Method for manufacturing stir welded objects

By using a rotatable probe and cooling device in the stir welding tool to supply cooling fluid to the workpiece, the problem of metal materials being pushed out of the welding area during the stir welding process is solved, and the welding quality and workpiece shape stability are improved.

JP7673634B2Active Publication Date: 2025-05-09DENSO CORP
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Patent Information

Application Number
JP2021207000
Authority / Receiving Office
JP · JP
Patent Type
Patents
Current Assignee / Owner
Filing Date
2021-12-21
Publication Date
2025-05-09
Estimated Expiration
2041-12-21

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

In the existing stir welding method, the metal material in the stirring area is softened due to friction heat and pushed out by the stirring tool, resulting in a deformation area formed at the end of the workpiece, affecting the welding quality and the shape stability of the workpiece.

Method used

A stir welding tool equipped with a rotatable probe is used, and cooling fluid is supplied to the workpiece through a cooling device during the welding process, reducing the temperature of the metal material in the stirring area and preventing it from being pushed out of the welding area.

Benefits of technology

It effectively prevents metal materials from being pushed out of the welding area during the stir welding process, avoids deformation at the end of the workpiece, and improves the welding quality and stability of the workpiece shape.

✦ Generated by Eureka AI based on patent content.

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Patent Text Reader

Abstract

To suppress formation of deformed parts 60 in workpieces 30A and 30B.SOLUTION: A method for manufacturing a stirring joined article comprises an arrangement step of arranging workpieces 30A and 30B formed into plate shapes by metal materials in the state of being aligned in a thickness direction Ha. The method for manufacturing the stirring joined article comprises a stirring joining step of rotating a probe 15 and pressing it to the workpieces 30A and 30B to generate friction heat, and stirring and joining the workpieces 30A and 30B by means of the friction heat. In the stirring joining step, a cooling gas is blown through a nozzle 24 of a cooler 20 to the end 40a side with respect to the probe 15 in an end side region 52 of the workpiece 30A.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3
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Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a stir welded object and a stir weld tool. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, a joining method has been proposed in which a T-shaped second workpiece is placed upright on a plate-shaped first workpiece, and the butt portion of the second workpiece that is butted against the first workpiece is stir joined to the first workpiece (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] In this joining method, a rotating tool of a stir welding tool is pressed against the butt portion of the second workpiece and the first workpiece while rotating to generate frictional heat, and the butt portion is stir-welded to the first workpiece by the frictional heat. At this time, by pressing a roller of the stir welding tool against the butt portion, deformation of the butt portion due to the frictional heat can be suppressed. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2020-131256 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Using the above-mentioned joining method as a reference, the inventors investigated placing the first workpiece and the second workpiece together, and rotating a rotating tool of a stir welding tool while pressing it against the first workpiece and the second workpiece to generate frictional heat and perform stir welding.

[0006] According to the study by the inventors, a stirring region is formed in the first workpiece and the second workpiece where the metal material is softened and stirred by frictional heat, and the metal material is pushed out from the stirring region to the end side of the first workpiece or the end side of the second workpiece by the rotating tool. Therefore, it was found that a deformed portion is formed on the end side of the first workpiece or the end side of the second workpiece by the metal material pushed out from the stirring region. In view of the above, the present invention provides a method for manufacturing a stir welded object, which is adapted to suppress deformation of a first workpiece and a second workpiece by suppressing extrusion of material from a stir region. Law The purpose is to provide. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a method for manufacturing a stir welded object, comprising the steps of: preparing a tool (10) having a rotatable probe (15); placing a first workpiece (30A) and a second workpiece (30B) in an overlapping state; pressing a probe against the first workpiece and the second workpiece while rotating the probe to generate frictional heat, stirring the first workpiece and the second workpiece softened by the frictional heat with the probe, and joining the first workpiece and the second workpiece by the stirred stirring region (50); The material constituting the stirring region is prevented from being pushed out of the stirring region by a suppression member (20, 100) when the material is stirred by the probe. fruit The suppression member (20) is a cooler that sends a cooling fluid for cooling at least one of the first workpiece and the second workpiece toward the other workpiece in order to suppress the material constituting the stirring region from being pushed out of the stirring region due to stirring by the probe; The first workpiece and the second workpiece are each formed in a plate shape, Arranging the first workpiece and the second workpiece in a stacked state means stacking the first workpiece and the second workpiece in the thickness direction with the first workpiece arranged on one side of the second workpiece in the thickness direction (Ha); The probe is rotated and pressed against the first workpiece and the second workpiece to generate frictional heat, and the first workpiece and the second workpiece softened by the frictional heat are stirred by the probe, and the first workpiece and the second workpiece are joined by the stirred stirring area. the probe is rotated and pressed against the first workpiece and the second workpiece from one side in the thickness direction, while the probe is moved along the end portion (40a) of the first workpiece to stir the first workpiece and the second workpiece softened by frictional heat, thereby forming a stirring region along the end portion, and the first workpiece and the second workpiece are joined by the formed stirring region; In the first workpiece, a movement trajectory of the probe assumed in advance is defined as an assumed movement trajectory (56), a region of the first workpiece located on the end side of the assumed movement trajectory is defined as an end side region (52), and an opposite side region (53) located on the opposite side of the end side region of the first workpiece with respect to the assumed movement trajectory is defined as: When the direction perpendicular to the moving direction (Yc) of the probe and perpendicular to the thickness direction is defined as the width direction (Wh), the dimension (La) of the end side region in the width direction is smaller than the dimension (Lb) of the opposite side region in the width direction. The material constituting the end region is less than the material constituting the opposite region, Sending the cooling fluid from the cooler toward at least one of the workpieces means sending the cooling fluid from the cooler toward the end side region of the first workpiece. .

[0008] Therefore, it is possible to prevent the material from being pushed out of the stirring region due to stirring by the probe, and therefore it is possible to provide a manufacturing method for a stir welded object that prevents the first workpiece and the second workpiece from being deformed.

[0012] In addition, The reference symbols in parentheses attached to each component indicate an example of the correspondence between the component and specific components described in the embodiments described later. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration of a stir welding tool used in a manufacturing method of a stir welded object in the first embodiment. [Diagram 2] 2 is a view of a tool and a probe of the stir welding tool of FIG. 1 in the first embodiment, taken along an arrow A. [Diagram 3] 4 is a flowchart showing steps of a method for manufacturing a stir welded article in the first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 13 is a side view of two workpieces that are stir welded while overlapping in the thickness direction, to help explain the stir welding and cooling processes in the manufacturing method of the stir welded article in the first embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 13 is a top view of two workpieces that are stir welded while overlapping in the thickness direction, to help explain the stir welding and cooling processes in the manufacturing method of a stir welded object in the first embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 13 is a diagram for assisting in the explanation of the stir welding and cooling steps in the steps of the method for manufacturing a stir welded object in the first embodiment, and is a perspective view showing the state in which a stir welding tool and a nozzle are translated. [Figure 7] FIG. 11 is a side view of two workpieces that are stir welded while overlapping in the thickness direction, which is a diagram to assist in the explanation of the stir welding and cooling processes in the manufacturing method of a stir welded object in a comparative example of the first embodiment. [Figure 8] This is a diagram to assist in the explanation of the stir welding and cooling processes in the manufacturing method of a stir welded object in a comparative example of the first embodiment, and is a top view of two workpieces that are stir welded while overlapping in the thickness direction. [Figure 9] 10 is a flowchart showing steps of a method for manufacturing a stir welded article in a second embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 13 is a side view of two workpieces to be stir welded with their ends butted together, to help explain the stir welding and cooling processes in the manufacturing method of a stir welded object in the second embodiment. [Figure 11] This is a diagram to assist in the explanation of the stir welding and cooling processes in the manufacturing method of a stir welded object in the second embodiment, and is a top view of two workpieces to be stir welded with their ends butted together. [Figure 12] This is a diagram to assist in the explanation of the stir welding and cooling processes in the manufacturing method of a stir welded object in the second embodiment, and is an oblique view showing the state in which a stir welding tool and nozzle are translated along the joint of two workpieces. [Figure 13] This is a diagram to assist in the explanation of the stir welding and cooling processes in the manufacturing method of a stir welded object in a comparative example of the second embodiment, and is a side view of two workpieces to be stir welded with their ends butted together. [Figure 14] This is a diagram to assist in the explanation of the stir welding and cooling processes in the manufacturing method of a stir welded object in a comparative example of the second embodiment, and is a top view of two workpieces to be stir welded with their ends butted together. [Figure 15] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a configuration of a stir welding tool used in a manufacturing method of a stir welded object in a third embodiment. [Figure 16] 13 is a flowchart showing steps of a method for manufacturing a stir welded article in a third embodiment. [Figure 17]FIG. 13 is a diagram to assist in the explanation of the stir welding and pressing steps in the manufacturing method of a stir welded object in the third embodiment, and is a side view of two workpieces that are stir welded while overlapping each other in the thickness direction. [Figure 18] FIG. 13 is a top view of two workpieces that are stir-welded while overlapping in the thickness direction, to help explain the stir welding and pressing steps in the manufacturing method of a stir-welded object in the third embodiment. [Figure 19] 13 is a flowchart showing steps of a method for manufacturing a stir welded article in a fourth embodiment. [Figure 20] FIG. 13 is a top view of two workpieces to be stir-joined with their ends butted together, to assist in the explanation of the stir welding and pressing processes in the manufacturing method of a stir-joined object in the fourth embodiment. [Figure 21] This is a diagram to assist in the explanation of the stir welding and pressing processes in the manufacturing method of a stir welded object in the fourth embodiment, and is an oblique view showing the state in which a stir welding tool and a nozzle are translated along the joint portion of two workpieces. [Figure 22] This is a diagram to assist in the explanation of the stir welding and cooling processes in the manufacturing method of a stir welded object in another embodiment, and is a top view of two workpieces that are stir welded while overlapping in the thickness direction. [Figure 23] FIG. 13 is a bottom view of two workpieces that are stir welded while overlapping in the thickness direction, to help explain the stir welding and cooling processes in the manufacturing method of a stir welded object in the second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0014] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following embodiments, the same or equivalent parts are denoted by the same reference numerals in the drawings in order to simplify the description.

