Patent ID: 7392928

Claim:
A method for welding together two metal components to form a large structure suitable for use as an aerospace component, the method comprising the steps of: providing two metal components to be welded together, each component having a length, a width, a height, a surface to be welded, and a contact width when the surfaces to be welded are brought into contact with one another, the surface to be welded of at least one of the metal components including a feature extending substantially the length of the component, the feature reducing the contact width of the surfaces to be welded of the two components to less than the width of each component; positioning the two components such that the surfaces to be welded are in contact with one another, thereby forming two distinct contact areas either side of the feature such that a hole oriented lengthwise is defined by the two components at the feature and at at least one location along the length of at least one of the two metal components, the hole including a perimeter; and friction stir welding together the components, wherein at least one stir weld bead extends from the perimeter of the hole, along at least one of the two distinct contact areas either side of the feature, to an exterior surface of at least one component.