JP2005028448A - Device for friction stir joining - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve the roundness of a cylindrical body such as a wheel rim. <P>SOLUTION: In a cylindrical body W2, the inner circumferential wall face in the upper part is mounted on a core 32 for support, and further, the inner circumferential wall face in the lower part is pressed to the vertical lower direction by the head of the long-length part 304 of a vertical pressing arm 308. By the pressing, the cylindrical body W2 is slightly stretched to the vertical lower direction. On the other hand, in accordance with the forward movement of a horizontal pressing cylinder 70, finally, pressing members 86a and 86b press the inner circumferential wall face of the cylindrical body W2 to the horizontal direction. In this way, the cylindrical body W2 is stretched to the vertical direction or the horizontal direction. As a result, the cross-sectional shape of the cylindrical body W2 is made to be of almost complete roundness. The revolving operation of the cylindrical body W2 along the arrow Z direction is stopped owing to pressing on the inner circumferential wall face of the cylindrical body W2 by pressing bars 400a and 400b arranged at the pressing members 86a and 86b under the repulsive energization of a coil spring 412. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a friction stir welding apparatus for easily performing friction stir welding between end surfaces of cylindrical bodies.

  A wheel on which an automobile tire is mounted is manufactured by, for example, joining a disk formed in a disk shape and a wheel rim formed in a cylindrical shape by welding or the like. Such a wheel is called a two-piece wheel.

  Among these, as described in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2, as a method for manufacturing a wheel rim, first, end surfaces of rectangular plate materials are brought into contact with each other to form a cylindrical body, and then this contact is made. So-called butt resistance welding is employed in which the end faces are subjected to resistance welding. Patent Document 3 proposes that after forming a cylindrical body in the same manner as described above, MIG welding or TIG welding is performed to join the contacted end faces.

  By the way, when a contact part is joined by the welding method described in the said patent documents 1-3, a protruding part will be formed with the meat | flour near a welding part. Since the raised portion becomes a wheel rim having poor quality in appearance, a complicated finishing operation for grinding the raised portion is required. In addition, for this reason, the problem that the wheel rim cannot be manufactured efficiently has become apparent.

  Therefore, it is possible to join the contact portions without forming a raised portion, and it is also conceived to employ friction stir welding that does not require finishing work. However, when performing friction stir welding, the probe is pressed against the contact portion of the end of the plate-like body to be joined, so that the contacted end surfaces are separated from each other, and a gap is generated at the contact point. Sometimes. When such a situation occurs, the joint strength is lowered, and a part that causes a joint failure occurs.

  On the other hand, Patent Document 4 proposes a method for preventing the end surfaces from being separated by pressing the end surfaces of both plate members along the displacement direction of the rotor when the plate members are subjected to friction stir welding.

JP-A-9-206951 (paragraph [0006] and FIG. 1) JP-A-10-129404 (paragraph [0008] and FIG. 1) Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 62-107832 (lower right column on page 2, lines 7 to 11) Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-193139 (paragraph [0011] and FIG. 1)

  However, although the method described in Patent Document 4 is effective when joining plate members together, it is impossible to press a cylindrical body having a curved surface, such as a wheel rim. It cannot be adopted when manufacturing a cylindrical body.

  In addition, when a workpiece made of a plate-like body is curved like a wheel rim and end surfaces are brought into contact with each other to form a cylindrical body, one end portion may be superimposed on the other end portion. In such a state, the friction stir welding cannot be performed. In order to eliminate this inconvenience, the end faces may be slightly separated from each other. In other words, after the diameter of the cylindrical body is slightly increased, the end faces may be brought into contact again so as not to overlap each other. However, performing such an operation is complicated and causes a problem that the production efficiency by friction stir welding decreases.

  Furthermore, even if it is a case where it is avoided that edge parts overlap, the cross section of a cylindrical body may be formed in an elliptical shape rather than a perfect circle shape. In this case, since the wheel rim itself is not a perfect circle, it cannot be used as a product. In other words, the manufacturing yield decreases.

  Furthermore, when the cross-section of the wheel rim cylinder is an ellipse that is long in the horizontal direction, as shown in FIG. 12, the end faces 1 and 2 are positioned so as to expand toward the center. It will abut. In this case, even if friction stir welding is performed, there is a concern that a defective cavity may remain in the joint.

  Eventually, if the end surfaces of the cylindrical body are not sufficiently in contact with each other, it is difficult to manufacture the cylindrical body with high yield in a short time by friction stir welding.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and it is possible to easily and easily obtain a cylindrical body having excellent roundness. For this purpose, the cylindrical body is manufactured efficiently and with a high yield. An object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for friction stir welding that enables the above.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is used when the end surfaces of a cylindrical body formed by contacting end surfaces of plate members having convex portions at corners are friction stir welded. A friction stir welding apparatus comprising:
The base,
First support means and second support means provided on the base;
A support supported by the first support means and the second support means;
A support core installed on the support and inserted into the cylindrical body to support the cylindrical body;
Projections that are arranged on the support core and that extend along the joining direction as the projections abut at both ends of the abutting portion of the cylindrical body. A first gripping member and a second gripping member that respectively grip
A first pressing means that is supported by the support body and presses the inner peripheral wall surface of the cylindrical body vertically downward under the action of the elastic biasing means;
A second pressing means that is supported by the support and is displaced under the action of a displacement means to press the inner peripheral wall surface of the cylindrical body in a horizontal direction;
It is characterized by having.

  That is, in the present invention, the inner peripheral wall surface of the cylindrical body is directed downward and horizontally and pressed individually. At this time, since the cylindrical body extends in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction, it is avoided that the cylindrical body is elongated in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction. Thereby, the roundness of the cylindrical body is improved, so that the manufacturing yield of the cylindrical body can be improved.

  In addition, in this case, the positional deviation along the vertical direction between the end faces is also eliminated. In other words, the end faces are in good contact with each other even in the vertical direction. Therefore, it is possible to avoid the formation of a cavity in the joint portion, so that the product quality can be improved.

  In addition, it is preferable that the apparatus for friction stir welding has a holding means which holds a cylindrical body from an outer peripheral wall surface. This is because the cylindrical body can be reliably prevented from opening by not only gripping the protruding portion of the cylindrical body but also pressing from the outer wall surface.

