JP2013220432A - Friction stir welding device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a friction stir welding device which can detect a slip of a workpiece relative to a backing member while suppressing generation of a scratch on the workpiece.SOLUTION: Friction stir welding devices M1, M2 generate fictional heat at a contact point of a welding tool 1 and a workpiece W by pressing and rotating the welding tool 1 on a surface of the workpiece W to soften the workpiece around the contact point, and stir. Thereby, pressing operation of immersing the welding tool 1 into the workpiece W and offset operation of moving the welding tool 1 in a direction of a surface of the workpiece W after the pressing operation are carried out to weld the workpiece W linearly. The friction stir welding devices M1, M2 include a slip detection mechanism 60 which detects relative movement of the workpiece W relative to a backing member 52 for supporting the workpiece W.

Description

  The present invention rotates the welding tool while pressing it against the surface of the workpiece, generates frictional heat at the contact point between the welding tool and the workpiece, softens the workpiece around the contact point, and joins the inside of the softened workpiece. The present invention relates to a friction stir welding apparatus that joins workpieces by inserting a tip of a tool.

  In Patent Document 1, by rotating the welding tool while pressing it against the workpiece, frictional heat is generated at the contact point between the welding tool and the workpiece to soften and stir the material around the contact point. A friction stir welding apparatus is described in which a workpiece is linearly joined by immersing the workpiece and swinging a welding tool after immersion.

  In this friction stir welding apparatus 300, as shown in FIG. 10, the joining head 302 is fixed to the base end portion 301 a of the L-shaped arm 301, and the joining head 302 is lowered to bring the joining tool 303 into the arm 301. When the workpiece 304 held on the tip portion 301b side is pushed to a predetermined depth, the joining head 302 is configured to swing in the direction of the arrow 306 with the swing shaft 305 as a fulcrum.

  Further, the friction stir welding apparatus 300 is provided with a work presser 310 and a spring 311, and the work presser 310 expands and contracts even when the work head 310 is lowered after the work presser 310 comes into contact with the work 304. Thus, the state of elastic contact with the workpiece 304 is maintained. Thus, it is described that the work presser 310 presses the work 304 with a predetermined force without damaging the work 304.

  On the other hand, in the friction stir welding apparatus 400 described in Patent Document 2, as shown in FIG. 11, a rotating member provided with a groove is used as the backing member 452, and the workpiece 404 is moved by rotationally driving the rotating member. In addition, it is described that the workpiece 404 is joined linearly with the joining tool 402.

Japanese Patent No. 4511526 Japanese Patent No. 4628774

  However, in the friction stir welding apparatus 300 disclosed in Patent Document 1, since the work presser 310 is provided, the weight and volume of the apparatus increase. Further, when the shape of the upper surface of the stacked upper work has a complicated structure such as a curved surface, it is necessary to change the shape of the work retainer 310.

  Further, in the friction stir welding apparatus 400 described in Patent Document 2, the frictional force between the workpiece 404 and the contact surface of the rotating member is improved by providing a groove in the rotating member as the backing member 452 as described above. . However, when the backing member 452 is made of steel or the like, when a soft workpiece 404 such as aluminum is joined, the tool immersion area where the joining tool 402 is immersed in the workpiece 404 is changed from the joining tool 402 side to the backing member 452 side. In the projected region, there is a concern that the back surface of the stacked lower workpiece is pressed into the groove due to the applied pressure received from the joining tool 402, and a scar-like mark remains.

  In addition, when the backing member 452 is a member (rubber or the like) softer than the workpiece 404, the groove may be deformed by the pressure applied from the joining tool 402, and there may be no scar mark, but this is accompanied by deformation. It becomes difficult to adjust the amount by which the welding tool 402 is immersed in the workpiece 404.

  For this reason, it is desirable to use a flat, hard, and highly rigid material for the backing member. However, if the workpiece slides against the backing member, the desired bonding strength may not be obtained. It is desirable to grasp.

  This invention is made | formed in view of the situation mentioned above, The objective is to provide the friction stir welding apparatus which can detect the slip of a workpiece | work with respect to a backing member.