[0015] (First embodiment) A method for manufacturing a stir welded article according to a first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0016] First, a stir welding tool 1 used in the manufacturing method of the stir welded object of this embodiment will be described with reference to Figs. 1 and 2 etc.

[0017] 1, the stir welding tool 1 of this embodiment includes a rotating tool 10 and a cooler 20. The rotating tool 10 includes an electric motor 11, a holder 12, a tool holder 13, a tool 14, and a probe 15.

[0018] The electric motor 11 rotates a rotary shaft 11a as indicated by an arrow Ya. The holder 12 is a motor holder that supports the electric motor 11, and is supported by a feed mechanism (not shown).

[0019] The holder 12 is provided with a hose holder 11b for supporting the hose 25b of the cooler 20. In this way, the holder 12 supports the electric motor 11 and the hose 25b of the cooler 20.

[0020] The tool holder 13 includes a tubular portion 13a and a cover portion 13b. The tubular portion 13a has a hollow portion 13c penetrating in the axial direction Yg and is formed in a cylindrical shape centered on the axis Sa of the rotating shaft 11a. The axial direction Yg is the direction in which the axis Sa extends. The outer diameter dimension of the tubular portion 13a centered on the axis Sa becomes smaller from the other side in the axial direction Yg toward one side in the axial direction Yg.

[0021] The lid portion 13b is disposed on the other side in the axial direction Yg of the hollow portion 13c of the cylindrical portion 13a, so that the lid portion 13b closes the hollow portion 13c of the cylindrical portion 13a from the other side in the axial direction Yg.

[0022] The cover portion 13b is provided with a shaft hole portion 13d that opens to the other side in the axial direction Yg. The rotating shaft 11a of the electric motor 11 is screwed into the shaft hole portion 13d. In this way, the rotating shaft 11a of the electric motor 11 is connected to the cover portion 13b of the tool holder 13.

[0023] The tool 14 is formed in a cylindrical shape centered on the axis Sa of the rotating shaft 11a. The other side of the tool 14 in the axial direction Yg is fitted into one side of the hollow portion 13c of the cylindrical portion 13a of the tool holder 13 in the axial direction Yg. In this way, the tool 14 is held by the tool holder 13.

[0024] 1 and 2, the probe 15 is formed so as to protrude from one end face of the tool 14 on one side in the axial direction Yg to one side in the axial direction Yg. The probe 15 is formed in a cylindrical shape centered on the axis Sa of the rotating shaft 11a. As a result, the probe 15 is configured to be freely rotatable together with the tool 14 around the axis Sa as indicated by the arrow Yb.

[0025] The metal material constituting the probe 15 and the tool 14 in this embodiment may be any material harder than the workpieces 30A and 30B, such as die steel, high speed steel, titanium, tungsten, or alloys thereof.

[0026] In the present embodiment, the outer diameter dimension of the probe 15 centered on the axis Sa is smaller than the outer diameter dimension of the tool 14 centered on the axis Sa. As will be described later, the probe 15 is pressed into the workpieces 30A, 30B to generate frictional heat and play a role in softening and stirring the metal material constituting the workpieces 30A, 30B.

[0027] The cooler 20 is a containment member that includes a tank 21, a pump 22, a valve 23, a nozzle 24, and hoses 25a, 25b.

[0028] The tank 21 stores the cooling gas in a compressed state. In this embodiment, a cooling fluid such as air, nitrogen gas, or carbon dioxide gas is used as the cooling gas. The pump 22 pressurizes and sends out the cooling gas discharged from the outlet of the tank 21 through a hose 25a. The hose 25a connects between the outlet of the tank 21 and the inlet of the pump 22. The hose 25a guides the cooling gas from the outlet of the tank 21 to the inlet of the pump 22.

[0029] Nozzle 24 blows out cooling gas delivered from pump 22 through hose 25b. Hose 25b connects the outlet of pump 22 to the inlet of nozzle 24. Hose 25b guides the cooling gas delivered from the outlet of pump 22 to the inlet of nozzle 24.

[0030] Valve 23 is disposed in the middle of hose 25b and adjusts the cross-sectional area of ​​a gas flow path through which gas flows in hose 25b. Therefore, valve 23 adjusts the flow rate of gas flowing from the outlet of pump 22 to nozzle 24.

[0031] In this cooler 20, when the pump 22 sucks in the cooling gas from the tank 21, the liquid in the tank 21 is vaporized and the cooling gas flows through the hose 25a to the inlet of the pump 22. The cooling gas is compressed by the pump 22 and discharged from the outlet. The discharged cooling gas is blown out from the nozzle 24 through the valve 23 and the hose 25b.

[0032] The positions of the tool 14, probe 15, and nozzle 24 of the cooler 20 of the rotary tool 10 configured as above are controlled by a feed mechanism.

[0033] Next, a manufacturing method of the stir welded object of this embodiment will be described with reference to Figs. 3 to 8. Fig. 3 is a flow chart showing a manufacturing method of the stir welded object. Figs. 4 and 7 are side views showing a process in which the rotating tool 10 stir welds the workpieces 30A and 30B, and only the tool 14 and the probe 15 of the rotating tool 10 are shown. Figs. 5 and 8 are top views showing a process in which the rotating tool 10 stir welds the workpieces 30A and 30B, and only the tool 14 of the rotating tool 10 is shown. Fig. 6 is a perspective view showing a process in which the rotating tool 10 stir welds the workpieces 30A and 30B, and only the tool 14 of the rotating tool 10 is shown.

[0034] First, in step S100 which is the first process, the stir welding tool 1 shown in Figs. 1 and 2 is prepared.

[0035] Next, in step S110, which is the second process, as shown in Fig. 4, the workpieces 30A and 30B are overlapped in the thickness direction Ha on a table (not shown) with the workpiece 30A placed on one side of the workpiece 30B in the thickness direction Ha. At this time, the workpieces 30A and 30B are placed so that the end 40a of the workpiece 30A and the end 42a of the workpiece 30B overlap.

[0036] The workpieces 30A and 30B are each formed into a plate shape using a metal material. The end portion 40a is formed on one side of the workpiece 30A in the width direction Wh. The end portion 42a is formed on one side of the workpiece 30B in the width direction Wh. In the workpieces 30A and 30B, the width direction Wh is a direction perpendicular to the thickness direction Ha.

[0037] In this embodiment, the thickness direction Ha of each of the workpieces 30A and 30B coincides with the top-bottom direction. One side of the thickness direction Ha coincides with the upper side of the top-bottom direction. Therefore, the workpiece 30A is disposed on the top-up side of the workpiece 30B.

[0038] Here, the metal material constituting the workpieces 30A and 30B may be aluminum, copper, magnesium, titanium, mild steel, zinc, lead, or an alloy thereof. Furthermore, the material constituting the workpieces 30A and 30B may be a resin material such as plastic other than a metal material.

[0039] Next, in step S120 which is the third process, the workpieces 30A and 30B are joined by stir welding using the stir welding tool 1 to produce a stir welded object.

[0040] Specifically, the stir welding tool 1 is positioned at a position where the distance La between the end 40a on one side of the workpiece 30A in the width direction Wh and the stir welding tool 1 is smaller than the distance Lb between the end 41a on the other side of the width direction Wh and the stir welding tool 1.

[0041] In association with this, the tool 14 and the probe 15 are rotated by the electric motor 11 as indicated by the arrow Ya, while the tool 14 and the probe 15 are pressed against one side of the workpieces 30A and 30B in the thickness direction Ha.

[0042] At this time, the rotation speed of the tool 14 and the probe 15 is set to, for example, within a range of 1000 rpm or more and 20000 rpm or less.

[0043] Therefore, the workpiece 30A is softened by frictional heat between the workpiece 30A and the probe 15, and the probe 15 is inserted into the workpiece 30A. Furthermore, frictional heat is generated between the probe 15 and the workpiece 30B. As a result, the workpieces 30A and 30B are softened and stirred by the frictional heat between the workpieces 30A, 30B and the probe 15.

[0044] In this manner, while rotating the tool 14 and the probe 15 of the stir welding tool 1, the tool 14 and the probe 15 are pressed against the workpieces 30A and 30B, and the stir welding tool 1 is moved along the end portion 40a in the moving direction Yc in Fig. 5. The moving direction Yc in this embodiment is a direction perpendicular to the width direction Wh and perpendicular to the thickness direction Ha.

[0045] As a result, a stirring region 50 in which the metal material is softened and stirred by frictional heat is formed in the workpieces 30A and 30B along the end portion 40a in the moving direction Yc. After that, the stirring region 50 is cooled by dissipating heat, and a joining region 51 that joins the workpieces 30A and 30B is formed in the moving direction Yc.

[0046] Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, the movement trajectory of the probe 15 assumed in advance among the workpieces 30A and 30B will be referred to as an assumed movement trajectory 56.