  Furthermore, it is preferable that a horizontal pressing means for pressing the inner peripheral wall surface of the cylindrical body in the horizontal direction under the action of the bullet urging means is disposed on the second pressing means. When the cylindrical body is stopped by the horizontal pressing means, it is possible to avoid the cylindrical body from being displaced along the circumferential direction on the supporting core, in other words, from rotating. As a result, the contact location on the cylindrical body can be reliably positioned below the friction stir welding probe, so that the contact location can be reliably friction stir welded.

  According to the present invention, the inner peripheral wall surface of the cylindrical body (workpiece) is directed and pressed in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction. For this reason, when performing friction stir welding on the cylindrical body, it can be avoided that the cross section of the cylindrical body becomes an elliptical shape elongated in the horizontal direction or the vertical direction, and as a result, the roundness is high. A cylindrical body can be obtained and the manufacturing yield is also improved. In addition, since the end faces are in good contact with each other even in the vertical direction, it is possible to avoid the formation of a cavity in the joint portion, and it is possible to obtain a high-quality product.

  In addition, in this case, the end surfaces with which the cylindrical bodies are in contact with each other are once slightly separated by the above-described pressing, so that the ends of the cylindrical bodies are prevented from being overlapped at the time of joining. For this reason, friction stir welding can be performed efficiently.

  Preferred embodiments of the friction stir welding apparatus according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the present embodiment, a case where a wheel rim is manufactured as a cylindrical body will be described as an example.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a work W1 for manufacturing a wheel rim is a substantially rectangular plate material and is made of aluminum. 1st convex part 10a-4th convex part 10d which protruded toward the arrow A direction in FIG. 1 are provided in the four corners of this workpiece | work W1. As will be described later, the direction along the arrow A is the joining direction. In other words, the first convex portion 10a to the fourth convex portion 10d are formed to protrude along the joining direction.

  The workpiece W1 is bent along the arrow B direction in FIG. 1, and finally, as shown in FIG. 2, the first protrusions extending in the arrow A direction are brought into contact with each other by bringing the end faces of the workpiece W1 into contact with each other. A cylindrical body W2 having the portion 12 and the second projecting portion 14 is formed. In addition, the 1st protrusion part 12 is formed when the end surfaces of the 1st convex part 10a and the 3rd convex part 10c mutually contact | abut, while the 2nd protrusion part 14 is the 2nd convex part 10b and the 4th convex part. The end surfaces of the portion 10d are formed by abutting each other.

  As shown in FIG. 3, at this time, the first convex portion 10a and the third convex portion 10c, or the second convex portion 10b and the fourth convex portion 10d may overlap each other.

  Next, the configuration of the friction stir welding apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described.

  4 is a schematic perspective view of a main part of the friction stir welding apparatus 20 according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VV in FIG. As understood from FIGS. 4 and 5, the friction stir welding apparatus 20 includes a base 22 (see FIG. 5) having a slightly inclined bottom surface, a columnar member 24 as a first support means, and a second support. The first support natural lock cylinder 26 and the second support natural lock cylinder 28 as means, and various means to be described later while being supported by the columnar member 24, the first support natural lock cylinder 26 and the second support natural lock cylinder 28. And a support core 32 placed on and coupled to the upper end surface of the support 30.

  Here, the first support natural lock cylinder 26 and the second support natural lock cylinder 28 are supports having means for smoothly locking the plunger by hydraulic pressure.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the columnar member 24 erected on the base 22 includes a bottom plate 34 and a vertical column plate 36 combined in a substantially L shape, and the vertical column plate 36 is supported by a support plate 38. Become. A stopper member 40 is connected and fixed to the upright column 36.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, a rail 42 is laid on the base 22. The first support natural lock cylinder 26 and the second support natural lock cylinder 28 are movable along the rail 42.

  That is, the engaging groove of the engaging bracket 44 is engaged with the rail 42 (see FIG. 4), and the positioning bracket 46 is connected and fixed on the engaging bracket 44. On one side surface of the positioning bracket 46, an accommodation bracket 52 in which the head of the piston rod 50 constituting the displacement cylinder 48 is prevented from being positioned is fixed. The first support natural lock cylinder 26 and the second support natural lock cylinder 28 are connected and fixed to the positioning bracket 46, and accordingly, the piston rod 50 of the displacement cylinder 48 follows the forward / backward movement. Then, it is displaced by being guided by the rail 42.

  The displacement cylinder 48 is supported by a substantially L-shaped support board 54 connected to the base 22. A stop plate 56 is provided at a position opposite to the displacement cylinder 48. When the positioning bracket 46 reaches a predetermined position, the stop bracket 56 causes the positioning bracket 46, and thus the first support natural lock cylinder. Further displacement of the 26 and the second support natural lock cylinder 28 is suppressed.

  Further, the support rods 58 and 60 of the first support natural lock cylinder 26 and the second support natural lock cylinder 28 are moved up and down in a direction approaching or separating from the support 30.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the support 30 is provided with a first insertion hole 62 and a second insertion hole 64 along the longitudinal direction thereof. Among these, the first insertion hole 62 communicates with a cam insertion portion 66 which is wider than the first insertion hole 62 and whose end is closed. In addition, a recess 68 that communicates with the cam insertion portion 66 is formed in the bottom portion of the support 30 by cutting out a part of the support 30. Note that the width of the recess 68 is set larger than that of the cam insertion portion 66.

  Further, a horizontal pressing cylinder 70 constituting a first pressing means for pressing the cylindrical body W <b> 2 in the horizontal direction from the inner peripheral wall surface side is connected and fixed to one end portion of the support body 30. The piston rod 72 is inserted into the first insertion hole 62 together with the cam 74 shown in FIG. A bush (not shown) is interposed between the piston rod 72 and the support 30.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the head of the piston rod 72 is connected to a cam 74 via a connecting annular member 76. As will be described later, as the piston rod 72 moves forward / backward, the small rods 78a to 78c move forward / backward in the direction orthogonal to the forward / backward direction of the piston rod 72 under the action of the cam 74.

  Engagement grooves 80 a to 80 c that are inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the longitudinal direction of the cam 74 are provided on the upper end surface of the cam 74. On the other hand, projections 82a to 82c are provided on the bottom surfaces of the small rods 78a to 78c, respectively, and these projections 82a to 82c are slidably engaged with the engagement grooves 80a to 80c (see FIG. 5).