The object described above is achieved by the following aspects.
(1) By rotating the welding tool while pressing it against the surface of the workpiece, friction heat is generated at the contact point between the welding tool and the workpiece to soften and stir the workpiece around the contact point, thereby A friction stir welding apparatus that joins the workpieces linearly by performing a pushing operation for immersing the joining tool into the workpiece and an offset operation for moving the joining tool toward the surface of the workpiece after the pushing operation. And
A friction stir welding apparatus comprising a slip detection mechanism for detecting relative movement of the workpiece relative to a backing member that supports the workpiece.
(2) a backing member that supports the back surface of the plate-like workpiece to be joined;
A bonding tool located on the surface side of the workpiece so as to sandwich the workpiece between the backing member;
A tool holding unit for holding the joining tool;
A rotation driving means for rotating the tool holding portion around its rotation axis;
The tip of the welding tool that rotates by moving the welding tool in a direction along the normal direction of the surface of the workpiece by driving the tool holding portion to move along the normal direction of the surface of the workpiece. A pressing shaft that performs a pressing operation to press the tip of the joining tool into the work material softened by frictional heat,
An offset shaft for performing an offset operation for moving the tool holding portion along the surface direction of the workpiece, and a friction stir welding apparatus comprising:
A friction stir welding apparatus further comprising a slip detection mechanism for detecting relative movement of the workpiece with respect to the backing member.
(3) When the two directions orthogonal to each other are defined as an X direction and a Y direction, the backing member has an L shape or a C shape extending from the proximal end portion to the distal end portion via the curved portion extending in the X direction. And the base end portion, the body portion, and the tip end portion are provided at the tip end portion of the arm formed so as to be positioned on the XY plane,
The pressurizing shaft has a main body portion whose axial direction is set to the X direction and is coupled to the base end portion of the arm, and a movable portion that slides in the X direction with respect to the main body portion,
The offset shaft has a main body portion mounted on a movable portion of the pressure shaft, the axial direction of which is set in the Y direction, and a movable portion that slides in the Y direction with respect to the main body portion,
The friction stir welding apparatus according to (2), wherein the rotation driving means and the tool holding portion are mounted on a movable portion of the offset shaft.
(4) The friction stir welding apparatus according to (2) or (3), wherein the slip detection mechanism is connected to the backing member.
(5) The slip detection mechanism includes: a rotating body that contacts an outer peripheral portion of the workpiece; and a rotation detection mechanism that detects an angular variation of the rotating body. (2) to (4) The friction stir welding apparatus according to any one of the above.
(6) The friction stir welding apparatus according to (5), wherein the slip detection mechanism further includes a biasing member that biases the rotating body toward the workpiece.
(7) The friction stir welding apparatus according to (5) or (6), wherein the rotating body is provided with a slip stopper made of a material softer than the workpiece on the outer peripheral portion.
(8) The rotating body is provided in a region other than a region where a tool immersion region for immersing the welding tool into the workpiece is projected from the welding tool side to the backing member side (5). The friction stir welding apparatus according to any of (7) to (7).

  According to the inventions described in the above (1) and (2), even if a slip occurs, the occurrence of slip is detected by detecting the relative movement of the workpiece with respect to the backing member by the slip detection mechanism. be able to. As a result, it is possible to immediately grasp the occurrence of a defective product in which a desired bonding strength cannot be obtained due to slip and the defective product whose joining position is shifted due to slip.

  According to the invention described in (3) above, the trunk portion of the C-shaped or L-shaped arm that supports the workpiece at the distal end extends in the X direction, and the base end, the trunk, and the distal end of the arm are Since the axial direction of the pressure shaft is set to the X direction and the axial direction of the offset shaft is set to the Y direction with relatively high rigidity of the arm. The displacement of the tip of the arm during the offset operation can be kept small, and the amount of movement of the work due to the bending and deformation of the arm can be kept small. Therefore, by suppressing the movement amount of the workpiece to be small, an error between the movement amount of the welding tool on the workpiece and the offset movement amount can be reduced, and high-precision bonding is possible. Further, since the offset shaft linearly moves the joining tool in the surface direction of the workpiece, a relatively long distance offset operation is possible, unlike the swing, and the joining depth is stabilized, so that the joining strength can be ensured.

