JP5765821B2 - Rotation tool - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a rotary tool.

  Conventionally, a technique for joining metal materials by friction stir welding (FSW = Friction Stir Welding) in a joining method of metal materials is known (for example, Patent Document 1). In friction stir welding, the metal material to be joined is opposed to the joint, a probe provided at the tip of the rotary tool is inserted into the joint, the rotary tool is moved while rotating, and the metal material is plasticized by frictional heat. Two metal materials are joined by flowing.

Japanese Patent No. 2792233

  However, in the rotary tool as described in Patent Document 1, when performing the friction stir welding while performing the load control for controlling the load of the rotary tool on the metal material, the friction stir welding capable of controlling the load is performed. It is necessary to attach a rotating tool to a dedicated device. This is because a general-purpose machine tool such as a milling machine can only perform position control for controlling the relative position such as the height of the rotary tool with respect to the metal material. For this reason, the versatility of friction stir welding remains at a low level. Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a rotary tool that can control the load of friction stir welding with a general-purpose machine tool capable of position control.

  A rotary tool according to one aspect of the present invention is a rotary tool that rotates in contact with a metal material, a contact member whose tip is brought into contact with the metal material, a direction in which the contact member protrudes outward, and a direction in which the contact member is pulled in A holding member attached so as to be relatively movable, and spring means for generating a force in a direction in which the contact member protrudes to the outside of the holding member according to a relative position of the contact member with respect to the holding member.

  If comprised in this way, if a contact member is made to contact a metal, a contact member will move relatively to the direction pulled inward with respect to a holding member. For this reason, the movement due to the contact with the metal material generates a force in the direction in which the contact member protrudes outside the holding member as a restoring force of the spring means, and becomes a load on the metal material. Therefore, by controlling the relative position of the contact member with respect to the holding member when the contact member is brought into contact with the metal material, the load can be rotated while being kept substantially constant. Therefore, by controlling the position of the holding member relative to the metal material and controlling the relative position of the contact member relative to the holding member, the load on the metal material of the contact member can be controlled. Therefore, the load control of the friction stir welding can be performed with a general-purpose machine tool capable of position control.

  Moreover, the rotary tool according to another aspect of the present invention is inserted into a joint portion where the end surfaces of the metal materials abutted on each other are in contact with each other, and the joint portion is inserted from one surface and the other surface of the joint portion. A rotary tool that is rotated in a sandwiched state, wherein the first contact member is in contact with the one surface of the joint, the second contact member is in contact with the other surface of the joint, the first contact member, and the first A direction in which the first contact member and the stirring shaft member protrude outward and a direction in which the stirring shaft member is inserted into the joint, while the second contact member is connected to the two contact members The first contact member and the stirring shaft member are drawn into the inside of the holding member in accordance with the relative positions of the holding member attached to be movable relative to the holding member and the first contact member and the stirring shaft member with respect to the holding member. Spring hand that generates force in the direction And, equipped with a.

  If comprised in this way, if a metal material is inserted | pinched between a 1st contact member and a 2nd contact member, a 1st contact member and a stirring shaft member will move relatively to the direction protruded outside with respect to a holding member. For this reason, as the restoring force of the spring means, a force is generated in the direction in which the second contact member is pulled inward of the holding member, and becomes a load on the metal material. Then, the relative positions of the first contact member and the stirring shaft member with respect to the holding member can be rotated while keeping the load substantially constant by controlling the positions. Therefore, by controlling the position of the holding member relative to the metal material and controlling the relative position of the contact member relative to the holding member, the load on the metal material of the contact member can be controlled. Therefore, the load control of the friction stir welding can be performed with a general-purpose machine tool capable of position control.

  In this case, you may provide the distance adjustment means between contact members which adjusts the distance between a 1st contact member and a 2nd contact member.

  If comprised in this way, the distance from the 2nd contact member of a 1st contact member can be adjusted. For this reason, it becomes easy to sandwich metal materials having various thicknesses between the second contact member and the first contact member.

  Further, the spring means can include spring force adjusting means for adjusting the force generated by the spring means.

  If comprised in this way, the restoring force of the spring which a spring means generate | occur | produces can be adjusted. For this reason, the load with respect to a metal material is controllable.

  Further, the spring force adjusting means may adjust the force generated by the spring means by adjusting the initial displacement of the spring means.

  If comprised in this way, the restoring force of the spring which a spring means comprises can be adjusted easily. For this reason, the load which a rotary tool applies to a metal material can be controlled easily.

  Further, the spring means may comprise a coil spring, for example.

  If comprised in this way, if a coil spring is used for a spring means, the relative displacement with respect to the holding member of a contact member and the restoring force of a spring will change linearly. For this reason, it is possible to easily control the load applied to the metal material by the rotary tool.