  The cam 74 is held on the support 30 by connecting the holding member 84 inserted into the recess 68 to the support 30.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the flat bracket 300 is connected and fixed to the holding member 84. The flat bracket 300 is fixed with a stay 302 extending vertically downward. The stay 302 has a long portion 304 with a curved head and a bent portion from the long portion 304 in the horizontal direction. A bent portion of a vertical pressing arm 308 (second pressing means) having an extended short portion 306 is fixed. That is, the vertical pressing arm 308 is rotatably held with a bent portion pivoted on the stay 302 as a fulcrum. The head of the long portion 304 in the vertical pressing arm 308 is in contact with the inner peripheral wall surface of the cylindrical body W2.

  In the holding member 84, an L-shaped stay 312 is installed at a position facing the columnar protrusion 310 extending in the horizontal direction from the bent portion of the vertical pressing arm 308. Each of the columnar protrusion 310 and the L-shaped stay 312 is provided with a through hole, and a hook portion of a coil spring 314 is engaged with both the through holes. The coil spring 314 always pulls the columnar protrusion 310 vertically upward by its contraction force. By this pulling, the vertical pressing arm 308 is always elastically biased in a direction directed to the inner peripheral wall surface of the cylindrical body W2 with the bent portion serving as a fulcrum. As a result, the head of the long portion 304 in the vertical pressing arm 308 is cylindrical The inner peripheral wall surface of the body W2 is directed vertically downward and pressed.

  Note that the rotation operation of the vertical pressing arm 308 is limited by the short portion 306 being pressed by the stopper screw 316. This prevents the vertical pressing arm 308 from pressing the inner peripheral wall surface of the cylindrical body W2 with an excessive force.

  A bar-shaped pressing member 86a is bridged between the small rods 78a and 78c (see FIG. 7). On the other hand, a pressing member 86b having a shape corresponding to the pressing member 86a is supported by the small rod 78b. The pressing members 86a and 86b are connected to the small rods 78a to 78c via bolts (not shown), and the side surfaces thereof are curved to match the inner peripheral wall surface of the cylindrical body W2.

  A pressing bar 400 a as a horizontal pressing member is rotatably connected to a notch 398 provided at one end of the pressing member 86 a via a shaft 402.

  That is, the pressing bar 400 a includes a connecting portion 404 and a long portion 406 protruding from the corner portion of the connecting portion 404, and the shaft 402 is pressed through a through hole provided in the connecting portion 404. The member 86a is positioned and fixed to the bottom surface of the notch 398. In addition, on the bottom surface, a regulating pin 408 is positioned and fixed near the boundary between the connecting portion 404 and the long portion 406.

  Further, a locking pin 410 is positioned and fixed to the notch 398, and one end of a coil spring 412 is locked to the locking pin 410. The other end portion of the coil spring 412 is locked in a locking hole 414 provided in a corner portion of the connecting portion 404. Therefore, the pressing bar 400a is compressed as the coil spring 412 is compressed. Under the bullet urging force, it turns around the shaft 402 toward the inner peripheral wall surface of the cylindrical body W2.

  The pressing bar 400b disposed at one end of the pressing member 86a is also configured in the same manner as the pressing bar 400a. Accordingly, the same reference numerals are given to the same components as the pressing bar 400a, and the detailed description thereof will be omitted. Description is omitted.

  One second insertion hole 64 is provided so as to penetrate the support 30 along the longitudinal direction of the support 30 (see FIG. 5). A piston rod 90 including a universal joint of an alignment cylinder 88 connected and fixed to the right end surface of the support 30 in FIG. 5 is inserted into the second insertion hole 64.

  One end of a long floating rod 92 is connected to the head of the piston rod 90. The other end of the floating rod 92 protrudes from the second insertion hole 64.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 8, at one end portion of the support 30, a first rod insertion small hole portion 94 and a second rod insertion small hole portion 96 are formed on both sides of the second insertion hole portion 64. Is provided. The first large rod 98 and the second large rod 100 are inserted into the first rod insertion small hole portion 94 and the second rod insertion small hole portion 96, respectively.

  A bearing (not shown) is interposed between the support body 30, the first large rod 98, and the second large rod 100, and the bearing includes a first rod insertion small hole portion 94, a second rod insertion small size. The first cap member 102 and the second cap member 104 fitted in the hole 96 are sealed.

  The connecting member 106 is in contact with the head end surface of the floating rod 92. The connecting member 106 is provided with a first through hole 108, a second through hole 110, and a third through hole 112, and a bolt 114 passed through the second through hole 110 provided in the center is connected to a floating rod 92. Screwed into the head.

  Further, the first large rod 98 and the second large rod 100 are passed through the first through hole 108 and the third through hole 112, whereby the floating rod 92, the first large rod 98, and the second large rod 100 are connected. Are connected to each other via a connecting member 106. The first large rod 98 and the second large rod 100 are prevented from being removed from the first through hole 108 and the third through hole 112 by the annular stopper 116, while the floating rod 92 is prevented from coming out from the second through hole 110. The stop is made by the head end surface of the floating rod 92 and the bolt 114.

  The first large rod 98 and the second large rod 100 projecting from the first through hole 108 and the third through hole 112 of the connecting member 106 have a vertical dimension in FIG. A slightly small mounting connecting member 118 is bridged. That is, as shown in FIG. 8, the mounting connecting member 118 is provided with a fourth through hole 120 and a fifth through hole 122. The first large rod 98 and the second large rod 100 are The fourth through hole 120 and the fifth through hole 122 are respectively passed through. A bearing (not shown) is also interposed between the mounting connecting member 118 and the first large rod 98 and the second large rod 100, and the bearings include the fourth through hole 120 and the fifth through hole 122. It is sealed by the third cap member 124 and the fourth cap member 126 fitted to each other.

  The first large rod 98 and the second large rod 100 protrude from the fourth through hole 120 and the fifth through hole 122 of the mounting connecting member 118 and further extend. In addition, casings 130a and 130b accommodating coil springs 128a and 128b are installed at the respective front end portions.

  The casings 130a and 130b are respectively cylindrical bodies 132a and 132b that are fitted to the side peripheral walls of the first large rod 98 and the second large rod 100 and opened at one end, and the first large rod 98 and the second large rod. A cylindrical cover member 136a, 136b connected to the head of the rod 100 via bolts 134a, 134b and having one end opened, and the side peripheral walls of the cylindrical cover members 136a, 136b are cylindrical The surrounding walls of the shaped bodies 132a and 132b are surrounded. The ends of the coil springs 128a and 128b are respectively seated on the bottom surfaces of the cylindrical bodies 132a and 132b and the ceiling surfaces of the cylindrical cover members 136a and 136b.

