Friction stir spot welder and method of operating friction stir spot welder
AssigneeKawasaki Jukogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorsNaoki TAKEOKA, Yoshitaka MURAMATSU, Ryoji OHASHI
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A friction stir spot welder includes a pin, a shoulder, a rotary driver, an advance-retract driver, and circuitry. When a preset and predetermined first period of time has elapsed in a state where a speed of the rotating shoulder in an axial direction or a speed of the pin in the axial direction is a preset and predetermined first speed, the circuitry determines that the tip of the shoulder or the tip of the pin has reached a contact surface of a second workpiece which is in contact with a first workpiece.
Claims9
A friction stir spot welder that softens a workpiece including a first workpiece and a second workpiece by frictional heat to weld the workpiece,
- the friction stir spot welder comprising:
- a pin that is columnar;
- a shoulder that is cylindrical, the pin being within the shoulder;
- a rotary driver that rotates the pin and the shoulder about an axis that coincides with a center axis of the pin;
- an advance-retract driver that advances and retracts the pin and the shoulder along the axis;
- and
- circuitry, wherein:
- the first workpiece is located so as to be opposed to the pin and the shoulder and includes a material that is lower in melting point than a material of the second workpiece;
- the circuitry operates the rotary driver and the advance-retract driver such that the pin and the shoulder press a welded portion of the workpiece while rotating;
- the circuitry operates the rotary driver and the advance-retract driver such that the pin and the shoulder stir the workpiece;
- and
- when a preset and predetermined first period of time has elapsed in a state where a speed of the rotating shoulder in an axial direction or a speed of the rotating pin in the axial direction is a preset and predetermined first speed, the circuitry determines that a tip of the shoulder or a tip of the pin has reached a contact surface of the second workpiece which is in contact with the first workpiece.
A method of operating a friction stir spot welder that softens a workpiece including a first workpiece and a second workpiece by frictional heat to weld the workpiece,
- the friction stir spot welder comprising:
- a pin that is columnar;
- a shoulder that is cylindrical, the pin being within the shoulder;
- a rotary driver that rotates the pin and the shoulder about an axis that coincides with a center axis of the pin;
- an advance-retract driver that advances and retracts the pin and the shoulder along the axis;
- and
- circuitry, wherein
- the first workpiece is located so as to be opposed to the pin and the shoulder and includes a material that is lower in melting point than a material of the second workpiece,
- the method comprising:
- operating by the circuitry the rotary driver and the advance-retract driver such that the pin and the shoulder press a welded portion of the workpiece while rotating;
- operating by the circuitry the rotary driver and the advance-retract driver such that the pin and the shoulder stir the workpiece;
- and
- when a preset and predetermined first period of time has elapsed in a state where a speed of the rotating shoulder in an axial direction or a speed of the rotating pin in the axial direction is a preset and predetermined first speed, determining by the circuitry that a tip of the shoulder or a tip of the pin has reached a contact surface of the second workpiece which is in contact with the first workpiece.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.