Friction stir welding apparatus

• Main Authors: BURG JAMES T, COBES JOHN W. JR, SPINELLA DONALD J, STOL ISRAEL
• Format: Patent
• Language: Chinese; English
• Published: 04.08.2010
• Subjects: CLADDING OR PLATING BY SOLDERING OR WELDING; CUTTING BY APPLYING HEAT LOCALLY, e.g. FLAME CUTTING; MACHINE TOOLS; METAL-WORKING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; SOLDERING OR UNSOLDERING; TRANSPORTING; WELDING; WORKING BY LASER BEAM

Portable friction stir welding apparatus having a crawler (200) which supports a motor (308) for rotating a Friction Stir Welding tool (213) and is coupled to a drive mechanism for urging the crawler along a predefined weld path on work pieces. The crawler can comprise one member (201) or a set of two or three physically separated members (201, 202, 203) each rotatably coupled to the friction stir welding tool. When one member is used to make a weld, it is located on top of the work pieces. When two members are used to make a weld, one member is located on the top of the work pieces and the second member is located on bottom of the work pieces. When three members are used to make two welds simultaneously on an upper work piece and a lower work piece, one member of the crawler is located on the top surface of the upper work piece, a second member is located between the two work pieces, and a third member is located on the bottom surface of the lower work piece. The friction stir welding tool for making the wel