Method of Joining Conductors by Friction Stir Welding

Abstract

A method of joining a first conductor of a power cable with an essentially cylindrical metal element, the method including: a) arranging an end section of the first conductor and a portion of the metal element in a metal fixture, b) penetrating the metal fixture with a rotating friction stir welding, FSW, tool, c) moving the rotating FSW tool, while penetrating the metal fixture, towards and through an interface between the end section of the first conductor and the metal element, joining the end section, the metal element, and the metal fixture, and d) removing excess metal fixture material from the joined end section and metal element to obtain an FSW joint between the first conductor and the metal element.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.