[0047] In the workpiece 30A, a region located on the end 40a side with respect to the assumed movement trajectory 56 of the probe 15 is defined as an end side region 52. In the workpiece 30A, a region located on the opposite side of the end side region 52 with respect to the assumed movement trajectory 56 of the probe 15 is defined as an opposite side region 53.

[0048] In the workpiece 30B, a region located on the end 42a side with respect to the assumed movement trajectory 56 of the probe 15 is defined as an end side region 72. In the workpiece 30B, a region located on the opposite side of the end side region 72 with respect to the assumed movement trajectory 56 of the probe 15 is defined as an opposite side region 73.

[0049] In this embodiment, the dimension in the width direction Wh of the end side region 52 of the workpiece 30A is smaller than the dimension in the width direction Wh of the opposite side region 53. Therefore, the end side region 52 of the workpiece 30A has less metal material (i.e., excess material) than the opposite side region 53. As a result, the end side region 52 has a lower heat dissipation property than the opposite side region 53. Accordingly, the end side region 52 has a higher maximum temperature than the opposite side region 53. Therefore, the end side region 52 has a smaller deformation resistance than the opposite side region 53.

[0050] Furthermore, the dimension in the width direction Wh of the end side region 72 of the workpiece 30B is smaller than the dimension in the width direction Wh of the opposite side region 73. For this reason, the end side region 72 of the workpiece 30B has less metal material than the opposite side region 73. As a result, the end side region 72 has lower heat dissipation than the opposite side region 73. Accordingly, the end side region 72 has a higher maximum temperature than the opposite side region 73. Therefore, the end side region 72 has lower deformation resistance than the opposite side region 73.

[0051] Here, when the workpieces 30A, 30B are not cooled by a cooling gas described below, as the tool 14 and the probe 15 stir the metal material as described above, the metal material is pushed out from the stirring region 50 toward the end 40a of the workpiece 30A. The metal material is pushed out from the stirring region 50 toward the end 42a of the workpiece 30B.

[0052] For this reason, grooves (i.e., cracks) 61 opening to the outside and voids 61a formed inside are provided in the stirring region 50. Furthermore, the end 40a side of the workpiece 30A relative to the stirring region 50 is deformed due to the metal material extruded from the stirring region 50. As a result, a deformed portion 60 is formed on the end 40a side of the workpiece 30A relative to the stirring region 50, as shown in Figures 7 and 8.

[0053] In addition, the end 42a side of the workpiece 30B relative to the stirring region 50 is deformed due to the metal material extruded from the stirring region 50. As a result, a deformed portion 60a is formed on the end 42a side of the workpiece 30B relative to the stirring region 50, as shown in FIG.

[0054] Therefore, in this embodiment, the nozzle 24 of the cooler 20 is disposed on the end 40a side of the workpiece 30A with respect to the tool 14, and on one side in the thickness direction Ha with respect to the workpiece 30A (i.e., the upward upward side). At this time, the nozzle 24 of the cooler 20 is disposed facing the end side region 52 of the workpiece 30A.

[0055] Here, as described above, the hose 25b of the cooler 20 is supported by the hose holder 11b of the stir welding tool 1. In addition, when the stir welding tool 1 is moved in the moving direction Yc along the end portion 40a by the feed mechanism, the nozzle 24 moves along the end portion 40a following the stir welding tool 1. That is, the tool 14 and the probe 15 are moved in parallel with the nozzle 24.

[0056] Therefore, when the stir welding tool 1 forms a stirring region 50 in the workpieces 30A and 30B, cooling gas is blown out from the nozzle 24 to the end side region 52 of the workpiece 30A on the end 40a side relative to the tool 14.

[0057] At this time, the area of ​​the end side area 52 of the workpiece 30A onto which the cooling gas is blown from the nozzle 24 is cooled by the cooling gas, and a cooled area 31 is generated.

[0058] Here, as described above, the nozzle 24 moves along the end portion 40a following the stir welding tool 1. Therefore, in the end portion side region 52, the cooling region 31 is formed along the stir region 50.

[0059] At this time, the cooling region 31 has a larger deformation resistance than the state before being cooled by the cooling gas. Furthermore, the cooling region 31 can cool a part of the stirring region 50, thereby making the stirring region 50 smaller than the state before being cooled by the cooling gas.

[0060] At this time, the contact region 32 of the workpiece 30B that comes into contact with the cooling region 31 is cooled by the cooling region 31. Therefore, the contact region 32 of the workpiece 30B has a larger deformation resistance than in the state before being cooled by the cooling region 31.

[0061] In this manner, the workpieces 30A and 30B are cooled by the cooling gas from the nozzle 24. As a result, the stirring region 50 becomes smaller, and the deformation resistance of the cooling region 31 in the end side region 52 of the workpiece 30A and the deformation resistance of the contact region 32 in the end side region 72 of the workpiece 30B become larger.

[0062] Therefore, even if the tool 14 and the probe 15 of the stir welding tool 1 stir the metal material, the metal material from the stirring region 50 is prevented from being pushed out toward the end 40a of the workpiece 30A. In addition, the metal material from the stirring region 50 is prevented from being pushed out toward the end 42a of the workpiece 30B. Therefore, the occurrence of deformed portions 60, 60a on the end portions 40a, 42a of the workpieces 30A, 30B is prevented. In addition, the occurrence of grooves 61 and voids 61a in the stirring region 50 is also prevented.

[0063] According to the present embodiment described above, the method for manufacturing a stir welding object includes a preparation step of preparing the stir welding tool 1 including the probe 15 configured to be rotatable.

[0064] The method for manufacturing a stir welded object includes a disposing step of disposing workpieces 30A and 30B, which are formed into plate shapes from a metal material, in a state where they are overlapped in a thickness direction Ha.

[0065] The manufacturing method of the stir welded object includes a stir welding process in which a probe 15 is rotated and pressed against the workpieces 30A, 30B to generate frictional heat. In the stir welding process, the workpieces 30A, 30B softened by the frictional heat are stirred, and the stirred stirring region 50 is cooled to join the workpieces 30A, 30B.

[0066] The stir welding process is a process in which a cooling gas is blown from the cooler 20 toward the workpiece 30A in order to suppress deformation of the workpieces 30A and 30B caused by the metal material being pushed out from the stir region 50.

[0067] Specifically, in the stir welding process, cooling gas is blown out from the nozzle 24 of the cooler 20 to the end 40a side of the probe 15 in the end side region 52 of the workpiece 30A. Therefore, the region on the end 40a side of the probe 15 in the end side region 52 of the workpiece 30A is cooled by the cooling gas blown out from the nozzle 24 of the cooler 20, and the cooling region 31 is generated. Accordingly, the contact region 32 in the workpiece 30B that contacts the cooling region 31 can be cooled.

[0068] As a result, the cooling region 31 and the contact region 32 each have a larger deformation resistance than in the state before the cooling gas is blown out from the nozzle 24 of the cooler 20. Therefore, even if the tool 14 and the probe 15 of the stir welding tool 1 stir the metal material of the workpieces 30A and 30B, the metal material is prevented from being pushed out of the stirring region 50 toward the ends 40a and 42a of the workpieces 30A and 30B.

[0069] This prevents the workpieces 30A, 30B from having deformed portions 60, 60a on the end portions 40a, 42a side relative to the stirring region 50. Furthermore, the stirring region 50 also prevents the grooves 61 and voids 61a from being generated.

[0070] As described above, it is possible to provide a manufacturing method for stir welded articles in which deformation of the workpieces 30A, 30B is suppressed by cooling the workpieces 30A, 30B. In the embodiment configured in this manner, the following advantageous effects (1) and (2) can be obtained.

[0071] (1) The stir welding tool 1 is configured to be rotatable and includes a rotating tool 10 having a probe 15 that is pressed against the workpieces 30A, 30B while rotating to generate frictional heat, and stirs the workpieces 30A, 30B with the generated frictional heat.

[0072] The stir welding tool 1 includes a cooler 20 that sends a cooling gas for cooling at least one of the workpieces 30A and 30B toward the workpiece 30A. This makes it possible to suppress deformation of the workpieces 30A and 30B caused by the metal material extruded from the stirring region 50.

[0073] As a result, it is possible to provide a stir welding tool suitable for use in the above-mentioned method for manufacturing a stir welded object. (2) The rotating tool 10 includes the electric motor 11 that rotates the probe 15 and the holder 12 that holds the electric motor 11 .

[0074] The cooler 20 includes a tank 21 for storing cooling gas, a nozzle 24 for sending the cooling gas flowing out of the tank 21 toward the workpiece 10A, and hoses 25a, 25b for directing the cooling fluid flowing out of the tank 21 to the nozzle 24.

[0075] The holder 12 includes a hose holder 11b that holds the hose 25b on the electric motor 11. As described above, the hose holder 11b and the nozzle 24 can be moved following the electric motor 11 of the rotary tool 10 without providing a dedicated feed mechanism for moving the nozzle 24 and the hose 25b.

[0076] Therefore, the cooling region 31 is generated along the stirring region 50 in which the metal material of the workpieces 30A, 30B is softened and stirred by the frictional heat. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the formation of the deformed portion 60 across the moving direction Yc of the rotating tool 10.

[0077] Second embodiment In the above-described first embodiment, an example was described in which the workpieces 30A and 30B were stir-welded in a state in which they were overlapped. However, in the present second embodiment, an example will be described in which the workpieces 30A and 30B are stir-welded in a state in which the end 41a of the workpiece 30A and the end 40b of the workpiece 30B are butted against each other.