  A first gripping member 138 is connected and fixed to the upper end surface of the connecting member 106 (see FIG. 5). As shown in FIG. 9, the first grip member 138 is provided with a recess 140 having a shape corresponding to the shape of the second protrusion 14. Further, a substantially U-shaped alignment pressing member 142 is installed on the upper end surface of the mounting connecting member 118 (see FIGS. 5 and 9). The alignment pressing member 142 is disposed so as to surround the first gripping member 138, and the distal end portion thereof protrudes beyond the distal end portion of the first gripping member 138. For this reason, when the cylindrical body W2 is set, the distal end portion of the alignment pressing member 142 comes into contact with the cylindrical body W2 earlier than the distal end portion of the first gripping member 138.

  As will be described later, the first gripping member 138 and the alignment pressing member 142 are provided with the floating rod 92, the first large rod 98, and the second large rod as the piston rod 90 (see FIG. 5) is biased. Displace through 100.

  As shown in FIG. 10, which is a cross-sectional view taken along the line XX in FIG. 5, the right end of the support 30 in FIG. In addition, four tubes 144 a to 144 d for circulating cooling water are connected to each other via a pipe joint 145. On the other hand, a cooling water inlet passage 146 for introducing cooling water and a cooling water outlet passage 148 for discharging cooling water are provided inside the support 30. An air passage 150 is also provided inside the support 30, and a compressed air tube (both not shown) is connected to the air passage 150 via a pipe joint 145.

  The support core 32 positioned and fixed to the upper end surface of the support 30 includes a first core member 152 and a second core member 154. The inner peripheral wall surface of the cylindrical body W2 is in contact with the curved upper surface of the first core member 152, and thereby the cylindrical body W2 is supported by the friction stir welding apparatus 20.

  On the upper end portion of the second core member 154 placed and connected to the upper end surface of the support body 30, a convex portion that protrudes in an inclined manner is provided. An insertion groove 156 is formed in the convex portion along the longitudinal direction of the support 30.

  A first passage 158 and a second passage 160 are provided on both sides of the insertion groove 156 in the second core member 154 (see FIG. 10). The first passage 158 and the second passage 160 are provided in an upper passage 162 extending from the right end portion to the left end portion in FIG. 5 of the second core member 154, and provided below the upper passage 162. 5 has a lower passage 164 communicating with the upper passage 162 at the left end portion in FIG. The lower passage 164 extends from the left end portion of the second core member 154 in FIG. 5 toward the right end portion.

  Each upper passage 162 constituting the first passage 158 and the second passage 160 communicates with the cooling water inlet passage 146, while each lower passage 164 communicates with the cooling water outlet passage 148. That is, the cooling water is circulated through the first passage 158 and the second passage 160.

  Four pins 166 are erected on the upper end surface of the second core member 154 in the vicinity of the right end in FIGS. 5 and 9 at positions facing each other with the insertion groove 156 interposed therebetween. Two of these pins 166 enter the curved concave portion 170 of the second gripping member 168.

  The first core member 152 is inserted and positioned and fixed in an insertion groove 156 provided in the second core member 154. In the vicinity of the pin 166 in the first core member 152, an air outlet 174 communicating with the air passage 150 provided in the second core member 154 is provided.

  Thus, by making the 1st core member 152 which has a curved upper surface, and the 2nd core member 154 which has the 1st passage 158 and the 2nd passage 160 in which cooling water circulates in the inside as a separate member, Each of the first core member 152 and the second core member 154 can be easily manufactured.

  Here, the pressure of the compressed air ejected from the air ejection port 174 is constantly monitored by a first pressure sensor (not shown). On the other hand, the pressure of the compressed air in the vicinity of the first convex portion 10a and the third convex portion 10c of the cylindrical body W2 is also monitored by a second pressure sensor (not shown). As will be described later, the pressures of the compressed air monitored by the second pressure sensor and the first pressure sensor are compared, so that the first convex portion 10a and the third convex portion 10c are in a separated state or in contact with each other. It is determined whether it is in the state.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 9, a gripping cylinder 178 is installed on the right end portion of the upper end surface of the support 30 via a fixed platen 176. The gripping cylinder 178 includes a piston rod 180 and two guide members 181a and 181b (see FIG. 9), and a pressure plate 182 is bridged by the piston rod 180. The second gripping member 168 is connected to the pressing plate 182.

  As described above, the curved recess 170 is formed at the tip of the second gripping member 168 at a position corresponding to the pin 166. The second gripping member 168 is provided with a recess 184 having a shape corresponding to the shape of the first protrusion 12.

  In addition, a first alignment plate 186 and a second alignment plate 188 are positioned and fixed to the right end portion of the upper end surface of the support 30 in FIG. 9 at positions facing each other with the second core member 154 interposed therebetween.

  In addition to the above means, the friction stir welding apparatus 20 includes first and second holding means 190a and 190b for holding the cylindrical body W2, as shown in FIGS. Among these, the first pressing means 190 a includes a support plate 192 erected on the base 22, a vertical motion cylinder 194 placed and fixed on the upper end surface of the planar portion of the support plate 192, and the vertical motion cylinder 194 includes a piston rod 196, an arm member 202 connected to the upper end portion of the columnar portion of the support plate 192 via links 198, 200, and a pressing member 204 installed at the distal end portion of the arm member 202. . The longitudinal dimension of the retaining member 204 is substantially the same as the longitudinal dimension of the cylindrical body W2 (see FIG. 4).

  The remaining second pressing means 190b has the same configuration as that of the first pressing means 190a. Therefore, the same components as those of the first pressing means 190a are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted. To do.

  When the pressing members 204 of the first pressing means 190a and the second pressing means 190b hold the cylindrical body W2, a gap 210 is formed between the both pressing members 204. A friction stir welding tool 250 for joining the portions where the end faces of the cylindrical body W2 are in contact with each other is inserted into the gap 210.

  The friction stir welding tool 250 includes a rotating body 252 (see FIG. 4) fixed to a spindle of a friction stir welding apparatus (not shown), and a probe 254 provided at the tip of the rotating body 252. The spindle is accommodated in a spindle cover 256.

