Patent application number | Description | Published |
20080236720 | Joining polymer workpieces to other components - A shape memory polymer workpiece is attached to a second workpiece. A face of the SMP workpiece is placed against an attachment surface of the second workpiece. The second workpiece has an attachment hole(s). The SMP workpiece is activated (e.g., heated) to a softening temperature and a portion extruded into the attachment hole of the facing surface of the second workpiece. The SMP piece is held while still heated against the second workpiece, the material flowing as result of the shape memory effect to form an attachment. As the SMP material cools while still under load its modulus increases fixing the attachment geometry. Reheating the attached parts without pushing them together reverses the process. | 10-02-2008 |
20080302474 | Friction heating for joining dissimilar materials - One side of a metal sheet is joined to a polymer layer by applying heat to a joining area on the opposite side of the metal. The heat flows through the thin metal to activate a thermoplastic material or heat setting polymer into a bond with the metal. The method can be used to bond the metal sheet to a plastic body or another metal member. It is preferred to use a friction or friction stir tool to heat the metal surface. | 12-11-2008 |
20080308236 | Friction Heating for Joining Dissimilar Materials - One side of a metal sheet is joined to a polymer layer by applying heat to a joining area on the opposite side of the metal. The heat flows through the thin metal to activate a thermoplastic material or heat setting polymer into a bond with the metal. The method can be used to bond the metal sheet to a plastic body or another metal member. It is preferred to use a friction or friction stir tool to heat the metal surface. | 12-18-2008 |
20090200359 | REDUCING SHEET DISTORTION IN FRICTION STIR PROCESSING - Local heat may be generated through surfaces of sheet metal workpieces by supporting the workpiece(s) on a hard surfaced anvil and engaging the opposite surface of the workpiece with a rotating, and optionally translating, friction stir tool that is pressed against the work surface. Advantages are realized in friction stir processing (e.g. seam or spot welding) of such sheet metal workpieces by using an anvil with appreciable thermal conductivity, or a liquid cooled anvil body, to suitably cool the site(s) of the workpiece engaged by the friction stir tool to minimize or eliminate distortion of the workpiece. | 08-13-2009 |
20090308913 | DEVICE FOR USE WITH A FRICTION STIR SPOT WELDING (FSSW) APPARATUS - A device for use with a welding apparatus, such as a friction stir spot welding (FSSW) apparatus, that maintains work pieces in a generally flat or flush orientation during a welding operation. The device can be mounted to the operable end of an FSSW apparatus so that it exerts a stabilizing force against an upper work piece. The stabilizing force exerted by the device prevents the upper work piece from deflecting when the rotating tool of the FSSW apparatus passes through the upper work piece and penetrates into the lower work piece. In an exemplary embodiment, the device includes a housing component that slidably receives a movable component under the force of a biasing component. | 12-17-2009 |
20100089976 | Friction stir welding of dissimilar metals - When a friction stir weld tool penetrates the interface of two workpieces of dissimilar metal alloy materials, the resultant weld of the different alloy materials may produce a weak weld joint. Such weak joints are often experienced, for example, when attempting to form spot welds or other friction stir welds between a magnesium alloy sheet or strip and an aluminum alloy sheet or strip. It is discovered that suitable coating compositions including an adhesive placed at the interface of assembled workpieces can alter the composition of the friction stir weld material and strengthen the resulting bond. In the example of friction stir welds between magnesium alloy and aluminum alloy workpieces, it is found that combinations of an adhesive with copper, tin, zinc, and/or other powders can strengthen the magnesium-containing and aluminum-containing friction stir weld material. | 04-15-2010 |
20100089977 | FRICTION STIR WELDING OF DISSIMILAR METALS - When a friction stir weld tool penetrates the interface of two workpieces of dissimilar metal alloy materials, the resultant weld of the different alloy materials may produce a weak weld joint. Such weak joints are often experienced, for example, when attempting to form spot welds or other friction stir welds between a magnesium alloy sheet or strip and an aluminum alloy sheet or strip. It is discovered that suitable coating compositions placed at the interface of assembled workpieces can alter the composition of the friction stir weld material and strengthen the resulting bond. In the example of friction stir welds between magnesium alloy and aluminum alloy workpieces, it is found that combinations of copper, tin, and zinc, and other powders can strengthen the magnesium-containing and aluminum-containing friction stir weld material. | 04-15-2010 |
20100258537 | WELDING LIGHT METAL WORKPIECES BY REACTION METALLURGY - Aluminum alloy workpieces and/or magnesium alloy workpieces are joined in a solid state weld by use of a reactive material placed, in a suitable form, at the joining surfaces. Joining surfaces of the workpieces are pressed against the interposed reactive material and heated. The reactive material alloys or reacts with the workpiece surfaces consuming some of the surface material in forming a reaction product comprising a low melting liquid that removes oxide films and other surface impediments to a welded bond across the interface. Further pressure is applied to expel the reaction product and to join the workpiece surfaces in a solid state weld bond. | 10-14-2010 |
20110048958 | METHODS OF REDUCING SURFACE ROUGHNESS AND IMPROVING OXIDE COATING THICKNESS UNIFORMITY FOR ANODIZED ALUMINUM-SILICON ALLOYS - In one exemplary method, an anodized aluminum-silicon alloy work piece may be formed from an aluminum-silicon alloy substrate material by applying a friction stir processing treatment to the aluminum-silicon alloy substrate material to reduce an average particle size of a plurality of silicon particles contained within the substrate material while increasing a size uniformity of the plurality of silicon particles, and subsequently anodizing said aluminum-silicon alloy substrate material. | 03-03-2011 |
20110111246 | MODIFIED SURFACES USING FRICTION STIR PROCESSING - A procedure for incorporating particles to a predetermined depth in a body to develop a composite surface layer using friction stir processing is described. The process comprises; preparing the surface of the body; applying particulate matter to the prepared surface; selecting a friction stir tool with a pin length substantially equal to the desired composite layer thickness; using a friction stir process to frictionally heat, stir and intermix the particulate matter with the matrix of the article; and traversing the friction stir tool across the body. | 05-12-2011 |
20110214799 | FRICTION STIR WELDING OF DISSIMILAR METALS - When a friction stir weld tool penetrates the interface of two workpieces of dissimilar metal alloy materials, the resultant weld of the different alloy materials may produce a weak weld joint. Such weak joints are often experienced, for example, when attempting to form spot welds or other friction stir welds between a magnesium alloy sheet or strip and an aluminum alloy sheet or strip. It is discovered that suitable coating compositions including an adhesive placed at the interface of assembled workpieces can alter the composition of the friction stir weld material and strengthen the resulting bond. In the example of friction stir welds between magnesium alloy and aluminum alloy workpieces, it is found that combinations of an adhesive with copper, tin, zinc, and/or other powders can strengthen the magnesium-containing and aluminum-containing friction stir weld material. | 09-08-2011 |