  Moreover, according to invention of said (4), the relative movement of the workpiece | work with respect to a backing member can be detected easily.

  Further, according to the invention described in (5) above, the relative movement of the workpiece with respect to the backing member can be easily detected by detecting the rotation of the rotating body.

  Further, according to the invention described in (6) above, the rotating body and the workpiece can be brought into contact without affecting the immersion amount of the welding tool.

  Moreover, according to invention of said (7), it can suppress that a workpiece | work slips with respect to a rotary body, suppressing generation | occurrence | production of a damage | wound.

  Moreover, according to invention of said (8), it can avoid that a workpiece | work is press-fit in the window part which accommodates a rotary body.

It is a side view of the friction stir welding apparatus of 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is the arrow view seen from the arrow direction of II of FIG. It is sectional drawing of the ball screw integrated linear motion guide unit which comprises the pressurization axis | shaft of the friction stir welding apparatus. It is a figure explaining a slip detection mechanism, (a) is the side view which looked at the inside of a backing member from the side, (b) is the top view which looked at the backing member from the upper part. It is a figure explaining a joining tool projection field. It is a figure which shows the position of the rotary body at the time of the contact of a rotary body and a workpiece | work, and the time of non-contact. (A) It is a figure which shows the 1st modification of a slip detection mechanism, (b) is a figure which shows the 2nd modification of a slip detection mechanism, (c) is a figure which shows the 3rd modification of a slip detection mechanism. It is. It is a side view of the friction stir welding apparatus of 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is the arrow view seen from the arrow direction of IX of FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the friction stir welding apparatus of patent document 1. It is a side view which shows a part of friction stir welding apparatus of patent document 2. FIG.

Hereinafter, a friction stir welding apparatus according to each embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
<First Embodiment>
FIG. 1 is a side view of the friction stir welding apparatus according to the first embodiment, FIG. 2 is an arrow view seen from the direction of the arrow II in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a ball screw constituting a pressure shaft of the friction stir welding apparatus It is sectional drawing of an integrated linear motion guide unit.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the friction stir welding apparatus M1 of the present embodiment includes a pressure shaft 2 that moves the welding tool 1 for friction stir welding closer to / separated from the workpiece W (see FIGS. 4 and 5). , An offset shaft 3 for linearly moving the welding tool 1 in a direction substantially orthogonal to the pressing shaft 2, a pivot shaft 4 for rotating the welding tool 1 around its central axis Q, and a C-shaped arm 50 (hereinafter referred to as C-shaped). Called the arm 50).

  The C-shaped arm 50 has a C-shape that extends from the base end portion 50a to the distal end portion 50c via the bent portion 50b extending from the base end portion 50a to the X direction and the Y direction when the two directions orthogonal to each other are taken as the X direction and the Y direction. The base end portion 50a, the body portion 50b, and the tip end portion 50c are formed so as to be positioned on the XY plane, and a backing member 52 is provided inside the tip end portion 50c. In the figure, reference numeral 51 denotes a pressure detection means.

  The pressurizing shaft 2 is set as the X axis of the X axis (corresponding to the X direction) and the Y axis (corresponding to the Y direction) orthogonal to each other, and the offset shaft 3 is set as the Y axis. That is, the axial direction of the pressing shaft 2 is set to the X direction, and the axial direction of the offset shaft 3 is set to the Y direction.

  The pressure shaft 2 in this case has a guide rail 13 coupled to the base end portion 50 a of the C-shaped arm 50 and a slider 14 that slides in the X direction along the guide rail 13. The offset shaft 3 includes a guide rail 113 mounted on the slider 14 of the pressure shaft 2 and a slider 114 that slides in the Y direction along the guide rail 113. Further, the swivel shaft 4 holds the joining tool 1 so that the tip thereof faces the swivel shaft bracket 48 mounted on the slider 114 of the offset shaft 3 and the work W held by the backing member 52 of the C-shaped arm 50. Spindle 30.