[0078] Next, a method for manufacturing a stir welded article according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1, Fig. 2, and Fig. 9 to Fig. 14. Fig. 9 is a flow chart showing the method for manufacturing a stir welded article. In Fig. 9, the same steps as those in Fig. 3 indicate the same processes, and the description thereof will be omitted.

[0079] 10 and 13 are side views showing the process of stir welding workpieces 30A and 30B by the rotary tool 10, and parts of the rotary tool 10 other than the tool 14 and the probe 15 are omitted. Figs. 11 and 14 are top views showing the process of stir welding workpieces 30A and 30B by the rotary tool 10, and parts of the rotary tool 10 other than the tool 14 are omitted. Fig. 12 is a perspective view showing the process of stir welding workpieces 30A and 30B by the rotary tool 10, and parts of the rotary tool 10 other than the tool 14 are omitted.

[0080] First, in step S100 which is the first process, the stir welding tool 1 shown in Figs. 1 and 2 is prepared.

[0081] Next, in step S110A, which is the second process, as shown in FIG. 10, the workpieces 30A and 30B are placed on a table (not shown) so that the end 41a of the workpiece 30A and the end 40b of the workpiece 30B are butted against each other. The workpieces 30A and 30B are each formed into a plate shape from a metal material. In this embodiment, the thickness direction Ha of each of the workpieces 30A and 30B coincides with the top-bottom direction.

[0082] Next, in step S120A which is the third process, the end 41a of the workpiece 30A and the end 40b of the workpiece 30B are joined by stir welding using the stir welding tool 1 to produce a stir welded object.

[0083] In this embodiment, the end portion 40a is formed on one side of the workpiece 30A in the width direction Wh, and the end portion 41a is formed on the other side of the workpiece 30A in the width direction Wh. The end portion 40a is formed so as to extend in a direction intersecting with the width direction Wh. The end portion 41a is formed so as to extend along the end portion 40a.

[0084] The dimension Wa of the workpiece 30A in the width direction Wh is smaller than the dimension Wb of the workpiece 30B in the width direction Wh. The metal material of the workpiece 30A is smaller than that of the workpiece 30B.

[0085] At this time, the stir welding tool 1 is placed on one side in the thickness direction Ha (that is, the upwardly upward side) of the end 41a of the workpiece 30A and the end 40b of the workpiece 30B.

[0086] In association with this, the tool 14 and the probe 15 are rotated by the electric motor 11 as indicated by the arrow Ya, while the tool 14 and the probe 15 are pressed against the other side of the workpieces 30A, 30B in the thickness direction Ha.

[0087] Therefore, the workpieces 30A, 30B are softened by frictional heat between the workpieces 30A, 30B and the probe 15, and the probe 15 is inserted into the workpieces 30A, 30B. Furthermore, frictional heat is generated between the probe 15 and the workpieces 30A, 30B.

[0088] As a result, the end 41a of the workpiece 30A and the end 40b of the workpiece 30B are softened and stirred by frictional heat between the workpieces 30A, 30B and the probe 15.

[0089] In this manner, while rotating the tool 14 and the probe 15 of the stir welding tool 1, the tool 14 and the probe 15 are pressed against the workpieces 30A and 30B, and the stir welding tool 1 is moved along the ends 41a and 40b in the moving direction Yc in Fig. 11. The moving direction Yc is a direction perpendicular to the width direction Wh.

[0090] As a result, a stirring region 50 in which the metal material is softened and stirred by frictional heat is formed in the workpieces 30A and 30B in the moving direction Yc. After that, the stirring region 50 is cooled by dissipating heat, and a joining region 51 that joins the workpieces 30A and 30B is formed in the moving direction Yc.

[0091] Here, the workpiece 30A has less metal material (i.e., meat) than the workpiece 30B. Therefore, the workpiece 30A has lower heat dissipation than the workpiece 30B. Accordingly, the workpiece 30A has a higher maximum temperature than the workpiece 30B. Therefore, the workpiece 30A has a smaller deformation resistance than the workpiece 30B.

[0092] Here, if the workpieces 30A, 30B are not cooled by the cooling gas described below, the metal material is pushed out of the stirring region 50 into the workpiece 30A as the tool 14 and the probe 15 stir the metal material as described above.

[0093] As a result, grooves 61 and voids 61a are formed in the stirring region 50. In addition, the workpiece 30A is deformed due to the metal material extruded from the stirring region 50. As a result, a deformed portion 60 is formed in the workpiece 30A, as shown in Figures 13 and 14.

[0094] Therefore, in this embodiment, the nozzle 24 of the cooler 20 is disposed on one side (i.e., the upper side) in the thickness direction Ha with respect to the workpiece 30A, and on the side of the end portion 40a of the workpiece 30A with respect to the tool 14. At this time, the nozzle 24 of the cooler 20 is disposed facing the workpiece 30A.

[0095] Here, as described above, the hose 25b of the cooler 20 is supported by the hose holder 11b of the stir welding tool 1. In addition, when the stir welding tool 1 is moved along the ends 41a, 40b as described above, the nozzle 24 moves along the end 40a following the stir welding tool 1.

[0096] Therefore, when the stir region 50 is formed in the workpieces 30A and 30B by the stir welding tool 1, the cooling gas is blown from the nozzle 24 to the end 40a side of the workpiece 30A relative to the tool 14.

[0097] Therefore, the area of ​​the workpiece 30A onto which the cooling gas from the nozzle 24 is blown is cooled to generate a cooling area 31a. The cooling area 31a is formed in the movement direction Yc along the stirring area 50. The cooling area 31a has a larger deformation resistance than the state before the cooling gas is blown from the nozzle 24.

[0098] According to the present embodiment described above, the method for manufacturing a stir welding object includes a preparation step of preparing the stir welding tool 1 including the probe 15 configured to be rotatable.

[0099] The manufacturing method of the stir welded object includes an arrangement process in which an end 41a of the workpiece 30A, which is formed in a plate shape from a metal material, and an end 40b of the workpiece 30B, which is also formed in a plate shape from a metal material, are arranged in a butt-to-butt relationship with each other.

[0100] The manufacturing method of the stir welded object includes a stir welding process in which a probe 15 is rotated and pressed against the ends 41a, 40b of the workpieces 30A, 30B from one side in the thickness direction Ha to generate frictional heat, and the ends 41a, 40b of the workpieces 30A, 30B are stir welded by the frictional heat.

[0101] In the stir welding process, the workpieces 30A, 30B softened by frictional heat are stirred by the probe 15, and deformation of the workpieces 30A, 30B caused by being pushed out of the metal material from the stirring region 50 is suppressed.

[0102] Specifically, in the stir welding process, cooling gas is blown from the nozzle 24 of the cooler 20 to a region of the workpiece 30A on the end 40a side relative to the tool 14 to cool the workpiece 30A. This allows a cooling region 31a to be generated along the stirring region 50 on the end 40a side of the workpiece 30A relative to the tool 14.

[0103] Therefore, the deformation resistance of the cooling region 31a can be made larger than that before the cooling gas is blown from the nozzle 24 of the cooler 20. As a result, even if the tool 14 and the probe 15 of the stir welding tool 1 stir the metal material constituting the workpieces 30A and 30B, the metal material is prevented from being pushed out from the stirring region 50 to the end 40a of the workpiece 30A. Therefore, the occurrence of a deformed portion 60 in the workpiece 30A is prevented. Also, the occurrence of a groove 61 or a void 61a in the stirring region 50 is prevented.

[0104] As described above, it is possible to provide a manufacturing method for a stir welded object in which deformation of the workpiece 30A is suppressed by cooling the workpiece 30A, and a stir welded tool suitable for use therewith.

[0105] In this embodiment, the holder 12 includes a hose holder 11b that holds the hose 25b on the electric motor 11. Therefore, the hose holder 11b and the nozzle 24 can be moved following the electric motor 11 of the rotary tool 10 without providing a dedicated feed mechanism for moving the nozzle 24 and the hose 25b. Third embodiment In the above first embodiment, an example was described in which the end 40a side of the workpiece 30A is cooled with a cooling gas to increase the deformation resistance, thereby preventing the metal material from the stirring region 50 from being pushed out toward the end 40a side of the workpiece 30A.

[0106] However, with reference to Figures 15 to 18, an example will be described in which the end 40a side of the workpiece 30A is pressed by the roller 140 of the load arm 100 to prevent the metal material from the stirring region 50 from being pushed out toward the end 40a side of the workpiece 30A.

[0107] First, a stir welding tool 1 used in the manufacturing method of the stir welded object of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

[0108] As shown in Fig. 15, the stir welding tool 1 of this embodiment includes a rotating tool 10 and a load arm 100. The rotating tool 10 of this embodiment is the same as the rotating tool 10 of the first embodiment. The load arm 100 is provided as a suppressing member in place of the cooler 20 of the first embodiment.

[0109] The load arm 100 includes an arm portion 110, a coil spring 120, a roller support portion 130, and a roller 140 as a pressing portion.

[0110] The arm portion 110 is formed in a columnar shape extending in the axial direction Sd. One side of the arm portion 110 in the axial direction Sd is supported by fastening to the holder 12 of the stir welding tool 1 with a bolt 112. The roller support portion 130 is supported by bolts 131 and 132 on the other side of the arm portion 110 in the axial direction Sd.

[0111] The roller support part 130 in this embodiment is supported so as to be freely displaceable in the axial direction of the bolt 131 relative to the arm part 110. The axial direction is the direction in which the axis line Sz extends. The axis line Sz is an imaginary line extending in a direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG.

[0112] The roller 140 is formed in a cylindrical shape centered on the axis Sb. The roller 140 is supported by the roller support portion 130 so as to be rotatable about the axis Sb. In this embodiment, as described later, the outer circumferential surface of the roller 140 is pressed against the workpieces 30A and 30B.