  Moreover, the 1st contact member may be fixed to the stirring shaft member with the grommet screw screwed in the inside of the 1st contact member.

  If comprised in this way, the 1st contact member can fix the stirring shaft member so that attachment or detachment is possible. In addition, since the female screw can eliminate the portion of the first contact member that is exposed to the outside, the first contact member can be made smaller.

  According to the rotary tool of the present invention, load control of friction stir welding can be performed with a general-purpose machine tool capable of position control.

It is a perspective view of the rotary tool which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a front view of the rotary tool which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is sectional drawing of the rotary tool which concerns on 1st Embodiment along the AA line of FIG. (A) is sectional drawing which followed the AA line of FIG. 2 of the tool case of the rotary tool which concerns on 1st Embodiment. (B) is a front view of the tool case of the rotary tool according to the first embodiment. It is a side view of the tool shaft of the rotary tool which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a side view of the coil compression spring of the rotary tool which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is the side view which showed the state by which the coil compression spring was attached to the tool shaft of the rotary tool which concerns on 1st Embodiment. (A) is sectional drawing along the AA line of FIG. 2 of the variable probe adapter of the rotary tool which concerns on 1st Embodiment. (B) is a front view of the variable probe adapter of the rotary tool according to the first embodiment. (A) is sectional drawing along the AA line of FIG. 2 of the fixed probe adapter nut of the rotary tool which concerns on 1st Embodiment. (B) is a front view of the fixed probe adapter nut of the rotary tool according to the first embodiment. It is the schematic which shows the relationship between the load which the rotary tool which concerns on 1st Embodiment gives to a metal material, and the displacement of a tool shaft. It is the schematic which shows the method of adjusting the load of the rotary tool which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is the schematic which shows the method of fixing the load after adjustment of the rotary tool which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is the schematic which shows a mode that friction stir welding is carried out using the rotary tool which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a perspective view of the rotary tool which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a front view of the rotary tool which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is the elements on larger scale of the rotary tool which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is sectional drawing along the A'-A 'line of FIG. 15 which shows the outline | summary of the rotary tool which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. (A) is sectional drawing which followed the A'-A 'line | wire of FIG. 15 of the tool case of the rotary tool which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. (B) is a front view of the tool case of the rotary tool which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a side view of the tool shaft of the rotary tool which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. (A) is sectional drawing along the A'-A 'line | wire of FIG. 15 of the probe adapter nut of the rotary tool which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. (B) is a front view of the probe adapter nut of the rotary tool according to the second embodiment. It is the side view which showed a mode that a coil compression spring and a probe adapter nut were attached to the tool shaft of the rotary tool which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. (A) is sectional drawing which followed the A'-A 'line | wire of FIG. 15 of the under shoulder of the rotary tool which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. (B) is a front view of the under shoulder of the rotary tool which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. (A) is sectional drawing which followed the A'-A 'line | wire of FIG. 15 of the variable probe adapter of the rotary tool which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. (B) is a front view of the variable probe adapter of the rotary tool according to the second embodiment. It is sectional drawing along the A'-A 'line of FIG. 15 which shows the relationship between the load and displacement of the rotary tool which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is the side view which showed a mode that the load of the rotary tool which concerns on 2nd Embodiment was adjusted. It is sectional drawing along the A'-A 'line of FIG. 15 which shows a mode that the distance from the tool case of the under shoulder of the rotary tool which concerns on 2nd Embodiment is adjusted. It is sectional drawing along the A'-A 'line of FIG. 15 which shows a mode that the distance after the adjustment from the tool case of the under shoulder of the rotary tool which concerns on 2nd Embodiment is fixed. It is the schematic which shows a mode that friction stir welding is carried out using the rotary tool which concerns on 2nd Embodiment.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments.

(First embodiment)
The rotary tool according to the present embodiment is suitably employed as a friction stir welding rotary tool attached to a general-purpose machine tool capable of controlling the relative position between a metal material, which is a workpiece such as a milling machine, and the rotary tool. Is.

  First, the rotating tool 10 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the rotary tool 10 is a rotary tool 10 attached to a general-purpose machine tool such as a milling machine, and includes a tool shaft 12, a tool case 14, a coil compression spring 15, a variable probe adapter 16, and It consists of a fixed probe adapter nut 18.

