Joining method and joint

Abstract

A joining method for joining an overlap portion (15) where a first member (11) and a second member (12) overlap each other, said method including: a first joining step in which a rotary tool is press-fitted at a one-end contact point (P1), which is a point farthest toward one end of the overlap portion (15), thereby forming a friction-stir part (20); a second joining step in which the rotary tool is press-fitted at an other-end contact point (P5), which is at a distance toward the other end from the one-end contact point (11), thereby forming a friction-stir part (20); and a third joining step in which the rotary tool is press-fitted at intermediate contact points (P2-P4) located between the one-end contact point (P1) and the other-end contact point (P5), thereby forming friction-stir parts (20).

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a technique for joining a plurality of members by friction stir welding. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, as shown in Patent Document 1 below, a rotating tool (rotating tool) is pressed into multiple impact points (spot joining sites) in the overlapping portion where two plate materials (metal plates) overlap, and the two plate materials are joined via multiple friction stir portions formed by the pressing.

[0003] In the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, the plate material on the side of the rotary tool is the upper plate, and the plate material on the opposite side of the rotary tool is the lower plate. The rotary tool is pressed into the surface of the upper plate until it penetrates at least the upper plate. Therefore, the temperature rise during the pressing of the rotary tool is larger in the upper plate than in the lower plate. The fact that the upper plate is hotter than the lower plate means that the amount of deformation due to thermal expansion (amount of thermal expansion) and the amount of deformation due to thermal contraction caused by subsequent cooling (amount of thermal contraction) are both likely to be large in the upper plate. When the amount of thermal contraction of the upper plate becomes larger than the amount of thermal contraction of the lower plate, a warpage deformation occurs in which the joint, which is a combination of the upper plate and the lower plate, is curved in a bow shape convex downward.

[0004] In particular, in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, friction stir welding is performed on a plurality of welding points that are set in a row in the overlapping portion between the upper plate and the lower plate. As a result, the warping deformation due to the difference in the amount of thermal shrinkage described above accumulates, and as a result, the amount of warping of the joined body may increase significantly. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2007-98439 A Summary of the Invention

[0006] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned circumstances, and has an object to suppress warpage deformation of a welded body in which a plurality of joining points are friction stir welded.

[0007] In order to solve the above problem, a joining method according to one aspect of the present invention is a joining method for joining a first member and a second member at an overlapping portion by pressing a rotary tool into each of a plurality of joining points set between one end and the other end of the overlapping portion where the first member and the second member are overlapped, thereby forming a friction stir portion at the one-end side joining point, the method including: a first joining step of pressing the rotary tool into a one-end side joining point that is the joining point closest to the one end in the overlapping portion from the first member side, thereby forming the friction stir portion at the one-end side joining point; a second joining step of pressing the rotary tool into an other-end side joining point away from the one-end side joining point from the first member side after the first joining step, thereby forming the friction stir portion at the other-end side joining point; and a third joining step of pressing the rotary tool into an intermediate joining point located between the one-end side joining point and the other-end side joining point from the first member side after the second joining step, thereby forming the friction stir portion at the intermediate joining point. The rotary tool is pressed into each of the welding points so that the amount of heat input to the one end side welding point in the first welding step and the amount of heat input to the other end side welding point in the second welding step are smaller than the amount of heat input to the intermediate welding point in the third welding step. It is something.

[0008] A joint according to another aspect of the present disclosure is a joint comprising a first member, a second member arranged to overlap the first member, and a joint formed by friction stirring a plurality of impact points set between one end and the other end of the overlapping portion between the first member and the second member, wherein the heat input of the one-end side impact point which is the impact point closest to the one end in the overlapping portion, and the heat input of the other-end side impact point which is away from the one-end side impact point to the other end side, are smaller than the heat input of an intermediate impact point located between the one-end side impact point and the other-end side impact point.

[0009] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to suppress warpage deformation of a welded body in which a plurality of welding points are friction stir welded. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1]1 is a perspective view showing a structure of a bonded body produced by a bonding method according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 2] FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG. [Figure 4] 4 is a table showing examples of combinations of materials that can be used for the first member and the second member that constitute the bonded structure. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a system diagram showing an overall configuration of a friction stir welding apparatus used in manufacturing the joint. [Figure 6] 4 is a flowchart showing a specific procedure of the bonding method. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram for explaining the contents of a preforming step carried out in S2 of FIG. 6. [Figure 8] FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram for explaining the bonding step performed in S3 of FIG. 6. [Figure 9A] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which thermal expansion occurs due to friction stir welding. [Figure 9B] FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which a joint body is warped due to thermal contraction after friction stir welding. [Figure 10A] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a first step when friction stir welding is performed in a sequence in which welding is performed from the center first. [Figure 10B] FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing a second step when friction stir welding is performed in a sequence in which welding is performed from the center first. [Figure 10C] FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing a third step when friction stir welding is performed in a sequence in which welding is performed from the center first. [Figure 11A] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a first step when friction stir welding is performed in a sequence in which both ends are joined first. [Figure 11B] FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing a second procedure when friction stir welding is performed in the order of joining both ends first. [Figure 11C] FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing a third step when friction stir welding is performed in the order of joining both ends first. [Figure 12A]FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a structure of a test piece used in an experiment for confirming the effects of the first embodiment. [Figure 12B] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing warpage deformation caused by friction stir welding of the test piece. [Figure 13] 1 is a graph showing the results of measuring the amount of warping of test pieces in the experiment. [Figure 14] 14 is a graph showing the experimental results when the material of the test piece is different from that in FIG. 13. [Figure 15] 15 is a graph showing the experimental results when the material of the test piece is different from that in FIGS. 13 and 14. [Figure 16] FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining a joining method according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure, and is a table illustrating a method for making the heat input to both end welding points smaller than the heat input to a middle welding point. [Figure 17] FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view for explaining the influence of the difference in the amount of heat input described above. [Figure 18] FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing a structure of a bonded body produced by a bonding method according to a third embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 19A] FIG. 4 is a schematic plan view illustrating a first sequence pattern for joining the respective points of the joined body. [Figure 19B] 11 is a schematic plan view illustrating a second sequence pattern for joining the respective points of the joined body. FIG. [Figure 20] FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing a structure of a bonded body produced by a bonding method according to a third embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 21] FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] (1) First embodiment Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0012] [zygote] 1 and 2 are a perspective view and a plan view showing the structure of a joined body 1 manufactured by a joining method according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in the figures, the joined body 1 includes a first member 11, a second member 12, and a joint 13 that joins the first and second members 11 and 12 to each other. The joined body 1 can be used in structures such as aircraft, railroad cars, and automobiles. In the following, the front, rear, left, right, up, and down directions of the joined body 1 are defined as shown in the figures, but this is for the convenience of explanation and is not intended to limit the posture of the joined body 1.

[0013] The first member 11 and the second member 12 are both flat plate-like members having a constant thickness in the up-down direction. The rear end of the first member 11 and the front end of the second member 12 overlap each other in the up-down direction (thickness direction), forming a strip-shaped overlapping portion 15 that is long in the left-right direction. In the overlapping portion 15, the first member 11 and the second member 12 are stacked in a state in which the first member 11 is on the upper side of the second member 12. That is, in the overlapping portion 15, the front end of the upper surface 12a of the second member 12 and the rear end of the lower surface 11b of the first member 11 abut against each other.

[0014] The joint 13 is formed in the overlapping portion 15, and joins the rear end of the first member 11 and the front end of the second member 12 to each other at the overlapping portion 15. The joint 13 is composed of a plurality of independent friction stir portions 20 aligned in the left-right direction. In this embodiment, there are five friction stir portions 20. Each friction stir portion 20 is a spot welded portion formed by a friction stir process using a friction stir welding apparatus M, which will be described later.

