Welding auxiliary joining part and method for connecting components by way of said welding auxiliary joining part

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10384295-B2
Application number	US-201314431135-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 23, 2013
Priority date	Sep 25, 2012
Publication date	Aug 20, 2019
Grant date	Aug 20, 2019

Abstract

A welding auxiliary joining part is disclosed in the shape of a stud having a head, a shank and a tip. The welding auxiliary joining part is driven in by means of a mechanical-thermal setting method into a component of non- or poorly weldable material. During the driving in, a welding head is created due to mechanical deformation so that the component may be connected subsequently via the welding auxiliary joining part to a further component of weldable material by means of welding.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. Connection method by means of a welding auxiliary joining part for at least a first component without pre-punching the at least one first component with at least a second component of weldable material or having a portion of weldable material, wherein the method comprises the following steps:
a. first, driving in of the welding auxiliary joining part into the first component by means of a combined mechanical-electrical load of at least the welding auxiliary joining part, wherein
i) the driving in takes place by an electrode punch and the welding auxiliary joining part is guided by an electrode blank holder, while
ii) the welding auxiliary joining part is heated by an electric current flow within the welding auxiliary joining part, wherein
iii) the current flow is guided from the electrode blank holder via the first component into an electrode die, so that a warm pushing in of the welding auxiliary joining part into the first components results which facilitates the entering of the welding auxiliary joining part into the first component, wherein
iv) no contact is present between the welding auxiliary joining part and the second component during the driving in of the welding auxiliary joining part into the first component,

b. after the driving in of the welding auxiliary joining part into the first component and when the welding auxiliary joining part contacts the second component, compressing the welding auxiliary joining part and laterally widening the welding auxiliary joining part transversely to a longitudinal axis of the welding auxiliary joining part under combined mechanical-electrical load at the at least one second component of weldable material which is arranged at an exit location of the welding auxiliary joining part out of the at least one first component whereby
i) a tip portion of the welding auxiliary joining part is at least partly deformed to a welding head having a welding surface so that the welding surface is formed at the interface between welding auxiliary joining part and the at least one second component, wherein
ii) the compressing leads to a deformation of the welding auxiliary joining part within the first component, and

c. welding of the welding auxiliary joining part to the at least one second component by a welding current flowing between the electrode punch and the electrode die so that the at least one first component and the at least one second component are connected to each other by means of the welding auxiliary joining part, wherein
d. the connection method takes place continuously in a mechanical-electrical setting-welding-process.

2. Connection method according to claim 1 wherein the at least one first component and the at least one second component are welded by means of resistance stud welding or resistance spot welding.

3. Connection method according to claim 1 , wherein the welding auxiliary joining part is a stud having a head or at least a tip portion, in which a head diameter is larger than a maximum thickness of the tip portion and wherein the stud abuts with a head underside facing the at least one first component the at least one first component after completion of the connection method, or is spaced therefrom.

4. Connection method according to claim 1 , wherein the welding auxiliary joining part is a stud having a head, in which a head diameter does not exceed a maximum thickness of the tip portion, and wherein the stud with the head is flush with the at least one first component or protrudes therefrom after completion of the connection method.

5. Connection method according to claim 3 , wherein the head of the welding auxiliary joining part has a circular groove at a side facing the tip portion for receiving a material deformation of a component adjacent to the head.

6. Connection method according to claim 3 , wherein the tip portion has an ogival tip having an ogivality factor in the range of 1 to 10 or a conical, a round, a parabolic or a pyramid-shaped design.

7. Connection method according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one first component consists of an electrically conductive material and the welding auxiliary joining part is driven in by means of an electrode punch.

8. Connection method according to claim 7 , wherein the electrode punch and an electrode die have different polarities so that a current flows between electrode punch and electrode die via the welding auxiliary joining part and the first component which heats at least the welding auxiliary joining part.

9. At least a first component of a weldable or a non- or poorly weldable material and at least a second component of weldable material or having at least a portion of weldable material, especially a vehicle, which have been connected to each other by a mechanical-thermal setting-welding-process according to claim 1 via a weldable welding auxiliary joining part set into the at least one first component and having a mechanically-thermally deformed tip portion.

10. Connection method according to claim 1 , wherein the driving in by the mechanical-electrical load accelerates the welding auxiliary joining part up to a speed in the range of >0.5 m/s to 5 m/s.

11. Connection method according to claim 1 , wherein the welding auxiliary joining part is formed in the shape of a stud which is made of steel having a carbon equivalent of 0.2 to 0.8.

12. Connection method by a welding auxiliary joining part for at least a first component of an electrically non-conductive material without pre-punching the at least one first component with at least a second component of weldable material or having a portion of weldable material wherein the method comprises the following steps:
a. first, driving in of the welding auxiliary joining part into the first component by a combined mechanical-electrical load of at least the welding auxiliary joining part, while
i) the welding auxiliary joining part is heated by an electrical current flow within the welding auxiliary joining part so that a warm pushing in of the welding auxiliary joining part into the first components results which facilitates the entering of the welding auxiliary joining part into the first component, wherein
ii) the driving in takes place by an electrode punch and the welding auxiliary joining part is guided by an electrode blank holder so that the current flow during the driving in is guided from the electrode punch via the welding auxiliary joining part into the electrode blank holder and
iii) no contact is present between the welding auxiliary joining part and the second component during the driving in of the welding auxiliary joining part into the first component,

b. after the driving in of the welding auxiliary joining part into the first component and when the welding auxiliary joining part contacts the second component, compressing the welding auxiliary joining part and laterally widening the welding auxiliary joining part transversally to a longitudinal axis of the welding auxiliary joining part under combined mechanical-electrical load at the at least one second component of weldable material which is arranged at an exit location of the welding auxiliary joining part out of the at least one first component whereby
i) a tip portion of the welding auxiliary joining part is at least partly deformed to a welding head having a welding surface so that the welding surface is formed at the interface between welding auxiliary joining part and the at least one second component, wherein
ii) the compressing leads to a deformation of the welding auxiliary joining part within the first component, and

c. welding of the welding auxiliary joining part to the at least one second compone

Assignees

• Boellhoff Verbindungstechnik Gmbh

Inventors

• Draht Torsten
• Hartwig-Biglau Sergej

Classifications

• B23K2103/16

  Composite materials · CPC title

• B21J15/025

  Setting self-piercing rivets · CPC title

• B23K11/0053 Primary

  Stud welding, i.e. resistive · CPC title

• B23K11/0066

  Riveting · CPC title

• B23K11/20 Primary

  of different metals · CPC title