Patent ID: 7836592

Claim:
A method of producing a connecting rod with a bearing or bearings, comprising inserting and fitting a cylindrical formed body which is formed, in advance, of a bearing metal material into a cylindrical shape having a cross-sectional shape corresponding to a circular inner surface of a circular fitting hole of a large end portion and/or a small end portion of the connecting rod, as an inner member, inside the inner surface of the fitting hole, pressing a substantially tapered surface which is defined by an outer circumferential surface of an end portion of a disc-like rotary pressing portion of a rotary pressing tool, as seen in an axial direction thereof and a moving direction thereof, that has an outer diameter D smaller than an inner diameter of the fitting hole and larger than an inner diameter of the cylindrical formed body and has a thickness T not more than 0.3×D, and which has a smallest diameter smaller than the inner diameter of the cylindrical formed body, while being rotated, to an end surface of the cylindrical formed body in the axial direction so as to heat and soften, by friction, the cylindrical formed body, and moving the rotary pressing portion in the axial direction while the rotary pressing portion is rotated and an other portion of the rotary pressing tool than the rotary pressing portion is not contacted with the cylindrical formed body, so as to cause the cylindrical body formed of the bearing metal material to plastically flow in the same direction as the axial direction and a radially outward direction, whereby a bearing metal layer is directly joined and formed on the inner surface of the fitting hole.