  The tool shaft 12 is brought into contact with a metal material whose tip is a workpiece. The tool shaft 12 is attached to the tool case 14 so that the tool case 14 can move relatively in a direction protruding outward and a direction retracting inward. The coil compression spring 15 is provided in the tool case 14, and the tool shaft 12 is provided so as to penetrate the inside of the coil compression spring 15 along the central axis of the winding of the coil compression spring 15. The coil compression spring 15 generates a force in the direction in which the tool shaft 12 protrudes to the outside of the tool case 14 according to the relative position of the tool shaft 12 with respect to the tool case 14. The variable probe adapter 16 is provided in the tool case 14 on the side opposite to the side where the tool shaft 12 contacts the metal material. The variable probe adapter 16 adjusts the force generated by the coil compression spring 15 as will be described later. The fixed probe adapter nut 18 fixes the variable probe adapter 16 to the tool case 14 as will be described later.

  Next, each member will be described.

  As shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the tool case 14 has a threaded portion 14c, a chamfered portion 14d, a tool shaft receiving portion 14e, and a tool shaft protruding portion 14h. The tool case 14 is a substantially cylindrical member. The tool case 14 is preferably formed of a material having a predetermined strength that can be attached to a general-purpose machine tool. The screw portion 14c is a screw thread provided on the inner side surface of the end portion opposite to the tool shaft protruding portion 14h of the tool case 14 to which the variable probe adapter 16 is fastened. The chamfer 14d is for attaching the rotary tool 10 to a chuck of a general-purpose machine tool. The tool shaft receiving portion 14e is in contact with a part of the tool shaft 12 that tries to protrude outside the tool case 14 by the spring force of the coil compression spring 15, and holds the tool shaft 12 in the tool case 14. It is. The tool shaft protrusion 14 h is a part for connecting the tool shaft 12 while surrounding the tool shaft 12 protruding from the tool case 14.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 5, the tool shaft 12 is formed with a protruding probe 12 a and a shoulder 12 b around it at the center of the tip of the tool shaft 12. A concentric groove is formed in the probe 12a, and a spiral groove is formed in the shoulder 12b. Further, the end of the tool shaft 12 opposite to the side on which the probe 12a and the shoulder 12b are formed has a processed portion 12g processed into a polygonal columnar shape. A tool case receiving portion 12e that comes into contact with the tool shaft receiving portion 14e of the tool case 14 and a spring receiving portion 12f that comes into contact with the coil compression spring 15 are formed at an intermediate portion in the longitudinal axis direction of the tool shaft 12. A portion from the tool case receiving portion 12e to the spring receiving portion 12f is formed such that a cross-sectional area in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis direction of the tool shaft 12 is larger than other portions of the tool shaft 12.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the coil compression spring 15 is formed with a tool shaft receiving portion 15f that comes into contact with the spring receiving portion 12f of the tool shaft 12 described above. The coil compression spring 15 is a coiled compression spring. The inner diameter of the coil compression spring 15 is large enough to allow part of the tool shaft 12 to pass therethrough. The outer diameter of the coil compression spring 15 is large enough to be installed in the tool case 14.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the tool shaft 12 passes through the inside of the coil compression spring 15 along the longitudinal center line of the coil compression spring 15. Further, the spring receiving portion 12f of the tool shaft 12 and the tool shaft receiving portion 15f of the coil compression spring 15 abut.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the tool shaft 12 is provided so as to protrude from the tool shaft protrusion 14h. In the tool case 14, the tool case receiving part 12e and the tool shaft receiving part 14e are in contact with each other. Thus, the tool shaft 12 pushed out of the tool case 14 is held in the tool case 14 by the spring force of the coil compression spring 15. The coil compression spring 15 is installed in the tool case 14 with the tool shaft 12 passing through the coil compression spring 15 in the center direction of the coil inner diameter of the coil compression spring 15.

  As shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B, the variable probe adapter 16 forms a screw portion 16c, a chamfered portion 16d, a holding portion 16h, and a spring receiving portion 16f. The screw portion 16c is formed on the outer side surface of the variable probe adapter 16, and meshes with the screw portion 14c of the tool case 14 described above and a screw portion 18c of the fixed probe adapter nut 18 described later. The holding portion 16h is formed with a polygonal hole through which the processed portion 12g of the tool shaft 12 passes. As shown in FIG. 3, the holding portion 16h holds the processed portion 12g of the tool shaft 12 in the polygonal hole. Further, the threaded portion 14c of the tool case 14 and the threaded portion 16c of the variable probe adapter 16 mesh with each other, whereby the variable probe adapter 16 is fixed in the tool case 14 so that the position in the longitudinal direction can be changed.