  A stay 258 is installed on one side surface of the spindle cover 256, and a rotary actuator 260 is supported and fixed to the stay 258. In addition, a box-shaped joint 262 having a passage (not shown) provided therein is inserted into the recess of the stay 258, and compressed air for cooling that is jetted toward the rotating body 252 is inserted into the joint 262. An air introduction tube 264 for supplying air and a cooling air jet tube 266 are connected.

  The friction stir welding apparatus 20 according to the present embodiment is basically configured as described above. Next, the function and effect will be described.

  The friction stir welding apparatus 20 is installed and used in a friction stir welding apparatus (not shown). First, prior to the friction stir welding operation, cooling water is supplied through the tubes 144b and 144d.

  The supplied cooling water constitutes a first passage 158 and a second passage 160 provided in the second core member 154 via a cooling water inlet passage 146 (see FIG. 10) provided in the support 30. Are introduced into each upper passage 162. The cooling water further circulates from the right end portion to the left end portion in FIG. 5 of the second core member 154 and then moves to each lower passage 164 at the left end portion. The two core members 154 circulate from the left end to the right end in FIG.

  The cooling water flowing through each lower passage 164 passes through the cooling water outlet passage 148 (see FIG. 10) provided in the support 30 and then goes out of the friction stir welding apparatus 20 through the tubes 144a and 144c. Discharged.

  Further, compressed air is supplied through the compressed air tube (not shown). The compressed air passes through the air passage 172 inside the support 30 and the second core member 154 and is discharged from an air jet outlet 174 provided in the first core member 152.

  After the cooling water and the compressed air are circulated in the second core member 154 as described above, the cylindrical body W2 in which the first protrusion 12 and the second protrusion 14 are formed (see FIG. 2). The support core 32 (see FIG. 4 and FIG. 5) is passed through the inside with the first projecting portion 12 at the top. Then, the cylindrical body W2 is placed on the supporting core 32, and the inner peripheral wall of the cylindrical body W2 is brought into contact with the curved upper surface of the first core member 152 constituting the supporting core 32.

  In this case, the longitudinal direction of the support core 32 is parallel to the displacement direction of the friction stir welding tool 250. Therefore, the cylindrical body W2 can be set along the displacement direction of the friction stir welding tool 250. For this reason, it is not necessary to perform alignment or the like for aligning in the displacement direction of the friction stir welding tool 250 after the cylindrical body W2 is set on the support core 32, so that the friction stir welding operation can be performed quickly. it can.

  Then, the cylindrical body W2 is displaced along the supporting core 32, the lower end of the one end surface of the cylindrical body W2 is brought into contact with the stopper member 40, and the first alignment plate 186 and the second upper end are disposed above the one end surface. It abuts on the alignment board 188.

  When the cylindrical body W2 is displaced, the vertical pressing arm 308 rotates about the bent portion as the coil spring 314 extends. Therefore, the vertical pressing arm 308 does not hold the inner peripheral wall surface of the cylindrical body W2. In other words, the provision of the vertical pressing arm 308 does not prevent the cylindrical body W2 from being set in the friction stir welding apparatus 20.

  When the displacement of the cylindrical body W2 is completed, the vertical pressing arm 308 rotates about the bent portion as the coil spring 314 contracts. As a result, the vertical pressing arm 308 returns to the original position.

  Next, the displacement cylinder 48 is urged to move the piston rod 50 forward. Following this, as the positioning bracket 46 is pressed, the engaging bracket 44, and thus the first support natural lock cylinder 26 and the second support natural lock cylinder 28 are guided by the rail 42 and displaced.

  In this way, when the engaging bracket 44 is displaced from the position indicated by the broken line in FIG. 6 to the position indicated by the solid line, the positioning bracket 46 contacts the stop board 56. Thereby, the further displacement of the 1st support natural lock cylinder 26 and the 2nd support natural lock cylinder 28 is suppressed, and it positions in the predetermined location under the support body 30. FIG.

  During this displacement, the support rods 58 and 60 of the first support natural lock cylinder 26 and the second support natural lock cylinder 28 are located at the bottom dead center, so that the support rods 58 and 60 are supported. There is no contact with the body 30. Thus, by using the first support natural lock cylinder 26 and the second support natural lock cylinder 28 as the second support means, it is possible to avoid the support rods 58 and 60 from coming into contact with the support 30.

  Next, the first support natural lock cylinder 26 and the second support natural lock cylinder 28 are energized, and the support rods 58 and 60 are moved forward toward the support 30. That is, the support rods 58 and 60 are displaced upward in FIG. 6 and support the support 30 from below. Thereby, the support body 30 and by extension the cylindrical body W2 are supported from both ends by the columnar member 24, the first support natural lock cylinder 26, and the second support natural lock cylinder 28.

  Next, the vertical movement cylinders 194 of the first pressing means 190a and the second pressing means 190b (see FIG. 4) are urged to raise the piston rod 196. Along with this, the arm member 202 tilts toward the cylindrical body W2 with the connection point with the links 198 and 200 as a fulcrum, and finally the pressing member 204 comes into contact with the outer peripheral wall surface of the cylindrical body W2 (FIG. 4, see FIG. 6 and FIG.

  Thereafter, the pressure of the piston rod 196 is reduced, and as a result, the pressing member 204 is placed on the outer peripheral wall surface of the cylindrical body W2 with a small pressing force. Eventually, the elastic biasing force of the coil spring 314 becomes larger than the pressing force of the pressing member 204.

  As described above, in the cylindrical body W2, the upper inner peripheral wall surface is placed on the supporting core 32, and the lower inner peripheral wall surface is pressed by the head of the long portion 304 of the vertical pressing arm 308. become. As described above, since the elastic urging force of the coil spring 314 is larger than the pressing force of the pressing member 204 placed on the outer peripheral wall surface of the cylindrical body W2, the cylindrical body W2 is directed vertically downward. And stretched slightly. Thereby, it can avoid that the cross section of the cylindrical body W2 becomes an ellipse shape long in a horizontal direction. Moreover, when the 1st convex part 10a and the 3rd convex part 10c, or the 2nd convex part 10b and the 4th convex part have overlapped, the superimposition state is a little canceled with the said expansion | extension.

  Next, the horizontal pressing cylinder 70 (see FIG. 5) is urged to move the piston rod 72 forward. With this forward movement, the cam 74 (see FIG. 7) connected to the head of the piston rod 72 moves forward.

