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US 7,401,723 B2Granted
Advanced friction stir welding tools
AssigneeAlcoa Inc.
InventorsIsrael Stol, John W. Cobes
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A friction stir welding tool includes an integral shank-pin unit and a shoulder attached to the shank-pin unit.
Claims22
A friction stir welding tool comprising:
- an integral shank-pin unit having an axial bore therethrough, a pin portion for plunging into at least one workpiece to perform a friction stir welding operation on the at least one workpiece, a shank portion for engagement with a chuck or collet of a friction stir welding tool, wherein the pin portion includes a tip, a base, and a tension member engagement feature in proximity of the tip, wherein the base being juxtaposition the shank portion;
- a shoulder removably connected to the integral shank-pin unit for preventing plasticized material from flowing out of the workpiece(s);
- and
- a tension member having a distal end with an engagement feature complimentary to the tension member engagement feature of the pin portion and a proximal end with an engagement feature, wherein the proximal end extends out of the axial bore of the integral shank-pin unit when the tension member is disposed within the axial bore of the integral shank-pin unit and the distal end engagement feature of the tension member is engaged with the tension member engagement feature of the pin portion;
- and
- an adjustable tension member engagement device to adjustably engage the proximal end of the tension member to simultaneously impose a predetermined inward axial force upon the tension member engagement feature of the pin portion and the shank portion of the integral shank-pin unit, thereby placing the pin portion in substantial compression between the tip and the base,
- whereby cyclic tensile stresses during friction stir welding are reduced.
4 more elements
A bobbin type friction stir welding tool comprising:
- an integral shank-pin unit having a proximal end, a distal end and a axial bore therethrough, said integral shank-pin unit comprising:
- a proximal shank portion;
- a distal shank portion;
- a pin portion disposed between the proximal shank portion and the distal shank portion;
- a proximal shoulder attached to said proximal shank portion, said proximal shoulder having a working face adjacent said pin portion;
- a distal shoulder attached to said distal shank portion, said distal shoulder having a working face adjacent said pin portion;
- a tension member having two ends, wherein the two ends extend beyond the proximal end and the distal end of the integral shank-pin unit when the tension member is disposed within the axial bore of the integral shank-pin unit;
- and
- a pair of tension member end attachment devices, wherein at least one of the pair of tension member end attachment devices is adjustably engageble to the distal end or the proximal end of the tension member to impose an inward axial force upon the distal end and the proximal end of the integral shank-pin unit, thereby placing the pin portion in compression,
- whereby the bobbin type friction stir welding tool is capable of welding workpiece(s) having top surface(s) and bottom surface(s), the pin portion for moving along a joint to be friction stir welded, the proximal shoulder for preventing plasticized material from escaping upwardly, and the distal shoulder for preventing the plasticized material from escaping downwardly;
- and the tension member reducing cyclic tension stresses in the pin portion.
8 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.