  As shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B, a screw portion 18 c is formed on the inner side surface of the fixed probe adapter nut 18. Further, the fixed probe adapter nut 18 is formed with a chamfered portion 18 d for enhancing convenience of fixing to the variable probe adapter 16. As shown in FIG. 3, the fixed probe adapter nut 18 is fixed to the variable probe adapter nut 16 when the screw portion 18 c of the fixed probe adapter nut 18 and the screw portion 16 c formed on the outer periphery of the variable probe adapter 16 are engaged with each other. To be concluded. When the fixed probe adapter nut 18 is fastened to the variable probe adapter 16, the variable probe adapter 16 screwed into the tool case 14 is firmly fixed to the tool case 14.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the tool case 14 has a scale 14a. The fixed probe adapter nut 18 is also formed with a scale 18a. The scale 14a and the scale 18a are notched. The notches formed in the scale 14a and the scale 18a are formed at equal intervals. The fixed probe adapter nut 18 is designed so that when the fixed probe adapter nut 18 makes one rotation, the fixed probe adapter nut 18 moves forward and backward by 1 mm by the action of the variable probe adapter 16, and by using the scales 14a and 18a, the spring It is possible to easily grasp the distance between the receiving portion 12f and the spring receiving portion 16f.

  The tool case 14 is formed with a label 14b. The label 14b can be read from the load applied to the metal material by the tool shaft 12 and the scale 14a or the scale 18a. The relationship between the distance between the spring receiving portion 12f and the spring receiving portion 16f may be described. Further, the value that can be read from the scale 14 a or the scale 18 a may be a rotation angle of the variable probe adapter 16 with respect to the tool case 14 or a displacement amount of the tool shaft 12 protruding from the tool case 14. If comprised in this way, it will become possible to adjust easily the load which the tool shaft 12 gives to a metal material.

  Here, the friction stir welding using the rotary tool 10 in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 10 to 13.

  FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing the relationship between the load F applied to the metal material by the rotary tool 10 and the displacement of the tool shaft 12. In this embodiment, since the coil compression spring 15 is used, the load F is proportional to the displacement (compression amount) X of the coil compression spring 15 according to Hooke's law. For this reason, the load F and the displacement X of the tool shaft 12 are proportional. Since the load F depends on the distance L1 between the spring receiving portion 12f and the spring receiving portion 16f, which is the initial displacement of the coil compression spring 15, the load F when the displacement X = 0 is obtained by adjusting the distance L1. The initial value can be adjusted.

  Next, a method for adjusting the initial value of the load F will be described. FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram illustrating a method of adjusting the initial value of the load F. When the variable probe adapter 16 is rotated in the direction of the arrow in the figure, the screw portion 16c and the screw portion 14c are engaged with each other, whereby the variable probe adapter 16 is inserted in the tool case 14 inside. For this reason, the distance L1 between the spring receiving portion 12f and the spring receiving portion 16f is shortened. At this time, the coil compression spring 15 is clamped in the direction of shortening from the natural length. Therefore, a load F corresponding to the deflection of the coil compression spring 15 is generated in the coil compression spring 15. Therefore, the load F can be controlled by changing the length of the coil compression spring 15 between the tool shaft 12 and the variable probe adapter 16 by adjusting the rotation amount of the variable probe adapter 16. The predetermined value can be the initial value of the load F. In addition, since the initial value of the load F changes with the use frequency of the rotary tool 10 or the passage of time, it can be corrected by periodically measuring with a predetermined measuring machine.

  Next, a method for fixing the initial value of the load F will be described. FIG. 12 is a schematic view showing a method for fixing the load F of the rotary tool 10. After adjusting the load F by rotating the variable probe adapter 16, the fixed probe adapter nut 18 is attached to the screw portion 16 c of the variable probe adapter 16 in order to fix the load F. By rotating the fixed probe adapter nut 18, the screw portion 18 c and the screw portion 16 c are engaged with each other, whereby the fixed probe adapter nut 18 is fixed to the variable probe adapter 16. When the fixed probe adapter nut 18 fixed to the variable probe adapter 16 applies pressure to the tool case 14, the variable probe adapter 16 is firmly fixed to the tool case 14, so that the load F is fixed to a predetermined value. .

  Here, the stirring method 1 using the rotary tool 10 of this embodiment is demonstrated. FIG. 13 is a schematic view showing a state in which friction stir welding is performed using the rotary tool 10. As shown in FIG. 13, the rotary tool 10 is attached to the rotary tool chuck 100. The rotary tool chuck 100 is a part of a general-purpose machine tool such as a milling machine. A control mechanism 101 is connected to the rotary tool chuck 100. The control mechanism 101 includes a rotation motor 111, an X-axis movement motor 112, a Y-axis movement motor 113, and a Z-axis movement motor 114. Furthermore, a controller 110 that controls the rotation motor 111, the X-axis movement motor 112, the Y-axis movement motor 113, and the Z-axis movement motor 114 is provided. As a result, the control mechanism 101 can control the positions of the rotary tool 10 attached to the rotary tool chuck 100 in the X-axis direction, the Y-axis direction, and the Z-axis direction with respect to the metal materials 2a and 2b. For this reason, the rotary tool chuck 100 can freely move in the X-axis direction, the Y-axis direction, and the Z-axis direction. Then, the rotary tool 10 mounted on the rotary tool chuck 100 has the ends of the metal materials 2a and 2b abutted against each other, and only the probe 12a is pushed into the coupling portion P, and is rotated on the abutting surface to be joined. Moved along. Further, the coupling portion P may be curved.

