Patent ID: 6382498
Filing Date: 2002-05-07
Classification: B23K,B23Q,Y10T

Abstract:
A friction stir welding method, comprising:abutting an end portion of a first member and an end portion of a second member, to provide an abutted portion, each of said end portion of said first member and said end portion of said second member having a protrusion portion which protrudes in a same direction, of a thickness direction, from a face of said first member and from a face of said second member; inserting a rotary tool, having a smaller diameter portion extending from a tip end of a larger diameter portion, from a side of said protrusion portion, into said abutted portion, said rotary tool being inserted to a position in which said smaller diameter portion is inserted into said abutted portion including said respective protrusion portions, and in which a boundary portion of said larger diameter portion and said smaller diameter portion is between an extension line of said face and an apex of said protrusion portions; and rotating said rotary tool and moving relatively said rotary tool along said abutted portion, so as to bury a clearance between said end portion of said first member and said end portion of said second member with materials of said first member or materials of said second member, wherein said rotary tool has a diameter of said larger diameter portion which is smaller than a total size of a width of said protrusion portion of said first member and a width of said protrusion portion of said second member.