[0015] The friction stir portions 20 are formed at five points P1 to P5 set in the overlapping portion 15. Hereinafter, they are defined as the first point P1, the second point P2, ..., the fifth point P5, in order from the left end to the right end of the overlapping portion 15. That is, the first point P1 is the point located on the leftmost side of the overlapping portion 15, the second point P2 is the point adjacent to the right side of the first point P1, the third point P3 is the point adjacent to the right side of the second point P2, the fourth point P4 is the point adjacent to the right side of the third point P3, and the fifth point P5 is the point adjacent to the right side of the fourth point P4 and is located on the rightmost side of the overlapping portion 15. The first to fifth points P1 to P5 are arranged so as to be equally spaced in the left-right direction in the overlapping portion 15.

[0016] 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of the friction stir parts 20 formed at each of the hitting points P1 to P5. As shown in this figure, the friction stir parts 20 at each of the hitting points P1 to P5 are formed in a cylindrical shape with approximately the same height as the thickness of the first member 11, in other words, in a cylindrical shape penetrating the first member 11. The region of such cylindrical friction stir parts 20 corresponds to the press-in region of the rotating tool 101, which is pressed into the top surface 11a of the first member 11, as described below. In this press-in region, the frictionally stirred material softens (plastically flows) and then solidifies, forming the cylindrical friction stir parts 20.

[0017] The materials of the first member 11 and the second member 12 are selected so that the linear expansion coefficient of the first member 11 is equal to or greater than the linear expansion coefficient of the second member 12. Various combinations of materials that satisfy this relationship are conceivable, and for example, an appropriate combination may be selected from among various metals including aluminum alloys, magnesium alloys, stainless steel, carbon steel, titanium alloys, and copper, and thermoplastic resins. The thermoplastic resin may include fiber-reinforced resins in which reinforcing fibers are impregnated into a matrix resin made of a thermoplastic resin.

[0018] FIG. 4 shows, in a table format, examples of suitable combinations of the material of the first member 11 (upper plate) and the material of the second member 12 (lower plate). As shown in FIG. 4, when the material of the first member 11 is an aluminum alloy, the material of the second member 12 can be any one of an aluminum alloy, a carbon steel, a stainless steel, a copper, and a titanium alloy. When the material of the first member 11 is a magnesium alloy, the material of the second member 12 can be any one of a magnesium alloy, an aluminum alloy, a carbon steel, a stainless steel, a copper, and a titanium alloy. When the material of the first member 11 is a carbon steel, the material of the second member 12 can be a carbon steel or a titanium alloy. When the material of the first member 11 is a metal, the material of the second member 12 can be a thermoplastic resin (including a fiber-reinforced resin). When the material of the first member 11 is a thermoplastic resin, the material of the second member 12 can be a thermoplastic resin.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 4, the materials of the first member 11 and the second member 12 may be the same or different. When the same material is used, the linear expansion coefficients of the first member 11 and the second member 12 are the same. When different materials are used, the linear expansion coefficient of the first member 11 is greater than that of the second member 12. For example, when the material of the first member 11 is an aluminum alloy and the material of the second member is any of carbon steel, stainless steel, copper, and titanium alloy, the linear expansion coefficient of the first member 11 is greater than that of the second member 12. This is also true when the material of the first member 11 is a magnesium alloy and the material of the second member is any of aluminum alloy, carbon steel, stainless steel, copper, and titanium alloy, when the material of the first member 11 is carbon steel and the material of the second member 12 is titanium alloy, and when the material of the first member 11 is metal and the material of the second member 12 is thermoplastic resin.

[0020] [Friction stir welding equipment] The above-mentioned welded body 1 is manufactured using a friction stir welding apparatus M shown in Fig. 5. As shown in this figure, the friction stir welding apparatus M includes a double-acting rotary tool 101, a tool driver 102 that drives the rotary tool 101 to rotate and move up and down, and a controller C that controls the operation of the tool driver 102. Note that, although Fig. 5 shows directional indications of "up" and "down", this is for the sake of convenience of explanation and is not intended to limit the actual use posture of the rotary tool 101.

[0021] The rotary tool 101 is supported by a tool fixing part (not shown). This tool fixing part can be, for example, the tip of an articulated robot. A backing member 115 is disposed opposite to the lower end surface of the rotary tool 101. A first member 11 and a second member 12 to be joined are disposed between the rotary tool 101 and the backing member 115.

[0022] The rotating tool 101 includes a pin member 111, a shoulder member 112, a clamp member 113, and a spring 114. The pin member 111 is a member formed in a cylindrical shape, and is disposed so that its axis extends in the vertical direction. The pin member 111 is capable of rotating about the axis as a rotation axis R, and is capable of ascending and descending (moving forward and backward) in the vertical direction along the rotation axis R.

[0023] The shoulder member 112 is disposed so as to cover the outer periphery of the pin member 111. That is, the shoulder member 112 is a cylindrical member having a hollow portion into which the pin member 111 is inserted. The axis of the shoulder member 112 is coaxial with the axis of the pin member 111 (rotation axis R). The shoulder member 112 rotates around the same rotation axis R as the pin member 111, and can move up and down (advance and retreat) along the rotation axis R. In this way, both the shoulder member 112 and the pin member 111 inserted in its hollow portion can rotate around the rotation axis R and move relatively along the rotation axis R. That is, the pin member 111 and the shoulder member 112 can not only simultaneously move up and down along the rotation axis R, but also independently move such that one moves down and the other moves up.

[0024] The clamp member 113 is disposed so as to cover the outer periphery of the shoulder member 112. In other words, the clamp member 113 is a cylindrical member having a hollow portion into which the shoulder member 112 is inserted. The axis of the clamp member 113 is also coaxial with the rotation axis R. The clamp member 113 does not rotate about its axis, but can move up and down (advance and retreat) along the rotation axis R. The clamp member 113 serves to surround the outer periphery of the pin member 111 or the shoulder member 112 when they perform friction stirring. The enclosure by the clamp member 113 prevents the friction stirring material from scattering, and enables the friction stirring portion to be finished smoothly.

[0025] The spring 114 is attached to the upper end side of the clamp member 113, and biases the clamp member 113 in a direction (downward) toward the joining object. The clamp member 113 is attached to the tool fixing portion via the spring 114.

[0026] The backing member 115 has an upper surface as a support surface that comes into contact with the lower surface of the joining object. That is, the backing member 115 is a backing member that supports the joining object when the pin member 111 or the shoulder member 112 is pressed into the joining object. The clamp member 113 biased by the spring 114 presses the joining object against the backing member 115.

[0027] The tool driving unit 102 includes a rotation driving unit 121, a pin driving unit 122, and a shoulder driving unit 123. The rotation driving unit 121 includes a motor, a driving gear, and the like, and drives the pin member 111 and the shoulder member 112 to rotate around the rotation axis R. The pin driving unit 122 is a mechanism for moving the pin member 111 forward and backward (raising and lowering) along the rotation axis R. The pin driving unit 122 drives the pin member 111 so as to press the pin member 111 into the joining object and to retract it from the joining object. The shoulder driving unit 123 is a mechanism for moving the shoulder member 112 forward and backward along the rotation axis R, and causes the shoulder member 112 to press into the joining object and to retract it. The shoulder driving unit 123 also moves the clamp member 113 together with the shoulder member 112 toward the joining object, and presses the clamp member 113 against the backing member 115. At this time, the biasing force of the spring 114 acts.

[0028] The controller C is composed of a microcomputer or the like, and controls the operation of each part of the tool driving unit 102 by executing a predetermined control program. Specifically, the controller C controls the rotation driving unit 121 to cause the pin member 111 and the shoulder member 112 to perform a required rotation operation. The controller C also controls the pin driving unit 122 and the shoulder driving unit 123 to cause the pin member 111, the shoulder member 112, and the clamp member 113 to perform a required forward and backward movement operation.

[0029] The friction stir welding apparatus M having the above-mentioned structure is usually used to join two or more members by friction stir welding. Friction stir welding using this friction stir welding apparatus M can be roughly divided into a shoulder-first process joining method and a pin-first process joining method.