[0113] The coil spring 120 is a spring that serves as a force generating member and is disposed within the hollow portion 111 of the arm portion 110. One end side of the coil spring 120 in the axial direction Sd is fixed to the roller support portion .

[0114] The other end side of the coil spring 120 in the axial direction Sd is supported by an adjustment bolt 121. The adjustment bolt 121 is disposed on the other end side of the coil spring 120 in the axial direction Sd.

[0115] As a result, the coil spring 120 applies an elastic force to the roller support portion 130 and the roller 140 in a state where the coil spring 120 is elastically deformed by being pressed to one side in the axial direction Sd by the adjustment bolt 121 .

[0116] The adjustment bolt 121 is disposed so that its axis coincides with the axis of the coil spring 120. The adjustment bolt 121 is supported by the arm portion 110 in a state in which it is screwed into the arm portion 110.

[0117] The adjustment bolt 121 is configured to be displaceable in the axial direction Sd relative to the arm portion 110 by rotating about its axis. In this embodiment, the force with which the adjustment bolt 131 presses against the coil spring 120 can be changed depending on the position of the adjustment bolt 131 in the axial direction Sd.

[0118] Therefore, the position of the adjustment bolt 131 in the axial direction Sd is displaced depending on the amount of tightening of the adjustment bolt 131, and the elastic force that the coil spring 120 applies to the roller support portion 130 and the roller 140 can be adjusted.

[0119] Next, a method for manufacturing the stir welded article of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0120] Fig. 16 is a flow chart showing a method for manufacturing a stir welded object. Fig. 17 is a side view showing a process in which the rotating tool 10 stir welds the workpieces 30A and 30B, and only the tool 14 and the probe 15 of the rotating tool 10 are shown. In Fig. 17, only the roller support portion 130 and the roller 140 of the load arm 100 are shown.

[0121] Fig. 18 is a top view showing a process in which the rotary tool 10 stir-welds workpieces 30A and 30B, and the illustration of the rotary tool 10 is omitted except for the tool 14. In Fig. 18, the illustration of the load arm 100 is omitted except for the roller 140.

[0122] 16 is the same as step S100 in FIG. 3, and step S110 in FIG. 16 is the same as step S110 in FIG.

[0123] First, in step S100 which is a first process, the stir welding tool 1 shown in Figs. 1 and 2 is prepared in the same manner as in the first embodiment.

[0124] Next, in step S110, which is the second process, similarly to the first embodiment, the workpieces 30A and 30B are overlapped in the thickness direction Ha on a table (not shown) with the workpiece 30A placed on one side of the workpiece 30B in the thickness direction Ha, as shown in Fig. 17. At this time, the workpieces 30A and 30B are placed so that the end 40a of the workpiece 30A and the end 42a of the workpiece 30B overlap.

[0125] Next, in step S120B which is the third process, the workpieces 30A and 30B are joined by stir welding using the stir welding tool 1 to produce a stir welded object.

[0126] Specifically, the stir welding tool 1 is positioned at a position where the distance La between the end 40a on one side of the workpiece 30A in the width direction Wh and the stir welding tool 1 is smaller than the distance Lb between the end 41a on the other side of the width direction Wh and the stir welding tool 1.

[0127] In association with this, the tool 14 and the probe 15 are rotated by the electric motor 11 as indicated by the arrow Ya, while the tool 14 and the probe 15 are pressed against one side of the workpieces 30A and 30B in the thickness direction Ha.

[0128] Therefore, the workpiece 30A is softened by frictional heat between the workpiece 30A and the probe 15, and the probe 15 is inserted into the workpiece 30A. Furthermore, frictional heat is generated between the probe 15 and the workpiece 30B. As a result, the workpieces 30A and 30B are softened and stirred by the frictional heat between the workpieces 30A, 30B and the probe 15.

[0129] In this manner, while rotating the tool 14 and the probe 15 of the stir welding tool 1, the tool 14 and the probe 15 are pressed against the workpieces 30A and 30B, and the stir welding tool 1 is moved along the end portion 40a in the moving direction Yc in Fig. 18. The moving direction Yc in this embodiment is a direction perpendicular to the width direction Wh.

[0130] As a result, a stirring region 50 in which the metal material is softened and stirred by frictional heat is formed in the workpieces 30A and 30B along the end portion 40a in the moving direction Yc. After that, the stirring region 50 is cooled by dissipating heat, and a joining region 51 that joins the workpieces 30A and 30B is formed in the moving direction Yc.

[0131] Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, the movement trajectory of the probe 15 assumed in advance among the workpieces 30A and 30B will be referred to as an assumed movement trajectory 56.

[0132] In the workpiece 30A, a region located on the end 40a side with respect to the assumed movement trajectory 56 of the probe 15 is defined as an end side region 52. In the workpiece 30A, a region located on the opposite side of the end side region 52 with respect to the assumed movement trajectory 56 of the probe 15 is defined as an opposite side region 53.

[0133] In the workpiece 30B, a region located on the end 42a side with respect to the assumed movement trajectory 56 of the probe 15 is defined as an end side region 72. In the workpiece 30B, a region located on the opposite side of the end side region 72 with respect to the assumed movement trajectory 56 of the probe 15 is defined as an opposite side region 73.

[0134] In this embodiment, the dimension in the width direction Wh of the end side region 52 of the workpiece 30A is smaller than the dimension in the width direction Wh of the opposite side region 53. Therefore, the end side region 52 of the workpiece 30A has less metal material (i.e., excess material) than the opposite side region 53. As a result, the end side region 52 has a lower heat dissipation property than the opposite side region 53. Accordingly, the end side region 52 has a higher maximum temperature than the opposite side region 53. Therefore, the end side region 52 has a smaller deformation resistance than the opposite side region 53.

[0135] Furthermore, the dimension in the width direction Wh of the end side region 72 of the workpiece 30B is smaller than the dimension in the width direction Wh of the opposite side region 73. For this reason, the end side region 72 of the workpiece 30B has less metal material than the opposite side region 73. As a result, the end side region 72 has lower heat dissipation than the opposite side region 73. Accordingly, the end side region 72 has a higher maximum temperature than the opposite side region 73. Therefore, the end side region 72 has lower deformation resistance than the opposite side region 73.

[0136] Here, when the workpiece 30A is not pressed by the load arm 100 described below, as the tool 14 and the probe 15 stir the metal material as described above, the metal material is pushed out from the stirring region 50 toward the end 40a of the workpiece 30A. The metal material is pushed out from the stirring region 50 toward the end 42a of the workpiece 30B.

[0137] For this reason, grooves (i.e., cracks) 61 opening to the outside and voids 61a formed inside are provided in the stirring region 50. Furthermore, the end 40a side of the workpiece 30A relative to the stirring region 50 is deformed due to the metal material extruded from the stirring region 50. As a result, a deformed portion 60 is formed on the end 40a side of the workpiece 30A relative to the stirring region 50, as shown in Figures 7 and 8.

[0138] In addition, the end 42a side of the workpiece 30B relative to the stirring region 50 is deformed due to the metal material extruded from the stirring region 50. As a result, a deformed portion 60a is formed on the end 42a side of the workpiece 30B relative to the stirring region 50, as shown in FIG.

[0139] Therefore, in this embodiment, the roller 140 of the load arm 100 is disposed on one side in the thickness direction Ha of the end portion 40a side of the workpiece 30A relative to the tool 14 (ie, the corner portion on the upward upward side of the top surface).

[0140] At this time, with the roller 140 supported by the arm portion 110, the elastic force of the coil spring 120 is applied from the end portion 42a side to the workpiece 30A toward the stirring region 50 side via the roller 140. As a result, the roller 140 presses the workpiece 30A toward the stirring region 50 from its end portion 42a side.

[0141] Here, as described above, the load arm 100 is supported by the holder 12 of the stir welding tool 1. In addition, when the stir welding tool 1 is moved in the moving direction Yc along the end portion 40a by the feed mechanism, the roller 140 moves along the end portion 40a while rotating following the stir welding tool 1. That is, the tool 14 and the probe 15 are moved in parallel with the roller 140.

[0142] Therefore, when the stir region 50 is formed in the workpieces 30A and 30B by the stir welding tool 1, the end 40a side of the end side region 52 of the workpiece 30A is pressed against the tool 14 by the roller 140.

[0143] Therefore, even if the tool 14 and the probe 15 of the stir welding tool 1 stir the metal material, the metal material from the stirring region 50 is prevented from being pushed out toward the end portion 40a of the workpiece 30A.

[0144] In addition, the metal material from the stirring region 50 is prevented from being pushed out toward the end portion 42a of the workpiece 30B.

[0145] Therefore, the occurrence of deformed portions 60, 60a on the end portions 40a, 42a side of the workpieces 30A, 30B is suppressed. Also, the occurrence of grooves 61 and voids 61a in the stirring region 50 is suppressed.

[0146] According to the present embodiment described above, the method for manufacturing a stir welding object includes a preparation step of preparing the stir welding tool 1 including the probe 15 configured to be rotatable.

[0147] The method for manufacturing a stir welded article includes a placement step in which the workpieces 30A and 30B are overlapped in the thickness direction in a state in which the workpiece 30A is placed on one side of the workpiece 30B in the thickness direction Ha.

[0148] The manufacturing method of the stir welded object includes a stir welding process in which a probe 15 is rotated and pressed against the workpieces 30A, 30B to generate frictional heat. In the stir welding process, the workpieces 30A, 30B softened by the frictional heat are stirred, and the stirred stirring region 50 is cooled to join the workpieces 30A, 30B.