  As described above, according to the rotary tool 10 according to the first embodiment, when the tool shaft 12 is brought into contact with the coupling portion P of the metal materials 2a and 2b, the tool shaft 12 is relatively pulled inward with respect to the tool case 14. Move to. For this reason, the movement due to the contact with the metal materials 2 a and 2 b generates a load F as a restoring force of the coil compression spring 15 in the direction in which the tool shaft 12 protrudes outside the tool case 14. Therefore, the tool shaft 12 is rotated while keeping the load F substantially constant by controlling the relative position of the tool shaft 12 with respect to the tool case 14 when the tool shaft 12 is in contact with the metal materials 2a and 2b by a general-purpose machine tool such as a milling machine. be able to. Therefore, by controlling the position of the tool case 14 with respect to the metal materials 2a and 2b and controlling the relative position of the tool shaft 12 with respect to the tool case 14, the load F on the metal materials 2a and 2b of the tool shaft 12 is controlled. be able to. Therefore, friction stir welding can be performed while performing load control with a general-purpose machine tool capable of position control.

  Further, even when the joint P of the metal materials 2a and 2b with which the tool shaft 12 contacts has a minute unevenness, the load F when the tool shaft 12 is brought into contact with the joint P of the metal materials 2a and 2b. Can be rotated while being kept substantially constant. For this reason, even if there is a minute unevenness on the surface of the joint portion P of the metal material 2a, 2b that contacts the tool shaft 12, the joint portion P of the metal material 2a, 2b can be friction stir welded. . Therefore, by using the rotary tool 10, a good joint can be obtained even when the plate thickness of the material to be joined changes.

(Second Embodiment)
The rotary tool according to the second embodiment is configured in substantially the same manner as the rotary tool 10 according to the first embodiment, but is different from the rotary tool 10 according to the first embodiment in that it is configured as a bobbin tool. The member in contact with the metal material is different. Hereinafter, in consideration of the ease of understanding the invention, the description overlapping with the rotary tool 10 according to the first embodiment will be omitted, and the description will focus on the differences.

  First, the rotating tool 20 will be described with reference to FIGS.

  The rotary tool 20 is a rotary tool 20 that is attached to a general-purpose machine tool such as a milling machine like the rotary tool 10, and includes a tool shaft 22, an under shoulder 23, a tool case 24, a coil compression spring 15, a variable probe adapter 26, and a fixed probe adapter. It consists of a nut 18 and a probe adapter nut 29.

  An under shoulder 23 is connected to the tip of the tool shaft 22. The tool case 24 is attached so as to be relatively movable in the direction in which the tool shaft 22 and the under shoulder 23 protrude outward and the direction in which the tool case 24 retracts inward. In the present embodiment, the coil compression spring 15 is the same as the first embodiment, but in this embodiment, the tool shaft 22 and the under shoulder according to the relative positions of the tool shaft 22 and the under shoulder 23 with respect to the tool case 24. A force is generated in a direction in which 23 is pulled inside the tool case 24. The variable probe adapter 26 is provided at the end of the tool case 24 opposite to the side where the tool shaft 22 contacts the metal material. The fixed probe adapter nut 18 is common to the first embodiment. The probe adapter nut 29 adjusts the force generated by the coil compression spring 15 as will be described later. In the present embodiment, the tool shaft 22 is inserted between the metal materials that are butted together, and the metal material is coupled by rotating the metal material between the under shoulder 23 and the tool case 24.

  Next, each member will be described.

  As shown in FIGS. 18A and 18B, the tool case 24 has a screw portion 24c, a chamfered portion 24d, a spring receiving portion 24f, a contact surface 24s, and a tool shaft protruding portion 24h. Yes. The tool case 24 is a substantially cylindrical member. The tool case 24 is preferably formed of a material having a predetermined strength that can be attached to a general-purpose machine tool. Similar to the shoulder 12b of the rotary tool 10 of the first embodiment, a spiral groove may be formed on the contact surface 24s. The spring receiving portion 24f is a surface with which the coil compression spring 15 abuts as shown in FIG. The threaded portion 24c, the chamfered portion 24d, and the tool shaft protruding portion 24h perform the same functions as the threaded portion 14c, the chamfered portion 14d, and the tool shaft protruding portion 14h of the first embodiment, respectively.