[0030] In the joining method using the shoulder-first process, the shoulder member 112 of the rotary tool 101 is first pressed into the overlapping portion of the two or more components to perform friction stir welding, and the pin member 111 is retracted from the overlapping portion. Thereafter, the pin member 111 is lowered while the shoulder member 112 is retracted (raised) to smooth the upper surface of the overlapping portion. In contrast, in the joining method using the pin-first process, the pin member 111 of the rotary tool 101 is first pressed into the overlapping portion to perform friction stir welding, and the shoulder member 112 is retracted from the overlapping portion. Thereafter, the shoulder member 112 is lowered while the pin member 111 is retracted (raised) to smooth the upper surface of the overlapping portion.

[0031] [Joining method] Next, a method for manufacturing the joint body 1 (FIGS. 1 to 3) using the above-mentioned friction stir welding apparatus M (FIG. 5) will be described. The joint body 1 is manufactured by sequentially going through steps S1 to S5 shown in FIG.

[0032] Step S1 is a lamination step in which the first member 11 is laminated on the second member 12 to form the overlapping portion 15. Specifically, in this lamination step S1, the first member 11 and the second member 12 are arranged such that the front end portion of the second member 12 is laminated above the rear end portion of the first member 11, thereby forming the overlapping portion 15 in which the first member 11 and the second member 12 are laminated in order from above.

[0033] Step S2 is a preforming step for warping the first member 11 and the second member 12 overlapping at the overlapping portion 15. Specifically, in this preforming step S2, as shown in FIG. 7, both left and right ends of the overlapping portion 15 are fixed, and then the backing member 115 is pushed up against the center of the overlapping portion 15 from below, thereby curving (warping) the first member 11 and the second member 12 into an upwardly convex bow shape. This is a measure that takes into consideration that the first member 11 and the second member 12 will be curved into a downwardly convex bow shape by friction stir welding in the joining steps S3 to S5 described later. In other words, the preforming step S2 is a measure that reduces the amount of warping of the first member 11 and the second member 12 after joining, that is, the joined body 1, by previously warping the first member 11 and the second member 12 in a direction opposite to the warping deformation expected during the friction stir welding (S3 to S5) that will be performed later. In FIG. 7, for ease of understanding, the warpage caused by the preforming step S2 is exaggerated compared to the actual state.

[0034] Step S3 is a joining step in which the rotary tool 101 is pressed into the first joining point P1 to friction stir weld the first joining point P1. In other words, in this embodiment, the first joining point P1, which is located at the leftmost position in the overlapping portion 15, is the target to be friction stir welded first. In this case, the first joining point P1 corresponds to the "one end side joining point" in this disclosure. Also, the joining step S3, which is the step of joining the first joining point P1, corresponds to the "first joining step" in this disclosure.

[0035] Specifically, in the joining process S3, the rotary tool 101 is pressed into a position in the overlapping portion 15 corresponding to the first joining point P1 from the side of the first member 11, i.e., from above, to form the friction stir portion 20 at the first joining point P1. There are the shoulder-first process and the pin-first process already described for joining (friction stir welding) using this rotary tool 101, and either method can be used to form the friction stir portion 20, but the shoulder-first process is used in this embodiment. In this case, the joining process S3 includes four sub-processes S31 to S34 shown in FIG. 8.

[0036] Sub-process S31 is a positioning process for positioning the rotation tool 101 at the first hitting point P1 of the overlapping portion 15. In this positioning process S31, the controller C (FIG. 5) positions the rotation axis R (FIG. 5) of the rotation tool 101 at a position corresponding to the first hitting point P1 of the overlapping portion 15 supported on the backing member 115, and then controls the tool driving unit 102 so that the respective tips 111a to 113a of the pin member 111, the shoulder member 112, and the clamp member 113 come into contact with the upper surface 11a of the first member 11.

[0037] Sub-process S32 is a press-in process for press-in the shoulder member 112. In this press-in process S32, the controller C controls the rotation drive unit 121 to rotate the pin member 111 and the shoulder member 112 at high speed, while controlling the shoulder drive unit 123 to lower the shoulder member 112 and press-in the shoulder member 112 into the first impact point P1 of the overlapping portion 15. The controller C also controls the pin drive unit 122 to raise the pin member 111. This operation causes frictional stirring of the overlapping portion 15, causing softening and plastic flow of the material, and the softened material Q1 overflows from the press-in region of the shoulder member 112. The overflowing softened material Q1 is released into a hollow space in the shoulder member 112 created by the rise (evacuation) of the pin member 111, as shown by the arrow b1. The press-in depth of the shoulder member 112 is set to a depth such that the shoulder member 112 almost penetrates the upper first member 11. FIG. 8 shows an example in which the shoulder member 112 is pressed in until it penetrates the first member 11 in the thickness direction without excess or deficiency. In this case, the friction stir part 20 formed after the smoothing step S34 described later is formed in a cylindrical shape that penetrates the first member 11 in the thickness direction and reaches the upper surface 12a of the second member 12 or a depth below that. In fact, since the friction stir part 20 is formed slightly beyond the tip 112a of the shoulder member 112, the shoulder member 112 itself does not necessarily have to completely penetrate the first member 11. In other words, it is possible to form the friction stir part 20 that reaches the upper surface 12a of the second member 12, in other words, the friction stir part 20 that penetrates the first member 11, even if the shoulder member 112 is not pressed in until it completely penetrates the first member 11.

[0038] Sub-process S33 is a backfilling process for filling back the overflowing softened material Q1. In this backfilling process S33, the controller C controls the shoulder drive unit 123 and the pin drive unit 122 so that the shoulder member 112 rises (retracts) and the pin member 111 falls while rotating the pin member 111 and the shoulder member 112 at high speed. This operation moves the softened material Q1 that has escaped into the hollow space to the area where the shoulder member 112 was pressed in, as shown by the arrow b2, and backfilling of the material is performed. The backfilled material, together with the material that was in the hollow space, forms the friction stir portion 20 at the first impact point P1 of the overlapping portion 15 (see the diagram of the next process S34). The friction stirring portion 20 is made of a material that has experienced friction stirring at the first impact point P1, and is formed in a cylindrical shape with an outer diameter that approximately corresponds to the outer diameter ds of the shoulder member 112 and a height that approximately corresponds to the press-fit depth of the shoulder member 112.

[0039] Sub-process S34 is a smoothing process for shaping the friction stir part 20. In this smoothing process S34, the controller C drives the rotation drive unit 121 to rotate the pin member 111 and the shoulder member 112 at a predetermined rotation speed in a state in which the respective tips 111a, 112a of the pin member 111 and the shoulder member 112 are returned to the height position of the upper surface 11a of the first member 11. This operation smooths the upper surface of the friction stir part 20, and makes it smooth so that almost no irregularities are generated.

[0040] By the joining process S3 including the above sub-processes S31 to S34, a friction stir part 20 with a smooth upper surface is formed at the first point P1 of the overlapping part 15. That is, by forming the friction stir part 20 at the first point P1, the first member 11 and the second member 12 are joined to each other at the first point P1.

[0041] Returning to FIG. 6, the rest of the manufacturing method of the joined body 1 will be described. After the first point P1 is joined by the above-mentioned method (FIG. 8), the fifth point P5 located at the end opposite the first point P1 is joined in the subsequent joining step S4. In other words, in this embodiment, the second target to be friction stir welded is the fifth point P5 located at the rightmost position in the overlapping portion 15. In this case, the fifth point P5 corresponds to the "other end point" in this disclosure. The joining step S4, which is the step of joining the fifth point P5, corresponds to the "second joining step" in this disclosure.

[0042] The method for joining the fifth point P5 in the joining process S4 is the same as the method for joining the first point P1 in the joining process S3 described above (FIG. 8). That is, in the joining process S4, the rotary tool 101 is pressed from above into the position corresponding to the fifth point P5 in the overlapping portion 15, thereby forming the friction stir portion 20 at the fifth point P5.

[0043] After the fifth point P5 is welded as described above, the second to fourth points P2 to P4 are welded in sequence in the subsequent welding step S5. In other words, in this embodiment, the third and subsequent targets for friction stir welding are the second to fourth points P2 to P5 located in the middle region of the overlapping portion 15. In this case, any one of the second to fourth points P2 to P4 corresponds to the "middle point" in this disclosure. Also, the welding step S5, which is a step of joining the second to fourth points P2 to P4, corresponds to the "third joining step" in this disclosure.