[0149] In the stir welding process of this embodiment, the load arm 100 presses the end 40a side of the workpiece 30A against the probe 15 toward the stirring region 50 by the roller 140. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the metal material constituting the stirring region 50 from being pushed out of the stirring region 50 due to stirring by the probe 15.

[0150] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the load arm 100 presses the end 40a side of the workpiece 30A toward the workpiece 30B by the roller 140. This prevents the workpieces 30A and 30B from having deformed portions 60 and 60a on the end portions 40a and 42a side relative to the stirring region 50. Also, the generation of grooves 61 and voids 61a in the stirring region 50 is prevented.

[0151] As described above, it is possible to provide a manufacturing method for stir welded objects in which deformation of the workpieces 30A, 30B is suppressed by the load arm 100 pressing the workpieces 30A, 30B with the rollers 140.

[0152] (3) The stir welding tool 1 includes a load arm 100 in addition to the rotating tool 10 having the probe 15 described in the first and second embodiments. The load arm 100 presses at least one of the workpieces 30A, 30B by the roller 140 to suppress the metal material from being pushed out of the stirring region 50 in which the probe 15 has stirred the workpieces 30A, 30B.

[0153] As a result, it is possible to provide a stir welding tool suitable for use in the above-mentioned method for manufacturing a stir welded object.

[0154] (4) The load arm 100 has an arm portion 110 supported by the holder 12 of the stir welding tool 1. In addition, when the stir welding tool 1 is moved in the moving direction Yc along the end portion 40a by the feed mechanism, the roller 140 moves along the end portion 40a while rotating following the stir welding tool 1. That is, the roller 140 and the nozzle 24 move in parallel.

[0155] Therefore, when the stir welding tool 1 forms the stirring region 50 in the workpieces 30A and 30B, the roller 140 can press the end 40a of the workpiece 30A along the stirring region 50. Therefore, deformation of the workpieces 30A and 30B can be suppressed along the stirring region 50.

[0156] (5) The adjustment bolt 121 is configured to be displaceable in the axial direction Sd with respect to the arm portion 110 by rotating about its axis. Therefore, the force with which the adjustment bolt 131 presses against the coil spring 120 can be changed depending on the position of the adjustment bolt 131 in the axial direction Sd.

[0157] Therefore, the elastic force with which the coil spring 120 presses the workpieces 30A, 30B via the roller support portion 130 and the roller 140 can be adjusted by changing the position of the adjustment bolt 131 in the axial direction Sd. (Fourth embodiment) In the above third embodiment, an example was described in which the workpieces 30A and 30B were stir-welded in a state in which they were overlapped. However, in the present fourth embodiment, an example will be described in which the workpieces 30A and 30B are stir-welded in a state in which the end 41a of the workpiece 30A and the end 40b of the workpiece 30B are butted against each other.

[0158] Next, a method for manufacturing a stir welded article of this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 15 and Fig. 19 to Fig. 21. Fig. 19 is a flow chart showing the method for manufacturing a stir welded article. In Fig. 19, the same steps as Fig. 9 indicate the same processes, and the description thereof will be omitted.

[0159] Fig. 20 is a side view showing a process in which the rotary tool 10 stir-welds workpieces 30A and 30B, and only the tool 14 and the probe 15 are shown in the rotary tool 10. In Fig. 20, only the roller support portion 130 and the roller 140 are shown in the load arm 100.

[0160] Fig. 21 is a top view showing a process in which the rotary tool 10 stir-welds workpieces 30A and 30B, and the illustration of the rotary tool 10 is omitted except for the tool 14. In Fig. 21, the illustration of the load arm 100 is omitted except for the roller 140.

[0161] First, in step S100 which is a first process, the stir welding tool 1 shown in FIG. 15 is prepared.

[0162] Next, in step S110A, which is the second process, as shown in FIG. 20, the workpieces 30A and 30B are placed on a table (not shown) so that the end 41a of the workpiece 30A and the end 40b of the workpiece 30B are butted against each other. The workpieces 30A and 30B are each made of a metal material and formed into a plate shape. In this embodiment, the thickness direction Ha of each of the workpieces 30A and 30B coincides with the top-bottom direction.

[0163] Next, in step S125A which is the third process, the end 41a of the workpiece 30A and the end 40b of the workpiece 30B are joined by stir welding using the stir welding tool 1 to produce a stir welded object.

[0164] In this embodiment, the end portion 40a is formed on one side of the workpiece 30A in the width direction Wh, and the end portion 41a is formed on the other side of the workpiece 30A in the width direction Wh. The end portion 40a is formed so as to extend in a direction intersecting with the width direction Wh. The end portion 41a is formed so as to extend along the end portion 40a.

[0165] The dimension Wa of the workpiece 30A in the width direction Wh is smaller than the dimension Wb of the workpiece 30B in the width direction Wh. The metal material of the workpiece 30A is smaller than that of the workpiece 30B.

[0166] At this time, the stir welding tool 1 is placed on one side in the thickness direction Ha (that is, the upwardly upward side) of the end 41a of the workpiece 30A and the end 40b of the workpiece 30B.

[0167] In association with this, the tool 14 and the probe 15 are rotated by the electric motor 11 as indicated by the arrow Ya, while the tool 14 and the probe 15 are pressed against the other side of the workpieces 30A, 30B in the thickness direction Ha.

[0168] Therefore, the workpieces 30A, 30B are softened by frictional heat between the workpieces 30A, 30B and the probe 15, and the probe 15 is inserted into the workpieces 30A, 30B. Furthermore, frictional heat is generated between the probe 15 and the workpieces 30A, 30B.

[0169] As a result, the end 41a of the workpiece 30A and the end 40b of the workpiece 30B are softened and stirred by frictional heat between the workpieces 30A, 30B and the probe 15.

[0170] In this manner, while rotating the tool 14 and the probe 15 of the stir welding tool 1, the tool 14 and the probe 15 are pressed against the workpieces 30A and 30B, and the stir welding tool 1 is moved along the ends 41a and 40b in the moving direction Yc in Fig. 21. The moving direction Yc is a direction perpendicular to the width direction Wh.

[0171] As a result, a stirring region 50 in which the metal material is softened and stirred by frictional heat is formed in the workpieces 30A and 30B in the moving direction Yc. After that, the stirring region 50 is cooled by dissipating heat, and a joining region 51 that joins the workpieces 30A and 30B is formed in the moving direction Yc.

[0172] Here, the workpiece 30A has less metal material (i.e., meat) than the workpiece 30B. Therefore, the workpiece 30A has lower heat dissipation than the workpiece 30B. Accordingly, the workpiece 30A has a higher maximum temperature than the workpiece 30B. Therefore, the workpiece 30A has a smaller deformation resistance than the workpiece 30B.

[0173] Here, when the workpiece 30A is not pressed by the roller 140 of the load arm 100 described later, the metal material is pushed out of the stirring region 50 onto the workpiece 30A as the tool 14 and the probe 15 stir the metal material as described above.

[0174] As a result, grooves 61 and voids 61a are formed in the stirring region 50. In addition, the workpiece 30A is deformed due to the metal material extruded from the stirring region 50. As a result, a deformed portion 60 is formed in the workpiece 30A, as shown in Figures 13 and 14.

[0175] Therefore, in this embodiment, the roller 140 of the load arm 100 is disposed on one side of the end portion 40a of the workpiece 30A relative to the tool 14 in the thickness direction Ha (that is, the corner portion on the upward upward side of the top surface).

[0176] At this time, with the roller 140 supported by the arm portion 110, the elastic force of the coil spring 120 is applied to the workpiece 30A from the end portion 42a side toward the stirring region 50 side via the roller 140. As a result, the roller 140 presses the workpiece 30A from its end portion 42a side toward the stirring region 50 side.

[0177] Here, as described above, the load arm 100 is supported by the holder 12 of the stir welding tool 1. In addition, when the stir welding tool 1 is moved in the moving direction Yc along the end portion 40a by the feed mechanism, the roller 140 moves along the end portion 40a while rotating following the stir welding tool 1. That is, the tool 14 and the probe 15 are moved in parallel with the roller 140.

[0178] Therefore, when the stir region 50 is formed in the workpieces 30A and 30B by the stir welding tool 1, the end 40a side of the end side region 52 of the workpiece 30A is pressed against the tool 14 by the roller 140.

[0179] Therefore, even if the tool 14 and the probe 15 of the stir welding tool 1 stir the metal material, the metal material from the stirring region 50 is prevented from being pushed out toward the end portion 40a of the workpiece 30A.

[0180] According to the present embodiment described above, the method for manufacturing a stir welding object includes a preparation step of preparing the stir welding tool 1 including the probe 15 configured to be rotatable.

[0181] The method for manufacturing a stir welded article includes a placement step of placing workpieces 30A and 30B such that end 41a of workpiece 30A and end 40b of workpiece 30B are butted against each other.

[0182] In a manufacturing method for a stir-welded object, a probe 15 is rotated and pressed against an end 41a of the workpiece 30A and an end 40b of the workpiece 30B from one side in the thickness direction Ha of each of the workpieces 30A and 30B to generate frictional heat.

[0183] In the manufacturing method of a stir-welded object, the end 41a of the workpiece 30A and the end 40b of the workpiece 30B, which have been softened by frictional heat, are stirred by the probe 15, and the stirred stirring region 50 is cooled to join the workpieces 30A and 30B.