  As shown in FIG. 19, the tool shaft 22 has a connection portion 22 j for connecting an under shoulder 23 at the center of the tip of the tool shaft 22. The connection portion 22j is provided with a female screw portion 22i with which a tip of a female screw screwed into the under shoulder 23 is fixed to fix the under shoulder 23. On the opposite side to the connection portion 22j, a processed portion 22g that is chamfered and processed into a polygonal shape is formed. A screw portion 22 c for fastening the probe adapter nut 29 is formed at the middle portion of the tool shaft 22 in the longitudinal axis direction. The tool shaft 22 is formed with a variable probe adapter receiving portion 22e that is a surface for contacting the variable probe adapter 26.

  As shown in FIGS. 20A and 20B, the probe adapter nut 29 includes a screw portion 29c that meshes with the screw portion 22c of the tool shaft 22, and a tool shaft through hole 29h through which the tool shaft 22 passes. Is formed. Further, the probe adapter nut 29 is provided with a screw hole portion 29i for screwing a grom screw for finally firmly fixing the probe adapter nut 29 to the tool shaft 22. Further, the probe adapter nut 29 is provided with a spring receiving portion 29f that comes into contact with the coil compression spring 15.

  As shown in FIG. 21, the tool shaft 22, the coil compression spring 15, and the probe adapter nut 29 pass through the tool shaft through hole 29h of the probe adapter nut 29, and the screw portion 22c and the screw portion 29c. Mesh with each other. The tool shaft 22 penetrates the coil compression spring 15 in the center direction in the longitudinal direction of the coil compression spring 15. The spring receiving portion 29f of the probe adapter nut 29 and the tool shaft receiving portion 15f of the coil compression spring 15 are in contact with each other.

  As shown in FIGS. 22A and 22B, the under shoulder 23 has a contact surface 23s and a connecting portion 23j. The contact surface 23s is a surface that comes into contact with a metal material, and a spiral groove is formed. The connecting portion 23j is provided with a hole having a shape corresponding to the contact portion 22j so that the connecting portion 22j of the tool shaft 22 is inserted. From the inner surface of the hole of the connecting portion 23j toward the outer periphery of the under shoulder 23, a screw hole portion 23i for screwing a set screw 23I for fixing the under shoulder 23 to the tool shaft 22 is provided.

  After inserting the connecting portion 22j of the tool shaft 22 into the connecting portion 23j of the under shoulder 23, the screw screw 23I is screwed into the under shoulder 23 through the screw hole portion 23i until it comes into contact with the screw portion 22i of the tool shaft 22. Thus, the under shoulder 23 is fixed to the tool shaft 22.

  In the present embodiment, the diameter of the under shoulder 23 can be reduced by using the female screw 23I for fixing the under shoulder 23 to the tool shaft 22.

  As shown in FIG. 17, the tool shaft 22 is provided so as to protrude from the tool shaft protrusion 24h. In the tool case 24, the spring receiving portion 24f and the coil compression spring 15 are in contact with each other, and the spring receiving portion 29f is in contact with the coil compression spring 15. The coil compression spring 15 is installed in the tool case 24 on the tool shaft protruding portion 24h side from the probe adapter nut 29 in a state where the tool shaft 22 penetrates the coil compression spring 15 in the longitudinal center direction of the coil compression spring 15. Has been.

  As shown in FIGS. 23A and 23B, the variable probe adapter 26 forms a screw portion 26c, a chamfered portion 26d, a tool shaft receiving portion 26e, a holding portion 26h, and a locking portion 26g. doing. The screw portion 26 c is formed on the outer side surface of the variable probe adapter 26 and meshes with the screw portion 24 c of the tool case 24. The tool shaft receiving portion 26e is a surface for contacting the variable probe adapter receiving portion 22e of the tool shaft 22. The holding portion 26h is formed with a hole through which the tool shaft 22 passes. The locking portion 26g is formed with a polygonal hole corresponding to the processed portion 22g of the tool shaft 22. The variable probe adapter 26 can be the same as the variable probe adapter 16 of the first embodiment described above.

  The fixed probe adapter nut 18 is the same as in the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 17, the fixed probe adapter nut 18 is fixed to the variable probe adapter 26 by the screw portion 18 c and the screw portion 26 c of the variable probe adapter 26 engaging with each other. Thereby, the variable probe adapter 26 is firmly fixed to the tool case 24.