[0044] The method for joining the second to fourth points P2 to P4 in the joining step S5 is similar to the method for joining the first point P1 in the joining step S3 described above (FIG. 8). That is, in the joining step S5, the rotary tool 101 is pressed from above into positions in the overlapping portion 15 corresponding to the second to fourth points P2 to P4, respectively, to form friction stir portions 20 at the second to fourth points P2 to P4, respectively.

[0045] In the joining step S5, the second to fourth points P2 to P4 may be joined in any order. For example, the second point P2 may be joined in the order of the fourth point P4 to the third point P3, or the third point P3 may be joined in the order of the second point P2 to the fourth point P4.

[0046] The friction stir portions 20 of the respective joining points P1 to P5 formed by the above-described method constitute a joint 13 that joins the first member 11 and the second member 12 at the overlapping portion 15. That is, the method based on steps S1 to S5 of Fig. 6 produces a joint 1 in which the first member 11 and the second member 12 are joined via the joint 13.

[0047] [Effects] As described above, in the first embodiment of the present disclosure, when joining the first member 11 and the second member 12, the five hitting points P1 to P5 arranged in a row at the overlapping portion 15 of both members are friction stir welded in an order that prioritizes the hitting points at both ends in the arrangement direction, that is, the leftmost and rightmost hitting points P1, P5. In other words, the leftmost first hitting point P1 and the rightmost fifth hitting point P5 are friction stir welded first, and then the second to fourth hitting points P2 to P4 between the two hitting points P1, P5 are friction stir welded next. With this configuration, it is possible to suppress warpage deformation of the joined body 1 obtained as a result of friction stir welding of the hitting points P1 to P5.

[0048] In order to understand the above-mentioned effects, first, the reason why warpage occurs due to friction stir welding will be explained. Figures 9A and 9B are schematic diagrams for explaining warpage that occurs when friction stir welding an upper plate T1 corresponding to the first member 11 of this embodiment and a lower plate T2 corresponding to the second member 12 of this embodiment. As shown in Figure 9A, assume that a friction stir portion X is formed by pressing a rotating tool 101 from above into a central hitting point p in an overlapping portion W where the upper plate T1 and the lower plate T2 overlap. When the rotating tool 101 is pressed into the hitting point p, a portion of the upper plate T1 near the hitting point p is heated, and the material heated by the heating is deformed by thermal expansion. In Figure 9A, the area where thermal expansion due to the heating is likely to occur is displayed in color. On the other hand, the lower plate T2 has a smaller temperature rise range than the upper plate T1, so the amount of thermal expansion of the lower plate T2 is smaller than that of the upper plate T1. This means that the amount of deformation (thermal shrinkage amount) caused by the thermal shrinkage caused by cooling (temperature drop) after friction stirring is larger in the upper plate T1 than in the lower plate T2. Such a difference in the amount of thermal shrinkage causes the joined body JT, which is the combination of the upper plate T1 and the lower plate T2 after joining, to warp as shown in Figure 9B. In other words, residual stress that pulls the lower plate T2 toward the center occurs, causing the joined body JT to bend into a bow shape that is convex downward.

[0049] Thus, it can be said that friction stir welding is a joining method that inherently tends to cause warpage deformation of the joined body. Moreover, in this embodiment, a plurality of welding points P1 to P5 are set in one direction at the overlapping portion 15 between the first member 11 and the second member 12, and friction stir welding is performed on each of the welding points P1 to P5. As a result, the warpage deformation caused by the friction stir welding of each of the welding points P1 to P5 accumulates, and the final warpage amount of the joined body 1 as a whole tends to increase. In particular, when the combination of the materials of the first member 11 (upper plate) and the second member 12 (lower plate) is a combination of different materials in which the linear expansion coefficient of the first member 11 is larger than that of the second member 12, the difference in the amount of thermal contraction described above tends to increase, and the warpage deformation tends to become apparent.

[0050] In contrast, in this embodiment, friction stir welding is performed first on the first and fifth points P1 and P5 located at both ends in the line-up direction of the points (left and right direction), in other words, friction stir welding is postponed to the second to fourth points P2 to P4 in the middle, so that the increase in the amount of warping as described above can be suppressed. The reason for this will be explained using Figures 10A to 11C.

[0051] 10A to 10C show a case where the overlapping portion W of the upper plate T1 and the lower plate T2 shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B is friction stir welded from the center of the overlapping portion W. For simplicity, it is assumed that three points p1 to p3 are set in the overlapping portion W. Also, illustrations of warpage deformation caused by friction stir welding of each of the points p1 to p3 are omitted. This is the same as in FIGS. 11A to 11C described later. In FIGS. 10A to 10C, if the leftmost point is the left point p1, the rightmost point is the right point p3, and the point between the points p1 and p3 is the center point p2, in this case, the center point p2 is welded first (FIG. 10A), the left point p1 is welded second (FIG. 10B), and the right point p3 is welded third (FIG. 10C). When friction stir welding is performed in this order, the material expands outward each time the rotary tool 101 is pressed into each of the joining points p1 to p3. The colored areas and the arrows above them in FIGS. 10A to 10C represent the outward expansion of the material. At any of the joining points p1 to p3, the thermal expansion caused by friction stirring and the thermal contraction caused by the subsequent cooling cannot be suppressed. As a result, the warpage deformation caused by the thermal contraction at each of the joining points p1 to p3 all accumulates, and the final amount of warpage of the joined body JT inevitably increases.

[0052] On the other hand, Figs. 11A-C show a case where the friction stir welding is performed in the reverse order to the case in Figs. 10A-C, that is, from both ends of the overlapping portion W first. That is, in the case in Figs. 11A-C, the left hitting point p1 is joined first (Fig. 11A), the right hitting point p3 is joined second (Fig. 11B), and the center hitting point p2 is joined third (Fig. 11C). When friction stir welding is performed in this order, the material expands outward when the left and right hitting points p1 and p3 are joined, but the outward expansion of the material is suppressed when the center hitting point p2 is joined. This is because when the center hitting point p2 is joined, solidified friction stir portions X have already been formed at the left hitting point p1 and the right hitting point p3 on both sides of it, and these solidified friction stir portions X function to restrict (block) the outward expansion of the material. In other words, the friction stir parts X at the left and right hitting points p1 and p3 formed in advance function as wedges that restrict the material from expanding outward when the central hitting point p2 between the two is joined. In this way, in the case of Figures 11A-C where both ends are joined first, the thermal expansion at the central hitting point p2 is restricted, so the final warpage of the joined body JT can be reduced.

[0053] The same can be said about the case of Fig. 11A-C described above when the overlapping portion 15 of the first member 11 (upper plate) and the second member 12 (lower plate) is joined by the method of this embodiment. That is, in this embodiment, of the five points (first to fifth points P1-P5) set in the overlapping portion 15, the first point P1 on the left side and the fifth point P5 on the right side are friction stir welded first, and the second to fourth points P2-P4 in the middle are friction stir welded later. Therefore, the outward expansion of the material that may occur when the second to fourth points P2-P4 are joined is restricted by the friction stir parts 20 of the first point P1 and the fifth point P5 that already exist at that time. In this way, in this embodiment, the first and fifth points P1 and P5 on both ends are joined first, so that the thermal expansion at the second to fourth points P2-P4 is restricted, and the final warpage of the joined body 1 can be reduced.

[0054] In addition, in this embodiment, before the overlapping portion 15 (the first to fifth welding points P1 to P5) is friction stir welded, the first member 11 and the second member 12 are preformed (step S2) to bend them into an upwardly convex bow shape, which, together with the effect of suppressing warpage caused by the setting of the joining order described above, can sufficiently reduce the amount of warpage of the joined body 1. That is, the preform causes the first member 11 and the second member 12 to bend in advance in the opposite direction to the warpage caused by friction stir welding, that is, the deformation to bend into a downwardly convex bow shape, so that the warpage caused by the subsequent friction stir welding is a deformation in a direction that cancels the curvature caused by the preform. This can reduce the final amount of warpage of the joined body 1 as much as possible, and can ensure good shape quality of the joined body 1.