  Here, a ball screw integrated linear motion guide unit 10 is used for the pressure shaft 2. The ball screw integrated linear motion guide unit 10 is configured by combining a linear motion guide bearing 11 and a ball screw 12 as shown in FIG. The linear motion guide bearing 11 is disposed between a guide rail 13 having a substantially U-shaped cross section, a slider 14 disposed in a U-shaped recess of the guide rail 13, and between the guide rail 13 and the slider 14. A plurality of rolling elements 15. The guide rail 13 has a rolling surface 16A on the inner side surface of each sleeve portion 13A arranged to face the slider 14, and the slider 14 has a rolling surface 16B arranged to face the rolling surface 16A of the guide rail 13. And a rolling element (roller in the figure) 15 is interposed between the rolling surface 16A of the guide rail 13 and the rolling surface 16B of the slider 14, so that the slider 14 and the guide rail 13 are relative to each other. It is possible to move straight.

  In this case, between the rolling surface 16 </ b> A of the guide rail 13 and the rolling surface 16 </ b> B of the slider 14, there are two rolling passages 16 in which the rolling elements 15 move vertically in two rows, i.e., two-to-four as a whole. A line is formed. The slider 14 is formed with a return path 16D of the rolling element 15 and a direction changing path (not shown) that connects the return path 16D and the rolling path 16 so that the rolling element 15 changes direction with the rolling path 16. It circulates through an infinite circulation path composed of a path and a return path 16D.

  The ball screw 12 includes a ball screw nut 17 formed in parallel with the guide rail 13, a ball screw shaft 18 passing through the ball screw nut 17, a spiral groove of the ball screw nut 17, and a spiral groove of the ball screw shaft 18. And a plurality of balls 19 disposed between the two. The ball screw-integrated linear motion guide unit 10 directly forms the ball screw nut 17 that is an element of the ball screw 12 on the slider 14 that is an element of the linear motion guide bearing 11, whereby the ball screw 12 and the linear motion guide are formed. It is comprised as a mechanism component provided integrally with the bearing 11.

  The offset shaft 3 is a combination of a linear motion guide bearing 110A and a ball screw 110B. The linear motion guide bearing 110A is slid by being guided by the guide rail 113 having two rail portions 113A and 113A arranged in parallel with each other with a space therebetween, and the rail portions 113A and 113A of the guide rail 113. And a plurality of rolling elements (not shown) disposed between the rail portions 113A and 113A and the slide portions 114A and 114A. Since the end portion is coupled to the slider 14 of the ball screw integrated linear guide unit 10 constituting the pressure shaft 2, the two rail portions 113A and 113A of the guide rail 113 extend in parallel to the Y direction. Yes. These two rail portions 113A and 113A are disposed on both sides of a turning shaft motor 44 described later, and the turning shaft motor 44 is accommodated in a space between the two rail portions 113A and 113A.

  The ball screw 110B is disposed on the side of the guide rail 113, and a ball screw nut (not shown) formed in parallel with the rail portions 113A and 113A of the guide rail 113 and a ball that passes through the ball screw nut. The screw shaft 118 includes a plurality of balls (not shown) disposed between the spiral groove of the ball screw nut and the spiral groove of the ball screw shaft 118. Then, by rotating the ball screw shaft 118, the slider 114 can be linearly moved in the Y direction by the guide of the guide rail 113.

  The slider 14 of the pressure shaft 2 and the slider 114 of the offset shaft 3 are driven by the ball screw 12 of the pressure shaft 2 and the ball screw 110B of the offset shaft 3, respectively. The third ball screw 110B is driven by a pressure shaft motor 42 and an offset shaft motor 43 via belts 41A and 41B, respectively.

