicinity of a junction of the shoulder part and the probe. ### Claim 14 A friction stir welding device comprising: a rotary tool having a cylindrical shoulder part rotatable about an axis of rotation, the shoulder part having a lower end surface formed in an approximately planar shape; a tool holder connected to an upper side of the rotary tool and rotated about a same axis as the rotary tool in cooperation with the rotary tool; and a device body having a mechanism connected to an upper side of the tool holder, rotating the rotary tool and the tool holder about the axis of rotation, and moving the rotary tool and the tool holder in an axial direction so as to press the members to be welded, wherein the rotary tool at least comprises: a hollow lower end channel extending from an upper end of the shoulder part to a vicinity of a lower end of the shoulder part; and a hollow outer edge channel spaced apart from the axis of rotation in a radial direction and extending from the upper end of the shoulder part to the vicinity of the lower end of the shoulder part, wherein temperature measurement elements are provided in the hollow channel and a hollow auxiliary channel for a probe, the temperature measurement elements being located in a vicinity of lower ends of the hollow channel and the hollow auxiliary channel for the probe, and wherein the friction stir welding device further comprises a transmission means for transmitting a temperature measurement result created using a temperature measurement means from the respective temperature measurement elements. ### Claim 15 A rotary tool used for friction stir welding, the rotary tool having a cylindrical shoulder part rotatable about an axis of rotation, the shoulder part having a lower end surface formed in an approximately planar shape, wherein the rotary tool comprises: a tool holder connected to an upper side of the rotary tool and rotated about a same axis as the rotary tool in cooperation with the rotary tool; and a device body having a mechanism connected to an upper side of the tool holder, rotating the rotary tool and the tool holder about the axis of rotation, and moving the rotary tool and the tool holder in an axial direction so as to press the members to be welded, and wherein the rotary tool at least comprises: a hollow lower end channel extending from an upper end of the shoulder part to a vicinity of a lower end of the shoulder part on almost a same axis as the axis of rotation; and a hollow outer edge channel spaced apart from the axis of rotation in a radial direction and extending from the upper end of the shoulder part to the vicinity of the lower end of the shoulder part.