[0055] Here, the results of an experiment conducted to confirm the effects of the joining method of the present embodiment described above will be described. FIG. 12A is a perspective view showing the structure of the test piece TP used in this experiment. As shown in this figure, the test piece TP is a stack of a flat plate-like first member TP1 and a second member TP2 having a length L and a width W. The first member TP1 and the second member TP2 correspond to the first member 11 and the second member 12 in the joined body 1 of this embodiment (FIGS. 1 to 8), respectively. The length L of the test piece TP is 300 mm, and the width W is 30 mm. In the experiment, five welding points P1 to P5 aligned in the length direction were set in the center of such a test piece TP, and each welding point was friction stir welded. The pitch between adjacent welding points was set to 20 mm. Then, the test piece TP was welded under three conditions in which the materials of the first member TP1 and the second member TP2 were different, and the amount of warping caused in the test piece TP by the welding was measured. As shown in FIG. 12B, the amount of warpage here was found by averaging the amounts of warpage δ1 and δ2 at both ends in the longitudinal direction of the test piece TP measured with a gap gauge.

[0056] FIG. 13 is a graph showing the measurement results of the amount of warpage obtained when both the first member TP1 and the second member TP2 are made of aluminum alloy. The vertical axis in this graph shows the amount of warpage of the above-mentioned test piece TP, that is, the average of the amount of warpage on the left and right, and the horizontal axis shows the number of points where friction stir welding was performed. In other words, the graph in FIG. 13 is a graph showing the relationship between the number of friction stir weldings and the amount of warpage of the test piece TP. Moreover, pattern 1 in this graph is a joining pattern in which friction stir welding is performed in order from the third point P3 in the center to the outside. Specifically, in pattern 1, friction stir welding is performed in the order of the third point P3 → the second point P2 → the fourth point P4 → the first point P1 → the fifth point P5, thereby joining the first member TP1 and the second member TP2. Pattern 2 is a joining pattern in which friction stir welding is performed in order from the first point P1 and the fifth point P5 at both ends to the inside. Specifically, in pattern 2, the first member TP1 and the second member TP2 are joined by friction stir welding in the order of the first hitting point P1 → the fifth hitting point P5 → the second hitting point P2 → the fourth hitting point P4 → the third hitting point P3. Note that in both the cases of pattern 1 and pattern 2, preforming in advance to curve the first member TP1 and the second member TP2 into an upwardly convex bow shape was not performed.

[0057] As shown in the graph of FIG. 13, in pattern 1 where friction stir welding is performed from the inside to the outside, the amount of warping increases approximately proportionally as the number of welding points where friction stir welding is performed increases. In contrast, in pattern 2 where friction stir welding is performed from the outside to the inside as in this embodiment, an increase in the amount of warping is observed in the first and second welding, that is, up to welding of the first welding point P1 and the fifth welding point P5, but no noticeable increase in the amount of warping is observed in the third and subsequent welding, that is, welding of the second to fourth welding points P2 to P4. Therefore, the final amount of warping of the test piece TP, that is, the amount of warping of the test piece TP at the time when the fifth welding is performed, increases only slightly compared to the amount of warping at the time when the second welding is performed. As a result, the final amount of warping in pattern 2 is significantly reduced compared to the final amount of warping in pattern 1.

[0058] FIG. 14 is a graph showing the measurement results of the amount of warpage obtained when the material of the first member TP1 is an aluminum alloy and the material of the second member TP2 is carbon steel. In the case of such a combination of materials, the linear expansion coefficient of the first member TP1 is larger than that of the second member TP2. Therefore, compared to the case of FIG. 13 in which the linear expansion coefficients of the first member TP1 and the second member TP2 are the same, in the case of FIG. 14, the amount of warpage increases in both patterns 1 and 2 at the time of the second and subsequent joining. Also, in the case of FIG. 14, as in the case of FIG. 13, the amount of warpage in the case of pattern 2 in which joining is performed in order from the outside to the inside is suppressed to be smaller than the amount of warpage in the case of pattern 1 in which joining is performed in order from the inside to the outside.

[0059] FIG. 15 is a graph showing the measurement results of the amount of warpage obtained when the material of the first member TP1 is an aluminum alloy and the material of the second member TP2 is stainless steel. In addition to the above-mentioned patterns 1 and 2, pattern 3 was also prepared in FIG. 15, in which the preforming is performed and then the welding is performed in order from the outside to the inside. That is, pattern 3 is a pattern in which the preforming is performed in advance to bend the first member TP1 and the second member TP2 into an upwardly convex bow shape, and then friction stir welding is performed in the order of the first hitting point P1 → the fifth hitting point P5 → the second hitting point P2 → the fourth hitting point P4 → the third hitting point P3. In pattern 3, the amount of warpage is negative when the number of hitting points is 0, due to the preforming. In the case of FIG. 15, the linear expansion coefficient of the first member TP1 is also larger than that of the second member TP2, so that at least the final amount of warpage is increased in both patterns 1 and 2 compared to the case of FIG. 13, in which the linear expansion coefficients are the same. On the other hand, in Pattern 3, a negative warpage is initially imparted by preforming, so the warpage in each cycle is suppressed to be smaller than that in Pattern 2. As a result, the final warpage in Pattern 3 in FIG. 15 is smaller than that in Pattern 2 in FIG.

[0060] From the above, the effectiveness of performing friction stir welding starting from the first hitting point P1 and the fifth hitting point P5 as in this embodiment, and the effectiveness of performing pre-forming by curving the first member 11 and the second member 12 in opposite directions in advance were confirmed.

[0061] (2) Second embodiment In the first embodiment described above, the friction stir welding is performed on the first to fifth points P1 to P5 under the same conditions, but the friction stir welding conditions may be changed depending on the point. One example of this will be described as a second embodiment.

[0062] In the second embodiment, the joining conditions for each of the first and fifth points P1 and P5 at both ends are set so that the heat input during joining is smaller than the heat input during joining of the second to fourth points P2 to P4 in the middle. Hereinafter, the first and fifth points P1 and P5, at which the heat input is relatively small, are collectively referred to as the two end points P1 and P5, and the second to fourth points P2 to P4, at which the heat input is relatively large, are collectively referred to as the middle points P2 to P4. Note that in the second embodiment, the joining order of the points P1 to P5 is the same as in the first embodiment. That is, in the second embodiment, the two end points P1 and P5 are friction stir welded before the middle points P2 to P4.

[0063] There are various methods for relatively reducing the amount of heat input to the end points P1 and P5. For example, the five methods shown in FIG. 16 are effective.

[0064] The first method is to change the tool diameter, which is the outer diameter of the rotating tool 101. That is, the outer diameter of the rotating tool 101 used when joining the end welding points P1, P5 is made smaller than the outer diameter of the rotating tool 101 used when joining the middle welding points P2 to P4. When friction stir welding is performed by the shoulder-first process shown in Fig. 8, the tool diameter means the outer diameter of the shoulder member 112 to be pressed in in the press-in step S32.

[0065] The second method is to change the rotation speed of the rotating tool 101. That is, the rotation speed when the rotating tool 101 is pressed into the end welding points P1, P5 is made slower than the rotation speed when the rotating tool 101 is pressed into the middle welding points P2 to P4. When friction stir welding is performed by the shoulder-first process shown in Fig. 8, the rotation speed of the rotating tool 101 means the rotation speed of each of the pin member 111 and the shoulder member 112 which are rotationally driven from the press-in process S32 to the smoothing process S34.

[0066] The third method is to change the pressure of the rotating tool 101. That is, the axial pressure when the rotating tool 101 is pressed into the end welding points P1, P5 is made smaller than the axial pressure when the rotating tool 101 is pressed into the middle welding points P2 to P4. When friction stir welding is performed by the shoulder-first process shown in Fig. 8, the pressure of the rotating tool 101 means the pressure of the shoulder member 112 pressed in in the press-in step S32.

