Patent ID: 6745929
Filing Date: 2004-06-08
Classification: B23K,B61D,Y02T

Abstract:
A method of manufacturing a structural body, comprising the steps of:(i) butting together respective ends of face plates of two members, wherein each of said face plates includes a protruded region protruding from one side of an end portion of the face plate in a thickness direction of the face plate, the protruded regions being butted against each other, at butted ends of the face plate; (ii) joining said two members by friction stir welding said butted ends only from said one side having said protruded regions, said friction stir welding being performed so that the other side of said face plates, opposite said one side, is friction-stir-welded substantially flat; and (iii) buffing or blasting said other side of said face plates after performing said friction stir welding, so as to finish said other side of the face plates as an exterior surface of the structural body, wherein each of said two members has a plurality of ribs formed to said one side of said face plate, the method including mounting said members on a frame with said other side of said face plate facing downward, and performing said friction stir welding, and wherein the friction stir welding is performed such that a rotary tool performing the friction stir welding does not penetrate entirely through a thickness of the two members.