  When the cam 74 moves forward, the protrusions 82a to 82c engaged with the engagement grooves 80a to 80c are pressed as the engagement grooves 80a to 80c on the upper end surface of the cam 74 are displaced. As a result, the small rods 78a to 78c are moved forward by the cam 74 as shown by broken lines in FIG. 7 following the sliding of the protrusions 82a to 82c while being guided into the engaging grooves 80a to 80c. It moves forward in a direction perpendicular to the direction. Finally, the small rods 78a and 78c and the pressing members 86a and 86b connected to the tip portions of the small rod 78b press the inner peripheral wall surface of the cylindrical body W2 in the horizontal direction. At this time, the long portions 406 of the pressing bars 400a and 400b are pressed by the inner peripheral wall surface of the cylindrical body W2, and rotate toward the pressing members 86a and 86b. At this time, each coil spring 412 extends.

  By this pressing, the cylindrical body W2 is slightly expanded in diameter. In other words, the contacted end surfaces are slightly separated from each other. When the first protrusions 10a and the third protrusions 10c of the cylindrical body W2 or the second protrusions 10b and the fourth protrusions 10d overlap each other, the overlapping state is canceled by this separation. Further, since the cylindrical body W2 extends in the horizontal direction, it can be avoided that the cross section of the cylindrical body W2 has an elliptical shape elongated in the vertical direction.

  If the pressing members 86a and 86b are moved backward by moving the piston rod 72 backward after the overlapped state is eliminated, the cylindrical body W2 is reduced in diameter, and the first convex portion 10a and the third convex portion 10c are The 2nd convex part 10b and the 4th convex part 10d contact | abut without overlapping, and the 1st protrusion part 12 and the 2nd protrusion part 14 are formed. Along with this, the diameter of the cylindrical body W2 increases. In other words, the diameter of the cylindrical body W2 is increased.

  Thus, in the present embodiment, the inner peripheral wall surface of the cylindrical body W2 is directed and pressed in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction. Thereby, since it is avoided that the cross section of the cylindrical body W2 becomes an elliptical shape that is long in the horizontal direction or the vertical direction, a wheel rim with high roundness can be obtained after all.

  Whether or not the end surfaces of the first convex portion 10a and the third convex portion 10c are separated can be confirmed by compressed air ejected from the air ejection port 174. When the end surfaces are in contact with each other and there is no gap, the compressed air is blocked by the first protrusion 12 and does not rise. For this reason, the pressure of the compressed air monitored by the second pressure sensor in the vicinity of the first protrusion 12 is compared with the pressure of the compressed air monitored by the first pressure sensor in the vicinity of the air outlet 174. growing.

  On the other hand, when the end surfaces of the first convex portion 10a and the third convex portion 10c are separated from each other and there is a gap, the compressed air rises through the gap. In this case, the pressure of the compressed air monitored by the second pressure sensor is substantially equal to the pressure of the compressed air monitored by the first pressure sensor.

  In this way, by comparing the pressures of the compressed air monitored by the first pressure sensor and the second pressure sensor, the end surfaces of the first convex portion 10a and the third convex portion 10c are separated from or in contact with each other. It can be reliably detected. When the end surfaces are separated from each other and there is a gap, the piston rod 72 may be further retracted.

  Here, even if the pressing members 86a and 86b are retracted, the cylindrical body W2 is expanded in diameter as described above, so that the long portions 406 of the pressing bars 400a and 400b are formed on the inner peripheral wall surface of the cylindrical body W2. The contact state is maintained. That is, the inner peripheral wall of the cylindrical body W2 is pressed in the horizontal direction by the long portions 406 of the pressing bars 400a and 400b by the elastic urging force of the coil springs 412. In this way, when the cylindrical body W2 is pressed in the horizontal direction from the inner peripheral wall side, the cylindrical body W2 orbits in the circumferential direction, that is, in the direction of the arrow Z shown in FIGS. That is blocked.

  At the end of this operation, as shown in FIG. 11, the tip portions of the first convex portion 10a and the third convex portion 10c, and the tip portions of the second convex portion 10b and the fourth convex portion 10d are joined together. A positional deviation may occur along the direction. Further, the end surface of the cylindrical body W2 on the first projecting portion 12 side may be separated from the first alignment plate 186 and the second alignment plate 188.

  Next, the alignment cylinder 88 is energized, and the floating rod 92 is moved backward through the piston rod 90 toward the right in FIG. Accordingly, the first large rod 98 (see FIG. 8) and the second large rod 100, which move backward, follow the connection member 106 and the mounting connection member 118, and thus the first holding member 138 and the alignment pressing member. 142 is displaced to the right in FIG.

  As described above, the tip of the alignment pressing member 142 is closer to the cylindrical body W2 than the tip of the first gripping member 138. For this reason, the tip of the alignment pressing member 142 first comes into contact with the end surface of the cylindrical body W2.

  The end surface of the cylindrical body W2 is displaced toward the first alignment plate 186 and the second alignment plate 188 by being pressed by the alignment pressing member 142. For example, when the first convex portion 10a is displaced prior to the third convex portion 10c, the displacement is stopped when the end surface on the side where the first convex portion 10a is provided contacts the first alignment board 186. To do. If the displacement of the alignment pressing member 142 is further continued in this state, the end surface on the side where the third convex portion 10 c is provided finally comes into contact with the second alignment plate 188. Thereby, the displacement of the end surface on the side where the third convex portion 10c is provided stops, and both end surfaces of the cylindrical body W2 are aligned. In other words, both end surfaces of the cylindrical body W2 are flush with each other. Of course, along with this alignment, the displacement of the alignment pressing member 142 also stops.

  The backward movement of the piston rod 90 and the floating rod 92 (both see FIG. 8) is further continued. At this time, since the alignment pressing member 142 is held against the end surface of the cylindrical body W2, the placement connecting member 118 and the alignment pressing member 142 are not displaced.

  On the other hand, the first large rod 98 and the second large rod 100 press and contract the coil springs 128a and 128b accommodated in the casing 130 via the bolts 134a and 134b and the cylindrical cover members 136a and 136b. This contraction becomes a further stroke of the first large rod 98 and the second large rod 100, and eventually a further displacement amount of the connecting member 106, and hence the first gripping member 138.