  Here, the friction stir welding using the rotary tool 20 in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 24 is a schematic view showing the relationship between the load F applied to the metal material by the rotary tool 20 and the displacement X of the under shoulder 23. In this embodiment, since the coil compression spring 15 is used, the load F is proportional to the displacement X of the coil compression spring 15 according to Hooke's law. For this reason, the load F and the displacement X of the under shoulder 23 are proportional. Since the load F depends on the distance L2 between the spring receiving portion 24f and the spring receiving portion 29f, the initial value of the load F when the displacement X = 0 can be adjusted by adjusting the distance L2.

  Next, a method for adjusting the initial value of the load F will be described. FIG. 25 is a schematic diagram showing a method of adjusting the initial value of the load F. When the tool shaft 22 is rotated in the direction of the arrow, the screw portion 29c and the screw portion 22c are engaged with each other, thereby reducing the distance L2. For this reason, the coil compression spring 15 is clamped in the direction shortened from the natural length. Therefore, a load F corresponding to the deflection of the coil compression spring 15 is generated in the coil compression spring 15. Therefore, by adjusting the amount of rotation of the tool shaft 22, the load F can be controlled by changing the length of the coil compression spring 15 between the tool case 24 and the probe adapter nut 29, A predetermined value can be used as the initial value of the load F. Note that the initial value of the load F varies with the frequency of use of the rotary tool 20 or with the passage of time, and therefore can be corrected by periodically measuring with a predetermined measuring machine. In order to fix the initial value of the adjusted load F, it is only necessary to screw a grub screw into the screw hole 29 i of the probe adapter nut 29 and firmly fix the probe adapter nut 29 to the tool shaft 22.

  Next, a method for adjusting the distance of the under shoulder 23 from the tool case 24 will be described. As shown in FIG. 26, when the variable probe adapter 26 is rotated in the direction of the arrow in the drawing, the tool shaft receiving portion 26e of the variable probe adapter 26 and the variable probe adapter receiving portion 22e of the tool shaft 22 come into contact with each other, The tool shaft 22 having the under shoulder 23 connected to the tip is separated from the tool case 24. Thereby, the distance from the tool case 24 of the under shoulder 23 can be adjusted, and a metal material can be inserted between the tool case 24 and the under shoulder 23.

  Next, a method for fixing the distance of the adjusted contact surface 23s of the under shoulder 23 from the contact surface 24s of the tool case 24 will be described. As shown in FIG. 27, the fixed probe adapter nut 18 is fixed to the variable probe adapter 26 by rotating the fixed probe adapter nut 18 so that the screw portion 18c and the screw portion 26c are engaged with each other. As a result, the fixed probe adapter nut 18 fixed to the variable probe adapter 26 presses the tool case 24, whereby the variable probe adapter 26 is firmly fixed to the tool case 24, and therefore the contact surface 23 s of the under shoulder 23. The distance from the contact surface 24s of the tool case 24 is fixed to a predetermined value X0.

  Here, the stirring method 1 using the rotary tool 20 of this embodiment is demonstrated. FIG. 28 is a schematic diagram illustrating a state in which friction stir welding is performed using the rotary tool 20. As shown in FIG. 28, the rotary tool 20 is attached to the rotary tool chuck 100. The rotary tool chuck 100 is a part of a general-purpose machine tool such as a milling machine. A control mechanism 101 is connected to the rotary tool chuck 100. The control mechanism 101 includes a rotation motor 111, an X-axis movement motor 112, a Y-axis movement motor 113, and a Z-axis movement motor 114. Furthermore, a controller 110 that controls the rotation motor 111, the X-axis movement motor 112, the Y-axis movement motor 113, and the Z-axis movement motor 114 is provided. Thereby, the control mechanism 101 can control the positions of the rotary tool 20 attached to the rotary tool chuck 100 in the X-axis direction, the Y-axis direction, and the Z-axis direction with respect to the metal materials 2a and 2b. For this reason, the rotary tool chuck 100 can freely move in the X-axis direction, the Y-axis direction, and the Z-axis direction. Then, the rotary tool 20 mounted on the rotary tool chuck 100 is inserted while the ends of the metal materials 2a and 2b are rotated to the butt coupling portion P, along the butt surface to be joined. Is moved while being rotated. Further, the coupling portion P may be curved.