[0184] In the manufacturing method of the stir welded object, the roller 140 of the load arm 100 presses the end 40a of the workpiece 30A toward the stirring region 50. This makes it possible to prevent the metal material from being pushed out of the stirring region 50 due to stirring by the probe 15.

[0185] This prevents the workpiece 30A from having a deformed portion 60 on the end portion 40a side of the stirring region 50. Furthermore, the stirring region 50 also prevents the grooves 61 and holes 61a from being formed.

[0186] As described above, it is possible to provide a manufacturing method for a stir welded object in which deformation of the workpiece 30A caused by the load arm 100 pressing the workpiece 30A with the roller 140 is suppressed.

[0187] (Other embodiments) (1) In the above first, second, third and fourth embodiments, examples have been described in which the workpieces 30A and 30B are made of metal and formed into a plate shape. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the workpieces 30A and 30B may be made of metal and formed into a shape other than a plate shape. For example, as in Patent Document 1, the second workpiece may be a member shaped to be arranged so as to stand upright on the first workpiece.

[0188] (2) In the above first and second embodiments, an example has been described in which the cooling gas is blown onto the workpiece 30A when two workpieces 30A and 30B are stir-joined. However, instead of this, when three or more workpieces are stir-joined, the cooling gas may be blown onto any one of the three or more workpieces to prevent any one of the workpieces from being deformed.

[0189] Furthermore, when three or more workpieces are stir joined in the third and fourth embodiments, the load arm 100 may be pressed against one of the three or more workpieces by the roller 140 to prevent any of the workpieces from being deformed.

[0190] (3) In the above first and second embodiments, the cooling gas is blown from the nozzle 24 of the cooler 20 toward the outer periphery of the workpiece 30A relative to the tool 14 (that is, toward the end 40a).

[0191] However, as shown in FIGS. 20 and 21, the cooling gas may be blown from the nozzle 24 of the cooler 20 toward the inner peripheral side of the workpiece 30A relative to the tool 14.

[0192] FIG. 20 is a top view of the workpieces 30A and 30B as viewed from above, and FIG. 21 is a bottom view of the workpieces 30A and 30B as viewed from below.

[0193] Specifically, the workpieces 30A and 30B are stacked in the thickness direction as in the first embodiment. The workpiece 30B is disposed on the other side in the thickness direction (i.e., the lower side in the top-bottom direction) of the workpiece 30A. The workpieces 30A and 30B are each formed with holes 70 and 71 penetrating in the thickness direction at the center side in the surface direction.

[0194] In this case, while the tool 14 and the probe 15 are rotated by the electric motor 11, the tool 14 and the probe 15 are pressed against the outer peripheral regions of the holes 70, 71 in the workpieces 30A, 30B.

[0195] Along with this, while rotating the tool 14 and probe 15 of the stir welding tool 1, the tool 14 and probe 15 are pressed against the workpiece 30A, and the stir welding tool 1 is moved along the inner peripheral end portion 43a of the workpiece 30B as shown by arrow Ye in Figure 20.

[0196] As a result, the workpieces 30A, 30B are softened and stirred by frictional heat between the workpieces 30A, 30B and the probe 15. As a result, a stirring region 55 is formed. Heat is dissipated from this stirring region 50, and a joining region 51 where the workpieces 30A, 30B are joined is formed.

[0197] Here, the probe 15 of the stir welding tool 1 is positioned at a position where the distance between the inner peripheral end 43a of the workpiece 30A and the stir welding tool 1 is smaller than the distance between the outer peripheral end 43b of the workpiece 30A and the stir welding tool 1.

[0198] At this time, an inner circumference side region 80 of the workpiece 30A located on the inner circumference side end 43a side with respect to the assumed movement trajectory 56 has less metal material than an outer circumference side region 81 of the workpiece 30A located on the outer circumference side with respect to the assumed movement trajectory 56. Therefore, the inner circumference side region 80 has lower heat dissipation than the outer circumference side region 81. Accordingly, the inner circumference side region 80 has a higher maximum temperature than the outer circumference side region 81. Therefore, the inner circumference side region 80 has lower deformation resistance than the outer circumference side region 81.

[0199] Here, if the workpieces 30A, 30B are not cooled by cooling gas, as described above, as the tool 14 and probe 15 stir the metal material, the metal material is pushed out of the stirring region 50 toward the inner end 43a of the workpiece 30A.

[0200] Therefore, the inner peripheral region 80 of the workpiece 30A is deformed due to the metal material extruded from the stirring region 50. As a result, a deformed portion (not shown) occurs in the inner peripheral region 80 of the workpiece 30A. Furthermore, a defect (i.e., a crack) (not shown) occurs in the stirring region 55.

[0201] Therefore, as in the first embodiment described above, cooling gas is sprayed from the nozzle 24 of the cooler 20 toward the inner end portion 43a of the tool 14 in the inner peripheral region 80 of the workpiece 30A, thereby cooling the tool 14 and creating a cooling region not shown.

[0202] At this time, the cooling region has a higher deformation resistance than the state before the cooling gas is blown from the nozzle 24. Therefore, substantially similar to the first embodiment, the contact region of the workpiece 30B that comes into contact with the cooling region is cooled by the cooling region, and the deformation resistance of the contact region of the workpiece 30B increases.

[0203] As a result, even if the tool 14 and the probe 15 of the stir welding tool 1 stir the metal material, the metal material is prevented from being pushed out from the stirring region 50 to the inner peripheral region of the workpieces 30A and 30B. This prevents the workpieces 30A and 30B from being deformed. Also, the stirring region is prevented from being chipped.

[0204] (4) In the above first and second embodiments, an example was described in which, when stir welding the workpieces 30A, 30B, the positions of the rotary tool 10 and the nozzle 24 of the cooler 20 were controlled by the feed mechanism.

[0205] However, the present invention is not limited to this. A slide table on which the workpieces 30A, 30B are mounted may be employed, and the positions of the workpieces 30A, 30B may be controlled by the slide table when the workpieces 30A, 30B are stir-welded.

[0206] Alternatively, when stir-welding the workpieces 30A, 30B, the positions of the rotary tool 10 and the nozzle 24 of the cooler 20 may be controlled by a feed mechanism, while the positions of the workpieces 30A, 30B may be controlled by a feed table.

[0207] Also, a robot arm or the like may be used in place of the feed mechanism to control the respective positions of the rotary tool 10 and the nozzle 24 of the cooler 20.

[0208] (5) In the first and second embodiments, when the workpieces 30A and 30B are stir-joined, An example has been described in which a cooling gas is used as a cooling fluid for cooling the workpieces 30A and 30B.

[0209] However, instead of this, a cooling liquid may be used as the cooling fluid for cooling the workpieces 30A, 30B when the workpieces 30A, 30B are stir-welded.

[0210] That is, in order to suppress deformation of the workpieces 30A and 30B, a cooling liquid is used as a cooling fluid for cooling at least one of the workpieces 30A and 30B. is delivered to at least one of the workpieces.

[0211] (6) In the above first and second embodiments, an example has been described in which the hose 25b is supported by the electric motor 11 via the hose holder 11b so that the nozzle 24 moves following the probe 15.

[0212] However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a feed mechanism for controlling the position of the cooler 20 independently of the rotary tool 10 may be adopted, and the feed mechanism may be controlled to move the nozzle 24 following the probe 15 .

[0213] (7) In the above first embodiment, an example has been described in which the cooling gas is blown from the nozzle 24 to the end side region 52 of the workpiece 30A. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The cooling gas may be blown from the nozzle 24 to both the end side region 52 and the opposite side region 53 of the workpiece 30A.

[0214] (8) In the second embodiment, the example in which the cooling gas is blown from the nozzle 24 to the workpiece 30A has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The cooling gas may be blown from the nozzle 24 to both the workpieces 30A and 30B.

[0215] (9) In the above first, second, third and fourth embodiments, the probe 15 is formed in a cylindrical shape centered on the axis Sa of the rotating shaft 11a and is formed to protrude to one side in the axial direction Yg from one end face of the tool 14 in the axial direction Yg. However, instead of this, the probe 15 may be as shown in (a) or (b).

[0216] (a) The probe 15 is formed in a rectangular column shape centered on the axis Sa of the rotating shaft 11a, and is formed so as to protrude to one side in the axial direction Yg from one end face of the tool 14 on one side in the axial direction Yg.

[0217] (b) The probe 15 may be formed in a conical shape whose cross-sectional area decreases from the other side in the axial direction Yg to one side in the axial direction Yg. In this case, the tool 14 itself may be eliminated.

[0218] (10) In the third embodiment, an example has been described in which the roller 140 of the load arm 100 presses the workpiece 30A out of the workpieces 30A and 30B. However, instead of this, the roller 140 of the load arm 100 may press both of the workpieces 30A and 30B.

[0219] (11) In the above third and fourth embodiments, an example has been described in which the load arm 100 is supported by the holder 12 of the stir welding tool 1. However, the load arm 100 and the stir welding tool 1 may be disposed independently. In this case, the feed mechanism may control the positions of the load arm 100 and the stir welding tool 1 independently.

[0220] Also, a robot arm or the like may be used in place of the feed mechanism to control the positions of the rotary tool 10 and the load arm 100, respectively.

[0221] (12) In the above first and second embodiments, examples have been described in which deformation of the workpieces 30A, 30B is suppressed by using the cooling fluid blown out from the cooler 20. In the above third and fourth embodiments, examples have been described in which deformation of the workpieces 30A, 30B is suppressed by using the load arm 100.

[0222] However, in the first and second embodiments and the third and fourth embodiments, the cooling fluid blown out from the cooler 20 and the load arm 100 may be used to suppress deformation of the workpieces 30A and 30B.