  As a result of the displacement of the first gripping member 138 in this way, the second protrusion 14 is fitted into the recess 140. Since the superposition cancellation work and the end face alignment work as described above are performed, the second convex part 10b and the fourth convex part 10d are superposed on the second projecting part 14 fitted in the concave part 140. In addition, the tip portions of the second convex portion 10b and the fourth convex portion 10d are not misaligned.

  Next, the gripping cylinder 178 is energized to displace the pressing plate 182 and the second gripping member 168 to the left in FIGS. 5 and 9 via the piston rod 180. Finally, as shown in FIG. 9, the pin 166 enters the curved recess 170 of the second gripping member 168, and the first protrusion 12 is fitted into the recess 184. Of course, also in the 1st protrusion part 12, the 1st convex part 10a and the 3rd convex part 10c do not overlap, and the front-end | tip parts of these 1st convex part 10a and the 3rd convex part 10c are mutually. There is no misalignment.

  As described above, the first protrusion 12 and the second protrusion 14 are fitted in the recesses 140 and 184 of the second gripping member 168 and the first gripping member 138, respectively. It is gripped by the member 138 and the second gripping member 168.

  Next, pressure is again applied to the piston rod 196, and the outer peripheral wall surface of the cylindrical body W2 is pressed by the holding member 204. Thereby, the cylindrical body W2 is pressed from the outer peripheral wall surface side by the pressing member 204 and is pressed from the inner peripheral wall surface side by the supporting core 32. In other words, the cylindrical body W2 is sandwiched between the supporting core 32 and the pressing member 204, and this prevents the cylindrical body W2 from being opened and returning to the plate shape.

  In this state, with the friction stir welding tool 250, the linear contact end face of the cylindrical body W2 is friction stir welded.

  Prior to friction stir welding, compressed air for cooling is jetted toward the rotating body 252. Specifically, the joint 262 rotates from the position indicated by the phantom line in FIG. 4 under the action of the rotary actuator 260, and as a result, the curved tip of the cooling air ejection pipe 266 faces the rotating body 252. . In this state, compressed air is supplied from a compressed air source (not shown), and the compressed air is ejected toward the rotating body 252 via the air introduction tube 264, the joint 262, and the cooling air ejection pipe 266.

  Next, after the friction stir welding tool 250 is inserted into the gap 210 between the holding members 204 and the rotating body 252 is urged to rotate, the probe 254 is brought into sliding contact with an arbitrary position of the first projecting portion 12. As the sliding contact occurs, frictional heat is generated, and the contact portion of the probe 254 in the first protrusion 12 is softened, so that the tip of the probe 254 is buried in the first protrusion 12.

  Next, the friction stir welding tool 250 is moved toward the second protrusion 14 in a state where the rotation urging of the rotating body 252 is continued. At this time, the flesh of the abutted portion of the softened cylindrical body W2 plastically flows as it is stirred by the probe 254, and solid-phase bonding occurs as the probe 254 moves and cools and solidifies. By repeating this phenomenon sequentially, the contact portion of the cylindrical body W2 is integrally solid-phase bonded.

  Since the bottom of the base 22 is inclined, the cylindrical body W2 is also inclined with respect to the horizontal direction. For this reason, when the friction stir welding tool 250 moves, the contact area between the cylindrical body W2 and the probe 254 becomes smaller than when the cylindrical body W2 is supported horizontally. For this reason, the load on the probe 254 can be reduced.

  Further, when the friction stir welding tool 250 moves, the friction stir welding tool 250 gradually moves downward in accordance with the inclination of the cylindrical body W2 under the action of a friction stir welding apparatus (not shown). That is, the probe 254 never leaves the cylindrical body W2.

  In this case, as described above, the first protrusion 12 and the second protrusion 14 are provided on the cylindrical body W2, and the first protrusion 12 and the second protrusion 14 are provided as the first grip member 138 and the second grip member 168, respectively. Further, the cylindrical body W2 is sandwiched between the supporting core 32 and the pressing member 204. For this reason, it can prevent reliably that cylindrical body W2 opens and returns to plate-like shape, and can perform friction stir welding easily.

  Moreover, in the 1st protrusion part 12, neither the 1st convex part 10a and the 3rd convex part 10c overlap, nor the position shift | offset | difference along a joining direction. Of course, also in the 2nd protrusion part 14, there is neither the superposition of the 2nd convex part 10b and the 4th convex part 10d, nor the position shift along a joining direction. Furthermore, since the roundness of the cylindrical body W2 is high, the end faces are in contact with each other without causing any positional deviation in the vertical direction. For this reason, by performing the above-described friction stir welding operation, a wheel rim having a predetermined diameter and length can be reliably and efficiently manufactured. That is, a wheel rim with extremely good dimensional accuracy can be obtained.

  In addition, according to the friction stir welding, it is possible to join the contact points without forming a raised portion, and thus no finishing work is required. For this reason, a wheel rim having a good appearance can be efficiently manufactured.

  In addition, there is almost no positional deviation along the vertical direction between the end faces. Therefore, it is possible to avoid the formation of a cavity in the joint.

  Furthermore, since the cylindrical body W2 is prevented from rotating by pressing the cylindrical body W2 from the inner peripheral wall side with the long portions 406 of the pressing bars 400a, 400b, the probe of the friction stir welding tool 250 254 is securely buried in the contact portion. For this reason, it can avoid that the contacted end surfaces are stirred well and an unjoined part arises after all.

  While the friction stir welding operation is performed as described above, frictional heat and machining heat are generated in the cylindrical body W2 as the probe 254 comes into sliding contact with the cylindrical body W2. These heats are transmitted to the support core 32.

  Here, the cooling water is circulated in the second core member 154 constituting the support core 32 as described above. For this reason, the heat transmitted to the second core member 154 via the first core member 152 is quickly removed by the cooling water. Thus, the supporting core 32 is controlled so as not to exceed a predetermined temperature, for example, 50 ° C. For this reason, since it is suppressed that the temperature of the cylindrical body W2 rises, it can also avoid that a burr | flash generate | occur | produces in this cylindrical body W2 during the friction stir welding.

  Further, the probe 254 that performs friction stir welding is also cooled by the compressed air ejected from the cooling air ejection pipe 266. Thereby, it can avoid that the rotary body 252 raises a thermal expansion especially toward the outer peripheral wall surface of the cylindrical body W2. For this reason, since the burying amount of the probe 254 becomes substantially constant, a product with good dimensional accuracy can be obtained continuously without generating burrs.