[0067] The fourth method is to change the welding time. That is, the welding time when friction stir welding the end welding points P1, P5 is made shorter than the welding time when friction stir welding the middle welding points P2 to P4. The welding time is the total of the times of the pressing step S32, the backfilling step S33, and the leveling step S34 shown in FIG. 8.

[0068] The fifth method is to change the amount of external cooling. For example, when externally cooling each of the welding points P1 to P5 using a method such as air cooling in conjunction with friction stir welding, the capacity (amount of cooling) of the external cooling is changed for each welding point. In other words, the amount of external cooling for the end welding points P1 and P5 is made larger than the amount of external cooling for the middle welding points P2 to P4.

[0069] In any of the above-mentioned first to fifth methods, the amount of heat input when friction stir welding the end welding points P1, P5 can be made smaller than the amount of heat input when friction stir welding the middle welding points P2 to P4. According to the second embodiment in which the amount of heat input is made different in this way, the amount of warping of the welded body 1 can be further reduced.

[0070] Since the both end points P1 and P5 are joined before the middle points P2 to P4, it is not expected that the thermal expansion occurring at the both end points P1 and P5 will be restricted by the friction stir parts 20 of the other points. In other words, although the thermal expansion at the middle points P2 to P4, which are joined later, is restricted by the friction stir parts 20 of the both end points P1 and P5 formed earlier, such an effect cannot be expected for the both end points P1 and P5, which are joined earlier. For this reason, suppressing the thermal expansion at the both end points P1 and P5 even a little leads to further reducing the warpage of the joined body 1. According to the second embodiment described above, the amount of heat input to the both end points P1 and P5 is made smaller than the amount of heat input to the middle points P2 to P4, so that the thermal expansion at the both end points P1 and P5 itself can be suppressed, and as a result, the amount of warpage of the joined body 1 can be sufficiently reduced.

[0071] Here, it can be confirmed from the cross-sectional structure of the completed joint 1 that the heat input to the end points P1 and P5 is smaller than the heat input to the middle points P2 to P4. The effect of the difference in the heat input to each point on the cross-sectional structure will be described below.

[0072] FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view for explaining the influence of the difference in the amount of heat input described above. The friction stir diameter Rf shown in this figure is the outer diameter of the friction stir portion 20, and is a dimension equivalent to the tool diameter, which is the outer diameter of the rotary tool 101. The difference in the amount of heat input for each hitting point can be confirmed from this friction stir diameter Rf. For example, if it is confirmed that the friction stir diameter Rf of the both end hitting points P1, P5 is smaller than the friction stir diameter Rf of the middle hitting points P2 to P4, this fact is the basis for the fact that the amount of heat input to the both end hitting points P1, P5 was smaller than the amount of heat input to the middle hitting points P2 to P4. However, this is under the condition that the friction stir depth Hf, which is the depth of the friction stir portion 20 corresponding to the pressing depth (push-in amount) of the rotary tool 101, is the same. If the friction stir depth Hf can also be changed, the amount of heat input can be measured by the volume of the friction stir portion 20, which is determined by the product of the friction stir diameter Rf and the friction stir depth Hf. In other words, when there are impact points where the volume of the friction stir portion 20 is large and impact points where the volume of the friction stir portion 20 is small, the amount of heat input to the impact points where the volume of the friction stir portion 20 is large is greater than the amount of heat input to the impact points where the volume of the friction stir portion 20 is small.

[0073] When the first member 11 and the second member 12 are metals, as shown in FIG. 17, a heat-affected zone 30 in which the crystal grain size of the material has expanded can be confirmed around the friction stir portion 20. That is, in the heat-affected zone 30, the crystal grain size of the material expands due to the heat transfer from the friction stir portion 20, which has been heated during welding. The crystal grain size of the heat-affected zone 30 increases as the heat input increases. From this, the heat input to each welding point can be measured by the crystal grain size of the heat-affected zone 30. For example, if it is confirmed that the crystal grain size of the heat-affected zone 30 at both end welding points P1 and P5 is smaller than the crystal grain size of the heat-affected zone 30 at the middle welding points P2 to P4, this fact is evidence that the heat input to both end welding points P1 and P5 was smaller than the heat input to the middle welding points P2 to P4.

[0074] The grain size correlates with the hardness of the material. In other words, for the same metal material, the larger the grain size, the lower the hardness tends to be. Therefore, it is also possible to measure the heat input based on the hardness of the material. For example, if it is confirmed that the hardness of the heat-affected zone 30 at the end points P1 and P5 is higher than the hardness of the heat-affected zone 30 at the middle points P2 to P4, this fact is evidence that the heat input to the end points P1 and P5 was smaller than the heat input to the middle points P2 to P4.

[0075] The difference in the amount of heat input can also be confirmed by whether or not a structural change is observed in the second member 12, which is the lower plate. That is, if the second member 12 is made of steel and is heated to a temperature exceeding its transformation point, a phenomenon is observed in which the structure of the second member 12 changes to an austenite structure. On the other hand, if the second member 12 is not heated to its transformation point, such a structural change is not observed. From this, the difference in the amount of heat input can be determined based on the presence or absence of a structural change in the second member 12. For example, if a structural change in the second member 12 is confirmed at the intermediate points P2 to P4 but not at the both end points P1 and P5, this fact is the basis for the fact that the amount of heat input to the both end points P1 and P5 was smaller than the amount of heat input to the intermediate points P2 to P4. In addition, since the first member 11, which is the upper plate, is heated to a temperature at which plastic flow occurs, a structural change inevitably occurs. For this reason, it is necessary to determine the amount of heat input based on the presence or absence of a structural change in the second member 12, not the first member 11.

[0076] (3) Third embodiment In the first embodiment, an example has been described in which a total of five welding points P1 to P5 are set in a row in the band-shaped overlapping portion 15 where the first member 11 and the second member 12 are overlapped, but the number of welding points set in the overlapping portion 15 may be three or more, and the number can be changed as appropriate. Depending on the number of welding points or the length of the overlapping portion 15 in the left-right direction (the welding point arrangement direction), friction stir welding may be performed in an order different from that in the first embodiment. One such example will be described as the third embodiment.

[0077] As shown in FIG. 18, in the third embodiment, a comparatively wide first member 31 and second member 32 overlap each other to form a long overlapping portion 35 in the left-right direction, and a total of ten points P11 to P20 are set in the overlapping portion 35. Hereinafter, the points are defined as the first point P11, the second point P12, ..., the tenth point P20 from the left end to the right end of the overlapping portion 35. In the third embodiment, the first to tenth points P11 to P20 are divided into two groups, and the points in each group are friction stir welded in the same order as in the first embodiment. As a result, the friction stir portions 20 are formed at the points P11 to P20, and the first member 31 and the second member 32 are welded to form a welded body 1A.

[0078] That is, as shown in Figures 19A and B, if the group of impact points from the first impact point P11 to the fifth impact point P15 is defined as the first group PG1, and the group of impact points from the sixth impact point P16 to the tenth impact point P20 is defined as the second group PG2, in the third embodiment, for the five impact points belonging to the first group PG1 (the first to fifth impact points P11 to P15), a joining order is adopted that gives priority to joining the end impact points P11, P15, and for the five impact points belonging to the second group PG2 (the sixth to tenth impact points P16 to P20), a joining order is adopted that gives priority to joining the end impact points P16, P20. As a specific example, as shown in Fig. 19A, friction stir welding may be performed in the order of the first hitting point P11 → the fifth hitting point P15 → the tenth hitting point P20 → the sixth hitting point P16 → the second hitting point P12 → the fourth hitting point P14 → the ninth hitting point P19 → the seventh hitting point P17 → the third hitting point P13 → the eighth hitting point P18. Alternatively, as shown in Fig. 19B, friction stir welding may be performed in the order of the first hitting point P11 → the fifth hitting point P15 → the second hitting point P12 → the fourth hitting point P14 → the third hitting point P13 → the tenth hitting point P20 → the sixth hitting point P16 → the ninth hitting point P19 → the seventh hitting point P17 → the eighth hitting point P18.