  A spindle 30 on which the welding tool 1 is rotatably mounted is fixed to a slider 114 of a linear motion guide bearing 110A constituting the offset shaft 3 via a pivot shaft bracket 48. The welding tool 1 is rotatably held via a tool holder 35 by a spindle 30 that constitutes a turning shaft 4, and a tool base 1a that protrudes downward from a columnar tool base 1a and a shoulder 1b on the lower end surface of the tool base. A tool pin 1c having a smaller outer diameter is provided. The spindle 30 includes a plurality of bearings 31, a spindle housing 32 that accommodates the bearings 31, and a spindle shaft 33 that is rotatably held by the bearings 31. A tool holder 35 for holding 1 in a detachable manner is provided. The spindle shaft 33 is driven by a turning shaft motor 44 through a coupling.

  Further, in the friction stir welding apparatus M1, the central axis Q of the welding tool 1 is inclined by a predetermined angle with respect to the axis (X axis) of the pressing shaft 2. The direction of inclination is an arrow YA direction for offsetting (advancing) the welding tool 1 in the offset operation. By inclining the welding tool 1 in this way, the shoulder portion 1b of the welding tool 1 can be brought into contact with the workpiece W at an angle with respect to the traveling direction of the welding tool 1 during the offset operation. become. As a result, the fluidized material of the workpiece W flows into the wedge portion 1b of the welding tool 1 in a wedge shape, and the pressure applied to the workpiece W is maintained without moving the pressing shaft 2 greatly. Will be able to.

  The friction stir welding apparatus M <b> 1 configured in this way can apply pressure to the workpiece W by the welding tool 1 by sandwiching the workpiece W between the welding tool 1 and the backing member 52. By rotating the welding tool 1 while pressing it against the workpiece W, frictional heat is generated at the contact point between the welding tool 1 and the workpiece W to soften and stir the material around the contact point, thereby The stacked work W is linearly formed by performing a pushing operation for immersing the welding tool 1 in the workpiece W and an offset operation for moving the welding tool 1 in the surface direction (YA direction) of the workpiece W after the pushing operation. To join.

  The pressing operation and the offset operation in the friction stir welding apparatus M1 are performed according to the welding parameters in which no slip occurs due to the static friction coefficient between the workpiece W and the backing member 52 (the pressure in the tool immersion direction, the offset shaft speed). Etc.).

  However, even in this case, when the degreasing of lubricating oil, rust preventive oil, or the like used for molding the workpiece W is incomplete, there is a liquid between the workpiece W and the backing member 52 because the cleaning agent is not sufficiently dried. However, when the friction stir welding apparatus M1 or the workpiece W is subjected to abnormal vibration, there is a concern that the probability of occurrence of the slip may increase. However, the backing member 52 is used by the slip detection mechanism 60 described later. It is possible to detect relative movement, that is, slip of the workpiece W with respect to.

  As shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the slip detection mechanism 60 includes a rotating body 61 and a rotation detection mechanism 64 that detects an angular variation of the rotating body 61 and is connected to the backing member 52. The relative movement of the workpiece W relative to the backing member 52, that is, the slip, is detected by detecting the rotation angle or the angle fluctuation of the rotating body 61.

  The rotating body 61 and the rotation detecting mechanism 64 are provided inside a cylindrical backing member 52, and a shaft 63 that rotatably supports the rotating body 61 passes through the center O of the backing member 52. It is supported by a pair of guide holes 52 b formed in the abutting member 52. The pair of guide holes 52b have a vertically long shape and allow the shaft 63 to move up and down (X direction).

  Two rotating bodies 61 that are rotatably supported by the shaft 63 are provided at an equal distance from the center O, and a tool immersion area for immersing the welding tool 1 in the workpiece W shown in FIG. It is provided in a region other than the region projected on the backing member 52 side (hereinafter referred to as a welding tool projection region R). On the upper surface 52a of the backing member 52, a window portion 52c for accommodating the rotating body 61 is provided. Thus, by providing the rotating body 61 in a region other than the joining tool projection region R, it is possible to avoid the workpiece W from being press-fitted into the window portion 52c that accommodates the rotating body 61.

