Patent ID: 7073701

Claim:
A method of joining two members by friction stir welding, comprising the steps of: arranging said members so that respective joint faces thereof are adjacent each other, providing a joint region, and inserting, at one side of said members, a friction stir welding probe of material harder than that of said members into both said members at the location of the adjacent joint faces thereof, and rotating said probe so as to effect friction stir welding to join said members, forming a joining region, wherein at least one of said members has, at said one side thereof, a raised portion which is adjacent said joint face thereof and protrudes towards the probe so as to make the joint region thicker than a remaining region of each member, said raised portion being contacted by said probe during the friction stir welding and at least partially removed by the probe, and the method further includes cuffing off the part of said raised portion remaining after the friction stir welding by said probe.