[0079] Regardless of which joining order shown in FIG. 19A or B is adopted, when each group PG1, PG2 is viewed individually, the points at both ends are joined first. That is, among the five points belonging to the first group PG1, the first point P11 and the fifth point P15 at both ends are joined first, and among the five points belonging to the second group PG2, the sixth point P16 and the tenth point P20 at both ends are joined first. Therefore, in the third embodiment, the effect of suppressing warpage deformation for the same reason as in the first embodiment is obtained in the left half of the overlapping portion 15 corresponding to the first group PG1 and the right half of the overlapping portion 15 corresponding to the second group PG2. As a result, in the third embodiment, the final warpage amount of the joined body 1A can be reduced.

[0080] In the third embodiment, the first hitting point P1, which is the earliest in the joining order in the first group PG1, corresponds to the "one end side hitting point" in this disclosure, and the fifth hitting point P15, which is the next earliest in the joining order in the first group PG1, corresponds to the "other end side hitting point" in this disclosure. Similarly, the tenth hitting point P20, which is the earliest in the joining order in the second group PG2, corresponds to the "one end side hitting point" in this disclosure, and the sixth hitting point P16, which is the next earliest in the joining order in the second group PG2, corresponds to the "other end side hitting point" in this disclosure.

[0081] As described above as an example of the third embodiment, depending on the number of points or the length of the overlapping portion 15 in the direction in which the points are arranged, it is not essential to join the points at both ends of the overlapping portion 15 first. In other words, in the present disclosure, it is sufficient to join the point closest to one end of the overlapping portion first, and it is not essential to join the point closest to the other end of the overlapping portion next. The second point to be joined may be any point located some distance away from the point closest to the one end toward the other end.

[0082] (4) Fourth embodiment As described above, in the first embodiment, the five points (first to fifth points P1 to P5) set in the overlapping portion 15 are joined first at the first and fifth points P1 and P5, which are the end points. This restricts the thermal expansion of the material outward when joining at the middle points, the second to fourth points P2 to P4, thereby reducing the amount of warping of the joined body 1. However, the restriction of thermal expansion at the middle points is limited to the left-right direction in which the points are arranged, and the thermal expansion in the front-rear direction perpendicular to the left-right direction is not particularly restricted. For this reason, at the middle points, the thermal expansion in the front-rear direction may become larger. Although the thermal expansion in the front-rear direction does not directly lead to warping, there is a concern that it may affect the shape of the overlapping portion 15 after joining. For example, in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, there is a concern that the shape of the rear end of the first member 11 (upper plate) may be deformed to be wavy in plan view, as shown by the two-dot chain line Z in FIG. 2. In the fourth embodiment, an example in which measures are taken to suppress such wavy deformation will be described.

[0083] 20 and 21 are perspective and plan views for explaining the joining method of the fourth embodiment. As shown in the figures, in the fourth embodiment, the rear ends of the flat first member 41 and the second member 42 having the same width are overlapped to form an overlapping portion 45, and the rotary tool 101 is pressed into the first to fifth joining points P21 to P25 set in the overlapping portion 45 from the side of the first member 41, that is, from the upper side. As a result, the friction stir portion 20 is formed at each of the joining points P21 to P25, and the first member 41 and the second member 42 are joined to construct a joined body 1B. The fourth embodiment is characterized in that the friction stir welding of each of the joining points P21 to P25 is performed in a state in which a jig 50 shaped along the overlapping portion 45 is placed. The jig 50 is a member that is U-shaped in plan view and can surround the overlapping portion 45 from both the left and right sides and the rear. With the overlapping portion 45 surrounded by the jig 50, that is, with the inner surface of the jig 50 in close contact with the outer periphery of the overlapping portion 45, friction stir welding is performed on the first to fifth points P21 to P25. As with the first embodiment, the joining order is such that the joining order prioritizes the points at both ends. That is, the first point P21 and the fifth point P25 at both ends are joined first, and then the second to fourth points P22 to P24 in the middle are joined.

[0084] As described above, in the fourth embodiment, friction stir welding is performed on each of the joining points P21 to P25 in a state where the overlapping portion 45 between the first member 41 and the second member 42 is surrounded by the jig 50, so that it is possible to suppress the above-mentioned wavy deformation that may occur due to thermal expansion during welding. That is, it is possible to suppress the end side Rx, which is the rearmost side of the first member 41 (upper plate), from deforming in a wavy manner after welding. This can further improve the shape quality of the joined body 1.

[0085] 20 and 21 show an example in which the rear end portions of the first member 41 and the second member 42 constituting the overlapping portion 45 are both surrounded by the jig 50, but only the rear end portion of the first member 41 may be surrounded by the jig 50. Even in this case, waviness of the end side Rx of the first member 41 can be suppressed.

[0086] (5) Other modifications Modifications of the above-mentioned embodiments will be described below. Note that, although the following describes examples in which various modifications have been made based on the first embodiment, it goes without saying that similar modifications are possible for the other embodiments (second to fourth embodiments).

[0087] In the first embodiment, the materials of the first member 11 and the second member 12 are selected so that the linear expansion coefficient of the first member 11 is equal to or greater than the linear expansion coefficient of the second member 12 (see FIG. 4), but the materials of both members may be selected so that the linear expansion coefficient of the first member 11 is smaller than the linear expansion coefficient of the second member 12. Specific combinations of materials in this case include, for example, a combination in which the first member 11 is made of an aluminum alloy and the second member 12 is made of a magnesium alloy, a combination in which the first member 11 is made of carbon steel and the second member 12 is made of stainless steel, and a combination in which the first member 11 is made of a thermoplastic resin (including fiber-reinforced resin) and the second member 12 is made of a metal.

[0088] In the first embodiment, overlapping portion 15 where two members consisting of first member 11 and second member 12 overlap is joined by friction stir welding, but these members may be joined in a state where one or more other members are further overlapped on first member 11 and second member 12. In other words, the joining method of the present disclosure is applicable to cases where overlapping portions where at least two members overlap are friction stir joined, and the present disclosure is also applicable to cases where overlapping portions where three or more members overlap are friction stir joined.

[0089] In the first embodiment, the friction stir welding is performed in a state where the first member 11 and the second member 12 are directly overlapped with each other, but the friction stir welding may be performed in a state where a sealant or adhesive is applied between the first member 11 and the second member 12. In addition, the friction stir welding may be performed in a state where at least one of the first member 11 and the second member 12 is subjected to a surface treatment such as plating.

[0090] In the first embodiment, the multiple impact points (first to fifth impact points P1 to P5) into which the rotating tool 101 is pressed are arranged so as to be aligned in a straight line at the overlapping portion 15 between the first member 11 and the second member 12. However, it is sufficient that the multiple impact points are aligned along a specific direction as a whole. For example, the multiple impact points may be arranged so as to be aligned in a staggered pattern along a specific direction.

[0091] In the first embodiment, when friction stir welding the overlapping portion 15 between the first member 11 and the second member 12, the rotating tool 101 (shoulder member 112) is pressed in so as to penetrate the first member 11 without any excess or deficiency. However, the pressing depth (push-in amount) of the rotating tool 101 only needs to be set to a depth at which a friction stir portion that penetrates at least the first member 11 can be formed, and the rotating tool 101 may also be pressed in so as to penetrate partway through the first member 11 and into the second member 12.

[0092] When the rotating tool is pressed into the second member until it reaches the middle of the second member as described above, the temperature of the second member rises more than when the rotating tool does not reach the second member. This reduces the temperature difference between the first member and the second member during joining, and is expected to have the effect of suppressing warpage of the joined body. As another method of raising the temperature of the second member, a backing member may be made of a material with poor thermal conductivity, such as ceramics, or the second member may be heated by a heater.

[0093] In the first embodiment, an example of performing friction stir welding using a double-acting rotating tool 101 including a pin member 111 and a shoulder member 112 that can be moved forward and backward and rotated individually has been described, but the welding method disclosed herein can be realized without a friction stir welding device that includes such a double-acting rotating tool. For example, friction stir welding may be performed using a single-acting rotating tool that includes a single pin member that can rotate and move forward and backward and does not include a shoulder member.