  After the friction stir welding of the cylindrical body W2 is completed, the vertical movement cylinder 194 is energized to lower the piston rod 196, thereby separating the holding member 204 from the cylindrical body W2. Further, the piston rod 180 of the gripping cylinder 178 is retracted to the right in FIG. 5, while the piston rod 90 of the alignment cylinder 88 is advanced to the left in FIG. As a result, the first protrusion 12 is separated from the second gripping member 168 and the second protrusion 14 is separated from the first gripping member 138. Eventually, the cylindrical body W2 having the first protrusion 12 and the second protrusion 14 is released from the friction stir welding apparatus 20.

  If the first protrusion 12 and the second protrusion 14 are finally cut and removed after the cylindrical body W2 is detached from the support core 32, a wheel rim with extremely good dimensional accuracy can be obtained.

  In this way, the horizontal pressing cylinder 70 eliminates the overlap of the first and third convex portions 10a and 10c, and the second and fourth convex portions 10b and 10d, and the alignment cylinder 88 and the first convex portion 10a. By aligning the third convex portion 10c and the second convex portion 10b and the fourth convex portion 10d, it is possible to easily and efficiently manufacture a wheel rim with extremely good dimensional accuracy.

  While performing this cutting and removing operation, the next cylindrical body W2 is set in the friction stir welding apparatus 20. The inner peripheral wall surface of the cylindrical body W2 is in contact with the curved upper surface of the first core member 152 constituting the support core 32.

  As described above, the cooling water is circulated inside the second core member 154, and therefore, the temperature of the support core 32 is remarkably suppressed. For this reason, when the cylindrical body W2 to be subjected to friction stir welding next is set in the friction stir welding apparatus 20, heat is transmitted from the supporting core 32 to the cylindrical body W2, and the temperature of the cylindrical body W2 rises. You can avoid that. Thereby, since it can avoid that the metal structure of the following cylindrical body W2 changes, it can avoid that variation in mechanical characteristics, such as intensity | strength in the wheel rim manufactured continuously, arises. .

  Thus, by circulating the cooling water inside the supporting core 32 that is in contact with the inner peripheral wall surface of the cylindrical body W2, it is extremely easy to continuously manufacture a wheel rim having no difference in quality.

  In the present embodiment, the wheel rim is illustrated as an example of the cylindrical body. However, the present invention is not particularly limited to this.

  The cooling medium is not limited to cooling water, and oil or the like may be used.

It is a general | schematic whole perspective view of the workpiece | work for wheel rims which has a convex part in each corner part. It is a schematic whole perspective view of the cylindrical body which has the protrusion part formed by making the workpiece | work of FIG. 1 bend and making convex parts contact | abut. It is a principal part expansion explanatory drawing which shows the state which the edge parts which form the protrusion part of the cylindrical body of FIG. 2 overlap. It is a principal part schematic perspective view of the apparatus for friction stir welding which concerns on this Embodiment. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VV in FIG. 4. It is a front view of the apparatus for friction stir welding of FIG. It is a top view which shows the horizontal press cylinder, a cam, and a small rod for pressing the inner peripheral wall of a cylindrical body. It is a top view which shows the alignment cylinder and large rod for holding the protrusion part of a cylindrical body, and aligning the end surface of this cylindrical body. It is a top view of the apparatus for friction stir welding of FIG. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XX in FIG. 5. It is a principal part expansion explanatory drawing which shows the state which raise | generates position shift along the joining direction between the end surfaces which form the protrusion part of the cylindrical body of FIG. It is principal part expansion explanatory drawing which shows the state which produced the position shift between the end surfaces of a cylindrical body along the perpendicular direction.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10a-10d ... Convex part 12, 14 ... Protrusion part 20 ... Friction stir welding apparatus 22 ... Base 24 ... Columnar member 26, 28 ... Supporting natural lock cylinder 30 ... Supporting body 32 ... Supporting core 40 ... Stopper member 42 ... Rail 48 ... Displacement cylinder 50 ... Piston rod 58, 60 ... Support rod 62, 64 ... Insertion hole 66 ... Cam insertion part 70 ... Horizontal pressing cylinder 72 ... Piston rod 74 ... Cams 78a to 78c ... Small rod 80a -80c ... engaging grooves 82a-82c ... projections 86a, 86b ... pressing member 88 ... alignment cylinder 90 ... piston rod 92 ... floating rod 98, 100 ... large rod 106 ... connecting member 118 ... mounting connecting members 128a, 128b 314, 412 ... Coil springs 138, 168 ... Holding members 140, 184 ... Recess 142 Alignment pressing member 146 ... cooling water inlet passage 148 ... cooling water outlet passage 150, 172 ... air passages 152, 154 ... core member 156 ... insertion grooves 158, 160, 162, 164 ... passage 174 ... air jet outlet 178 ... gripping Cylinder 180 ... Piston rod 182 ... Pressing plate 186,188 ... Alignment plate 190a, 190b ... Pressing means 194 ... Vertical moving cylinder 196 ... Piston rod 204 ... Pressing member 210 ... Gap 250 ... Friction stir welding tool 252 ... Rotating body 254 ... Probe 308 ... Vertical pressing arms 400a and 400b ... Pressing bar 406 ... Long portion W1 ... Work W2 ... Cylindrical body

Claims (3)

A friction stir welding apparatus used for friction stir welding of the end surfaces of a cylindrical body formed by contacting end surfaces of plate members having convex portions at corners,
The base,
First support means and second support means provided on the base;
A support supported by the first support means and the second support means;
A support core installed on the support and inserted into the cylindrical body to support the cylindrical body;
Projections that are arranged on the support core and that extend along the joining direction as the projections abut at both ends of the abutting portion of the cylindrical body. A first gripping member and a second gripping member that respectively grip
A first pressing means that is supported by the support body and presses the inner peripheral wall surface of the cylindrical body vertically downward under the action of the elastic biasing means;
A second pressing means that is supported by the support and is displaced under the action of a displacement means to press the inner peripheral wall surface of the cylindrical body in a horizontal direction;
The apparatus for friction stir welding characterized by having.   2. The friction stir welding apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a pressing means for pressing the cylindrical body from an outer peripheral wall surface. 3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second pressing means is provided with a horizontal pressing means for pressing the inner peripheral wall surface of the cylindrical body in a horizontal direction under the action of the elastic biasing means. Friction stir welding apparatus characterized.

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