  The rotating direction of the rotating body 61 is an arrow YA direction for offsetting (advancing) the welding tool 1, and it is possible to reliably detect a slip during an offset operation that is likely to cause a slip.

  In addition, a spring member 65 is disposed below the rotating body 61 inside the backing member 52, and the rotating body 61 is constantly urged from below to above the workpiece W side by the spring member 65. Yes. Therefore, in the state where the workpiece W is not installed on the backing member 52, the outer peripheral portion 62 of the rotating body 61 protrudes from the upper surface 52 a of the backing member 52 as indicated by the solid line in FIG. 6. Further, in the state where the workpiece W is installed on the backing member 52, the spring member 65 contracts and the outer peripheral portion 62 is flush with the upper surface 52 a of the backing member 52, as shown by the broken line in FIG. 6. Contact the workpiece W. By providing the spring member 65 in this manner, the rotating body 61 and the workpiece W can be brought into contact with each other without affecting the immersion amount of the welding tool 1.

  The outer peripheral portion 62 of the rotating body 61 is provided with a non-slip (not shown) made of a material softer than the workpiece W, for example, made of rubber or the like, thereby preventing the slip with the workpiece W in a contact state.

  The rotation detection mechanism 64 includes, for example, a potentiometer, a rotary encoder, and the like, and detects a rotation angle or an angle variation of the rotating body 61. Note that the rotating member 61 and the shaft 63 may be configured to be integrally rotatable with respect to the backing member 52, and the rotation detection mechanism 64 may be configured to detect the rotation angle or angle variation of the shaft 63.

  In the friction stir welding apparatus M1 provided with the slip detection mechanism 60 in this manner, for example, when the workpiece W moves relative to the backing member 52 during the offset operation, that is, when the slip occurs, the rotating body 61 moves the workpiece W. Rotate with. When the rotating body 61 rotates, the rotation detection mechanism 64 can detect the rotation and detect the occurrence of slip. Therefore, even if a slip occurs, it is possible to immediately grasp the occurrence of a defective product in which a desired bonding strength cannot be obtained due to the slip and the defective product whose bonding position is shifted due to the slip.

  The slip detection mechanism is not limited to the slip detection mechanism 60 of the above embodiment, and may be configured as in the following modification.

FIG. 7A shows a slip detection mechanism 60A of the first modification.
In the slip detection mechanism 60 </ b> A, the two rotating bodies 61 are rotatably supported by a shaft 63 passing through the center O of the backing member 52 so as to be positioned outside the backing member 52.

FIG. 7B shows a slip detection mechanism 60B of the second modification.
In the slip detection mechanism 60 </ b> B, the shaft 63 is supported by two arm portions 66 extending from the backing member 52, and one rotating body 61 is rotatably supported between the two arm portions 66.

FIG. 7C shows a slip detection mechanism 60C of the third modified example.
In the slip detection mechanism 60C, the shaft 63 is supported by one arm portion 66 extending from the backing member 52, and the two rotating bodies 61 rotate on both sides of the arm portion 66 so as to sandwich the one arm portion 66. It is supported freely.

  In these slip detection mechanisms 60A to 60C, the occurrence of slip can be detected in the same manner as the slip detection mechanism 60. Even if slip occurs, a desired joint strength cannot be obtained due to the slip. It is possible to immediately grasp the occurrence of a defective product whose bonding position is shifted due to a non-defective product and a slip.

Next, a friction stir welding apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
Second Embodiment
FIG. 8 is a side view of the friction stir welding apparatus according to the second embodiment, and FIG. 9 is a view as seen from the direction of the arrow IX in FIG. The friction stir welding apparatus M2 of the second embodiment has the same or equivalent configuration as the friction stir welding apparatus M1 of the first embodiment except that the configuration of the offset shaft 3 and the traveling direction of the welding tool 1 during the offset operation are different. Have Therefore, the same or equivalent components as those of the friction stir welding apparatus M1 of the first embodiment are denoted by the same or equivalent reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted.