  As described above, according to the rotary tool 20 according to the second embodiment, when the metal members 2 a and 2 b are sandwiched between the under shoulder 23 and the tool case 24, the under shoulder 23 and the tool shaft 22 are outside of the tool case 24. It moves relative to the direction of projecting to. For this reason, a force is generated in a direction in which the tool case 24 is pulled inward of the tool case 24 as a restoring force of the coil compression spring 15, and becomes a load F to the metal materials 2a and 2b. The relative position of the under shoulder 23 and the tool shaft 22 with respect to the tool case 24 is controlled by a general-purpose machine tool such as a milling machine, so that the load F can be rotated while being kept substantially constant. Therefore, by controlling the position of the tool case 24 with respect to the metal materials 2a and 2b and controlling the relative position of the under shoulder 23 with respect to the tool case 24, the load F of the under shoulder 23 on the metal materials 2a and 2b is controlled. be able to. Therefore, the load control of the friction stir welding can be performed while performing the load control with a general-purpose machine tool capable of position control. Further, by using the rotary tool 20, a good joint can be obtained even when the plate thickness of the material to be joined changes.

  In the embodiment described above, an example of the rotary tool 10 and the rotary tool 20 according to the present invention is shown, and the present invention is not limited to the rotary tool 10 and the rotary tool 20 according to the embodiment. It may be applied to a thing.

  In the present embodiment, the tool shaft 12 constituting the rotary tool 10 and the tool shaft 22 constituting the rotary tool 20 are circular members. However, the tool shaft 12 and the tool shaft 22 are not limited to a cylindrical shape. A polygonal tubular member may be used. Even in this case, the same effects as in the present embodiment can be obtained.

  In the embodiment described above, the general-purpose machine tool to which the rotary tool 10 or the rotary tool 20 is attached is, for example, a milling machine, but may be a drilling machine or a machining center. Even in this case, the same effects as in the present embodiment can be obtained.

  In the above-described embodiment, the rotary tool chuck 100 to which the rotary tool 10 or the rotary tool 20 is attached can be freely moved in the X-axis direction, the Y-axis direction, and the Z-axis direction. The movement direction is not limited to the X-axis direction, the Y-axis direction, and the Z-axis direction. May be the direction of movement. Alternatively, an arbitrary number of moving axes different from the X axis, Y axis, and Z axis may be newly added. For example, the rotary tool chuck 100 such as a general-purpose machine tool or a machining center used for free-form surface machining may be used. When the rotary tool 10 or the rotary tool 20 is attached, the moving direction of the rotary tool chuck 100 is to control each direction component of the X-axis direction, the Y-axis direction, the Z-axis direction, and one or more new axial directions. It is good also as a moving direction in the space obtained by. For example, only one of the Z axes may be controlled. Even when configured in this way, the same effects as in the present embodiment can be obtained.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Rotary tool, 12 ... Tool shaft, 14 ... Tool case, 15 ... Coil compression spring, 16 ... Variable probe adapter, 18 ... Fixed probe adapter nut, 20 ... Rotary tool, 22 ... Tool shaft, 23 ... Under shoulder, 24 ... tool case, 26 ... variable probe adapter, 29 ... probe adapter nut.

Claims (7)

A rotating tool that rotates in contact with a metal material,
A contact member whose tip is brought into contact with the metal material;
A holding member attached so as to be relatively movable in a direction in which the contact member protrudes outward and a direction in which the contact member retracts;
Spring means for generating a force in a direction in which the contact member protrudes outside the holding member according to a relative position of the contact member with respect to the holding member;
The spring means includes spring force adjusting means for adjusting the force generated by the spring means,
The spring force adjusting means is a rotating tool that adjusts the force generated by the spring means by adjusting an initial displacement of the spring means . A rotating tool that is inserted into the joint where the end faces of the metal materials abutted with each other at the end faces are in contact with each other, and is rotated while sandwiching the joint from the front and back surfaces of the metal material ,
A first contact member in contact with the back surface of the metallic material,
A second contact member in contact with the table surface of said metal member,
An agitation shaft member inserted into the joint portion while connecting the first contact member and the second contact member;
While having the second contact member to-edge, a holding member mounted for relative movement in a direction to draw the direction and inwardly of the first contact member and the stirring shaft member protrudes outward,
A spring means for generating a force in a direction in which the first contact member and the stirring shaft member are drawn inside the holding member according to a relative position of the first contact member and the stirring shaft member with respect to the holding member; , With rotating tool.   The rotating tool according to claim 2, further comprising a contact member distance adjusting unit that adjusts a distance between the first contact member and the second contact member. The rotary tool according to claim 2 or 3 , wherein the spring means includes spring force adjusting means for adjusting the force generated by the spring means.   The rotary tool according to claim 4, wherein the spring force adjusting means adjusts the force generated by the spring means by adjusting an initial displacement of the spring means.   The rotary tool according to claim 1, wherein the spring means includes a coil spring.   The rotary tool according to claim 2, wherein the first contact member is fixed to the agitation shaft member by a set screw screwed into the first contact member.

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