[0094] (6) Summary The above-described embodiment and its modified examples mainly include the following disclosures.

[0095] A joining method according to one aspect of the present disclosure is a joining method for joining a first member and a second member at an overlapping portion by pressing a rotating tool into each of a plurality of impact points set between one end and the other end of the overlapping portion where the first member and the second member are overlapped to form a friction stir portion, the joining method including: a first joining step of pressing the rotating tool into a one-end side impact point, which is the impact point closest to the one end in the overlapping portion, from the first member side, to form the friction stir portion at the one-end side impact point; a second joining step of pressing the rotating tool into an other-end side impact point away from the one-end side impact point from the first member side after the first joining step, to form the friction stir portion at the other-end side impact point; and a third joining step of pressing the rotating tool into an intermediate point located between the one-end side impact point and the other-end side impact point from the first member side after the second joining step, to form the friction stir portion at the intermediate point.

[0096] Since the first member into which the rotary tool is pressed becomes hotter than the second member, the thermal expansion of the material during joining and the subsequent thermal contraction are likely to be relatively large. This induces warpage of the joined body, which is the combination of the first and second members after joining. That is, the relatively large thermal contraction occurring in the first member generates residual stress that pulls the second member toward the center, which causes the joined body to bend (warp) into a convex bow shape on the side opposite to the rotary tool. In particular, in the present disclosure, a plurality of welding points arranged in a row are set in the overlapping portion between the first and second members, and friction stir welding is performed on each welding point, so that the warpage caused by the friction stir welding of each welding point accumulates, and the final warpage of the entire joined body may increase to an unacceptable level.

[0097] In contrast, in the present disclosure, friction stir welding is first performed on the one-end side hitting point that is the closest to the one end side of the overlapping portion, and then friction stir welding is performed on the other-end side hitting point that is farther from the one-end side hitting point on the other end side, so that the increase in the amount of warping as described above can be suppressed. In other words, in the present disclosure, friction stir welding of the one-end side and the other-end side hitting points is performed before the friction stir part of the middle hitting point located between the two hitting points, so that the outward expansion of the material that may occur when the middle hitting point is joined is restricted by the friction stir parts of the one-end side and the other-end side hitting points that already exist at that time. In this way, in the present disclosure, by joining the one-end side and the other-end side hitting points first, the thermal expansion at the middle hitting point is restricted, so that the final amount of warping that may occur in the joined body can be reduced.

[0098] The other end side impact point is typically the impact point located at the most other end side in the overlapping portion. In this case, the intermediate impact point can be any one of a plurality of impact points located between the one end side impact point and the other end side impact point.

[0099] According to this configuration, when four or more points are set in the overlapping portion, the points on both ends are joined first, and the multiple points between them are joined later, which makes it possible to precisely achieve the above-mentioned effect of suppressing warpage.

[0100] Preferably, the method further includes, before the first joining step, a preforming step of curving the first member and the second member into a convex arch shape toward the rotary tool side.

[0101] This configuration, coupled with the effect of suppressing warpage caused by the above-mentioned setting of the joining order, can sufficiently reduce the amount of warpage of the joined body. That is, the preforming causes the first and second members to bend in advance in the direction opposite to the warpage caused by friction stir welding, that is, the deformation that curves in a convex bow shape toward the opposite side to the rotating tool, so that the warpage caused by the subsequent friction stir welding is a deformation in a direction that cancels the curvature caused by the preforming. This makes it possible to reduce the final amount of warpage of the joined body as much as possible, and ensure good shape quality of the joined body.

[0102] Preferably, the rotating tool is pressed into each of the joining points so that the amount of heat input to the one end side joining point in the first joining step and the amount of heat input to the other end side joining point in the second joining step are smaller than the amount of heat input to the intermediate joining point in the third joining step.

[0103] As described above, the thermal expansion at the intermediate point, which is joined later, is restricted by the friction stir parts at the one end side and the other end side points formed earlier, but such an effect cannot be expected for the one end side and the other end side points, which are joined earlier. Therefore, suppressing the thermal expansion at the one end side and the other end side points even a little leads to further reducing the amount of warping of the joined body. According to this configuration, the amount of heat input to the one end side and the other end side points is made smaller than the amount of heat input to the intermediate point, so that the thermal expansion at the one end side and the other end side points can be suppressed, and as a result, the amount of warping of the joined body can be sufficiently reduced.

[0104] There are various methods for reducing the amount of heat input to the one end side and the other end side welding points, but a preferred example is a method of reducing the outer diameter of a rotating tool. That is, in the first welding step and the second welding step, it is preferable to use a rotating tool with a smaller diameter than that in the third welding step.

[0105] The material of the first member may have a linear expansion coefficient greater than that of the second member.

[0106] The linear expansion coefficient of the first member being larger than that of the second member means that the above-mentioned warpage deformation of the bonded body is more likely to occur. Therefore, by applying the bonding method of the present disclosure to such a case, it is possible to bond different materials while suppressing the feared warpage deformation.

[0107] A joint according to another aspect of the present disclosure is a joint comprising a first member, a second member arranged to overlap the first member, and a joint formed by friction stirring a plurality of impact points set between one end and the other end of the overlapping portion between the first member and the second member, wherein the heat input of the one-end side impact point which is the impact point closest to the one end in the overlapping portion, and the heat input of the other-end side impact point which is away from the one-end side impact point to the other end side, are smaller than the heat input of an intermediate impact point located between the one-end side impact point and the other-end side impact point.

[0108] According to the present disclosure, a bonded body with a relatively small amount of warping can be obtained.

[0109] Here, if the outer diameters of the friction stir parts are different, it can be said that the heat inputs are different. In other words, it is preferable that the outer diameters of the friction stir parts at the one end side impact point and the other end side impact point are smaller than the outer diameter of the friction stir part at the intermediate impact point.

Claims

1. A joining method for joining a first member and a second member at an overlapping portion, the method comprising: pressing a rotary tool into a plurality of contact points set between one end and the other end of the overlapping portion where the first member and the second member are overlapped to form friction stir portions, the method comprising: A first joining step of forming the friction stir portion at a one-end side hitting point, which is a hitting point on the most one end side of the overlapping portion, by pressing the rotary tool from the first member side. After the first joining step, the rotary tool is pressed into the other end side hitting point away from the one end side hitting point from the first member side to form the friction stir portion at the other end side hitting point; and a third joining step of pressing the rotary tool from the first member side into an intermediate point located between the one end side point and the other end side point after the second joining step, thereby forming the friction stir portion at the intermediate point, A joining method in which the rotating tool is pressed into each of the joining points so that the amount of heat input to the one end side joining point in the first joining step and the amount of heat input to the other end side joining point in the second joining step are smaller than the amount of heat input to the intermediate joining point in the third joining step.

2. The bonding method according to claim 1 , The other end side impact point is an impact point located closest to the other end side in the overlapping portion, A joining method, wherein the intermediate point is any one of a plurality of points located between the one end point and the other end point.

3. The bonding method according to claim 1 or 2, A joining method, further comprising a preforming step, prior to the first joining step, of curving the first member and the second member into a convex bow shape toward the rotating tool.

4. The bonding method according to claim 1 or 2, A welding method, wherein in the first welding step and the second welding step, the rotating tool used has a smaller diameter than that in the third welding step.

5. The bonding method according to claim 1 or 2, A joining method, comprising using a material for the first member that has a linear expansion coefficient larger than that of the second member.

6. A joint comprising a first member, a second member arranged to overlap the first member, and a joint formed by joining a plurality of points set between one end and the other end of an overlapping portion between the first member and the second member by friction stirring, A joint in which the heat input of a one-end side impact point, which is the impact point closest to the one end in the overlapping portion, and the heat input of an other-end side impact point away from the one-end side impact point to the other end side, are smaller than the heat input of an intermediate impact point located between the one-end side impact point and the other-end side impact point.

7. The joint body according to claim 6, A joint, wherein the outer diameter of the friction stir portion at the one end point and the other end point is smaller than the outer diameter of the friction stir portion at the intermediate point.

Images