  In the friction stir welding apparatus M2 of the second embodiment, the pressurizing shaft 2 is set as the X axis of the X axis (corresponding to the X direction) and the Y axis (corresponding to the Y direction) orthogonal to each other, and the offset shaft 3 is These are set as a Z axis (corresponding to the Z direction) orthogonal to the X axis and the Y axis. That is, the axial direction of the pressure shaft 2 is set in the X direction, and the axial direction of the offset shaft 3 is set in the Z direction. The pressurizing shaft 2 and the offset shaft 3 form two axes perpendicular to each other of the biaxial drive unit 5.

  The biaxial drive unit 5 combines the first ball screw-integrated linear motion guide unit 10A and the second ball screw-integrated linear motion guide unit 10B with their axial directions set to be orthogonal to each other. It consists of

  As shown in FIG. 3, for example, the first ball screw-integrated linear motion guide unit 10A constituting the pressure shaft 2 and the second ball screw-integrated linear motion guide unit 10B constituting the offset shaft 3 are respectively shown in FIG. The linear guide bearing 11 and the ball screw 12 are combined. Note that the configuration of the first and second ball screw integrated linear motion guide units 10A and 10B is the same as that of the ball screw integrated linear motion guide unit 10 of the first embodiment, and thus the description thereof is omitted.

  The spindle 30 and the turning shaft motor 44 are fixed to the mounting surface 13 a of the guide rail 13 of the offset shaft 3 via the turning shaft bracket 48. An inclination imparting member 49 is provided between the pivot shaft bracket 48 and the side surface 13b of the guide rail 13 of the offset shaft 3, from a direction orthogonal to the offset shaft 3 and the pressure shaft 2 (Y direction in FIG. 9). As seen, the central axis Q of the welding tool 1 is inclined with respect to the axis of the pressing shaft 2 by a predetermined angle. The direction of inclination is the ZA direction in which the welding tool 1 is offset (advanced) in the offset operation.

  Also in the friction stir welding apparatus M2 configured in this manner, by rotating the welding tool 1 while pressing it against the workpiece W, friction heat is generated at the contact point between the welding tool 1 and the workpiece W, and the surroundings of the contact point are generated. A pressing operation for softening and stirring the material, thereby causing the welding tool 1 to be immersed in the workpiece W, and an offset operation for moving the welding tool 1 in the surface direction (ZA direction) of the workpiece W after the pressing operation. Thus, the stacked workpieces W can be joined linearly.

  And also in this friction stir welding apparatus M2, by providing the slip detection mechanism 60 (or any one of 60A-60C), even if a slip generate | occur | produces, desired joining intensity | strength cannot be obtained due to a slip. It is possible to immediately grasp a defective product whose joining position is shifted due to the occurrence and slip of a defective product. In the case of the friction stir welding apparatus M2, the rotating direction of the rotating body 61 is an arrow ZA direction in which the welding tool 1 is offset (advanced).

  In addition, this invention is not limited to embodiment mentioned above, A deformation | transformation, improvement, etc. are possible suitably. In addition, the material, shape, dimensions, number, arrangement location, and the like of each component in the above-described embodiment are arbitrary and are not limited as long as the present invention can be achieved.

  For example, in the above embodiment, the pressure shaft 2 of the first embodiment, the pressure shaft 2 of the second embodiment, and the offset shaft 3 are configured by a ball screw integrated linear motion guide unit. Similarly to the offset shaft 3, it may be constituted by an independent ball screw and linear motion guide bearing.

  In the above embodiment, the case where a roller is used as each rolling element has been described. However, a ball may be used, or the rolling element of a certain linear motion guide bearing is a roller, and the rolling element of another linear motion guide bearing is used. The moving body may be a combination such as a ball.

  In the above-described embodiment, the linear motion guide bearing 11 is a linear motion guide bearing having a direction changing path and a return path 16D and circulating the rolling elements 15 in the rolling path 16, but is not limited thereto. Alternatively, a non-circulation type linear motion guide bearing that does not include a mechanism for circulating the rolling elements 15 may be used.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the center axis Q of the joining tool 1 was inclined with respect to the axis of the pressurizing shaft 2, it is not limited to this, The center axis Q of the joining tool 1 is made into the axis of the pressurizing shaft 2. You may set it in parallel.