[0223] In the above third embodiment, an example was described in which the force generating member that applies force to workpieces 30A, 30B via roller support portion 130 and rollers 140 is coil spring 120. In the above fourth embodiment, an example was described in which the force generating member that applies force to workpiece 30A via roller support portion 130 and rollers 140 is coil spring 120.

[0224] However, the force generating member is not limited to this, and various springs such as leaf springs other than the coil spring 120 may be used as the force generating member. Also, a gas cylinder using compressed gas as a spring may be used as the force generating member.

[0225] (13) The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be modified as appropriate within the scope of the claims. Furthermore, the above-described embodiments are not unrelated to each other, and can be combined as appropriate, except in cases where the combination is clearly impossible. [Explanation of symbols]

[0226] 10 Rotary tools 11 Electric motor 14 Tools 15 Probe 20 Cooler 24 Nozzles

Claims

1. Providing a tool (10) comprising a rotatably configured probe (15); placing a first workpiece (30A) and a second workpiece (30B) in an overlapping state; pressing the probe against the first workpiece and the second workpiece while rotating the probe to generate frictional heat, stirring the first workpiece and the second workpiece softened by the frictional heat with the probe, and joining the first workpiece and the second workpiece by the stirred stirring region (50); and suppressing, by a suppression member (20, 100), the material constituting the stirring region from being pushed out of the stirring region as the probe stirs the material. The suppression member (20) is a cooler that sends a cooling fluid for cooling at least one of the first workpiece and the second workpiece toward the one workpiece in order to suppress a material constituting the stirring region from being pushed out of the stirring region due to the stirring by the probe, The first workpiece and the second workpiece are each formed in a plate shape, Arranging the first workpiece and the second workpiece in a mated state means overlapping the first workpiece and the second workpiece in a thickness direction (Ha) with the first workpiece being arranged on one side of the thickness direction (Ha) relative to the second workpiece, the probe is rotated and pressed against the first workpiece and the second workpiece to generate frictional heat, the first workpiece and the second workpiece softened by the frictional heat are stirred by the probe, and the first workpiece and the second workpiece are joined by the stirred stirring region; while rotating the probe, pressing the probe against the first workpiece and the second workpiece from the one side in the thickness direction, moving the probe along the end portion (40a) of the first workpiece to stir the first workpiece and the second workpiece softened by the frictional heat, forming the stirring region along the end portion, and joining the first workpiece and the second workpiece by the formed stirring region; In the first workpiece, a movement trajectory of the probe assumed in advance is defined as an assumed movement trajectory (56), a region of the first workpiece located on the end side of the assumed movement trajectory is defined as an end side region (52), and an opposite side region (53) of the first workpiece located on the opposite side of the end side region with respect to the assumed movement trajectory is defined as: When a direction perpendicular to the moving direction (Yc) of the probe and perpendicular to the thickness direction is defined as a width direction (Wh), a dimension (La) of the end side region in the width direction is smaller than a dimension (Lb) of the opposite side region in the width direction, The material constituting the end region is less than the material constituting the opposite side region, A method for manufacturing a stir welded object, wherein pumping the cooling fluid from the cooler toward at least one of the workpieces comprises pumping the cooling fluid from the cooler toward the end side region of the first workpiece.

2. Providing a tool (10) comprising a rotatably configured probe (15); placing a first workpiece (30A) and a second workpiece (30B) in an overlapping state; pressing the probe against the first workpiece and the second workpiece while rotating the probe to generate frictional heat, stirring the first workpiece and the second workpiece softened by the frictional heat with the probe, and joining the first workpiece and the second workpiece by the stirred stirring region (50); and suppressing, by a suppression member (20, 100), the material constituting the stirring region from being pushed out of the stirring region as the probe stirs the material, The suppression member (20) is a cooler that sends a cooling fluid for cooling at least one of the first workpiece and the second workpiece toward the one workpiece in order to suppress a material constituting the stirring region from being pushed out of the stirring region due to the stirring by the probe, The first workpiece and the second workpiece are each formed in a plate shape, Arranging the first workpiece and the second workpiece in a mated state means arranging the first workpiece and the second workpiece so that an end (41 a) of the first workpiece and an end (40 b) of the second workpiece are butted against each other; the probe is rotated and pressed against the first workpiece and the second workpiece to generate frictional heat, the first workpiece and the second workpiece softened by the frictional heat are stirred, and the first workpiece and the second workpiece are joined by the stirring region; a step of moving the probe along the end of the first workpiece and the end of the second workpiece, while rotating the probe, pressing the probe against the end of the first workpiece and the end of the second workpiece from one side in the thickness direction (Ha) of each of the first workpiece and the second workpiece to generate frictional heat, stirring the end of the first workpiece and the end of the second workpiece softened by the frictional heat with the probe, and joining the first workpiece and the second workpiece by the stirring region; When a direction perpendicular to the moving direction (Yc) of the probe and perpendicular to the thickness direction is defined as a width direction (Wh), a dimension (Wa) of the first workpiece in the width direction is smaller than a dimension (Wb) of the second workpiece in the width direction, The material constituting the first workpiece (30A) is less than the material constituting the second workpiece (30B), A method for manufacturing a stir welded object, wherein pumping the cooling fluid from the cooler toward the at least one workpiece comprises spraying the cooling fluid from the cooler toward the first workpiece.

3. Providing a tool (10) comprising a rotatably configured probe (15); placing a first workpiece (30A) and a second workpiece (30B) in an overlapping state; pressing the probe against the first workpiece and the second workpiece while rotating the probe to generate frictional heat, stirring the first workpiece and the second workpiece softened by the frictional heat with the probe, and joining the first workpiece and the second workpiece by the stirred stirring region (50); and suppressing, by a suppression member (20, 100), the material constituting the stirring region from being pushed out of the stirring region as the probe stirs the material, The suppression member (100) is a pressing unit that presses at least one of the first workpiece and the second workpiece to suppress a material constituting the stirring region from being pushed out of the stirring region due to the stirring by the probe, The first workpiece and the second workpiece are each formed in a plate shape, Arranging the first workpiece and the second workpiece in a mated state means overlapping the first workpiece and the second workpiece in a thickness direction (Ha) with the first workpiece being arranged on one side of the thickness direction (Ha) relative to the second workpiece, the probe is rotated and pressed against the first workpiece and the second workpiece to generate frictional heat, the first workpiece and the second workpiece softened by the frictional heat are stirred by the probe, and the first workpiece and the second workpiece are joined by the stirred stirring region; while rotating the probe, pressing the probe against the first workpiece and the second workpiece from the one side in the thickness direction, moving the probe along the end portion (40a) of the first workpiece to stir the first workpiece and the second workpiece softened by the frictional heat, forming the stirring region along the end portion, and joining the first workpiece and the second workpiece by the formed stirring region; In the first workpiece, a movement trajectory of the probe assumed in advance is defined as an assumed movement trajectory (56), a region of the first workpiece located on the end side of the assumed movement trajectory is defined as an end side region (52), and an opposite side region (53) of the first workpiece located on the opposite side of the end side region with respect to the assumed movement trajectory is defined as: When a direction perpendicular to the moving direction (Yc) of the probe and perpendicular to the thickness direction is defined as a width direction (Wh), a dimension (La) of the end side region in the width direction is smaller than a dimension (Lb) of the opposite side region in the width direction, The material constituting the end region is less than the material constituting the opposite side region, A manufacturing method for a stir-welded object, in which the pressing portion presses the end side region of the first workpiece to prevent the material constituting the stir region from being pushed out of the stir region as the probe stirs.

4. Providing a tool (10) comprising a rotatably configured probe (15); placing a first workpiece (30A) and a second workpiece (30B) in an overlapping state; pressing the probe against the first workpiece and the second workpiece while rotating the probe to generate frictional heat, stirring the first workpiece and the second workpiece softened by the frictional heat with the probe, and joining the first workpiece and the second workpiece by the stirred stirring region (50); and suppressing, by a suppression member (20, 100), the material constituting the stirring region from being pushed out of the stirring region as the probe stirs the material, The suppression member (100) is a pressing unit that presses at least one of the first workpiece and the second workpiece to suppress a material constituting the stirring region from being pushed out of the stirring region due to the stirring by the probe, The first workpiece and the second workpiece are each formed in a plate shape, Arranging the first workpiece and the second workpiece in a mated state means arranging the first workpiece and the second workpiece so that an end (41 a) of the first workpiece and an end (40 b) of the second workpiece are butted against each other; the probe is rotated and pressed against the first workpiece and the second workpiece to generate frictional heat, the first workpiece and the second workpiece softened by the frictional heat are stirred, and the first workpiece and the second workpiece are joined by the stirring region; a step of moving the probe along the end of the first workpiece and the end of the second workpiece, while rotating the probe, pressing the probe against the end of the first workpiece and the end of the second workpiece from one side in the thickness direction (Ha) of each of the first workpiece and the second workpiece to generate frictional heat, stirring the end of the first workpiece and the end of the second workpiece softened by the frictional heat with the probe, and joining the first workpiece and the second workpiece by the stirring region; When a direction perpendicular to the moving direction (Yc) of the probe and perpendicular to the thickness direction is defined as a width direction (Wh), a dimension (Wa) of the first workpiece in the width direction is smaller than a dimension (Wb) of the second workpiece in the width direction, The material constituting the first workpiece (30A) is less than the material constituting the second workpiece (30B), A manufacturing method for a stir welding object, wherein the pressing section presses the first workpiece to prevent material constituting the stir region from being pushed out of the stir region as the probe stirs.

Citation Information

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