  In the above-described embodiment, the belt method is adopted as a method for transmitting the power of the pressure shaft motor 42 and the offset shaft motor 43 to the ball screw 18 of the pressure shaft 2 and the offset shaft 3. The ball screw 18 may be driven directly by the pressurizing shaft motor 42 and the offset shaft motor 43. Higher responsive control is possible by driving directly through the coupling.

M1, M2 Friction stir welding apparatus 1 Joining tool 2 Pressure shaft 3 Offset shaft 13 Guide rail (main body)
14 Slider (movable part)
30 spindle (rotation drive means)
35 Tool holder (tool holder)
50 C-shaped arm 50a Base end portion 50b Body portion 50c Tip portion 52 Backing member 60, 60A, 60B, 60C Slip detection mechanism 61 Rotating body 64 Rotation detection mechanism 65 Spring member (biasing member)
113 Guide rail (main part)
114 Slider (movable part)
R tool immersion area

Claims (8)

By rotating the welding tool while pressing it against the surface of the workpiece, frictional heat is generated at the contact point between the welding tool and the workpiece to soften and agitate the workpiece around the contact point. A friction stir welding apparatus that joins the workpieces linearly by performing a pushing operation for immersing the workpiece and an offset operation for moving the joining tool in the surface direction of the workpiece after the pushing operation,
A friction stir welding apparatus comprising a slip detection mechanism for detecting relative movement of the workpiece relative to a backing member that supports the workpiece. A backing member that supports the back side of the plate-like workpieces to be joined;
A bonding tool located on the surface side of the workpiece so as to sandwich the workpiece between the backing member;
A tool holding unit for holding the joining tool;
A rotation driving means for rotating the tool holding portion around its rotation axis;
The tip of the welding tool that rotates by moving the welding tool in a direction along the normal direction of the surface of the workpiece by driving the tool holding portion to move along the normal direction of the surface of the workpiece. A pressing shaft that performs a pressing operation to press the tip of the joining tool into the work material softened by frictional heat,
An offset shaft for performing an offset operation for moving the tool holding portion along the surface direction of the workpiece, and a friction stir welding apparatus comprising:
A friction stir welding apparatus further comprising a slip detection mechanism for detecting relative movement of the workpiece with respect to the backing member. The backing member has an L-shape or C-shape that extends from the base end portion to the distal end portion through the curved portion, when the two directions perpendicular to each other are the X direction and the Y direction. The base end portion, the body portion, and the tip end portion are provided at the tip end portion of the arm formed so as to be positioned on the XY plane,
The pressurizing shaft has a main body portion whose axial direction is set to the X direction and is coupled to the base end portion of the arm, and a movable portion that slides in the X direction with respect to the main body portion,
The offset shaft has a main body portion mounted on a movable portion of the pressure shaft, the axial direction of which is set in the Y direction, and a movable portion that slides in the Y direction with respect to the main body portion,
The friction stir welding apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the rotation driving means and the tool holding portion are mounted on a movable portion of the offset shaft.   The friction stir welding apparatus according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the slip detection mechanism is connected to the backing member.   The said slip detection mechanism is equipped with the rotary body which makes an outer peripheral part contact the said workpiece | work, and the rotation detection mechanism which detects the angle fluctuation | variation of the said rotary body, The any one of Claims 2-4 characterized by the above-mentioned. The friction stir welding apparatus as described.   The friction stir welding apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the slip detection mechanism further includes a biasing member that biases the rotating body toward the workpiece.   The friction stir welding apparatus according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the rotating body is provided with a slip stopper made of a material softer than the workpiece on the outer peripheral portion.   The rotating body is provided in a region other than a region where a tool immersion region in which the welding tool is immersed in the workpiece is projected from the welding tool side to the backing member side. The friction stir welding apparatus according to any one of the above.

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