Friction stir welding tool, related methods, and assemblies formed to include friction stir weld

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10442030-B2
Application number	US-201715698949-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 8, 2017
Priority date	Sep 8, 2017
Publication date	Oct 15, 2019
Grant date	Oct 15, 2019

Abstract

Described are tools useful to produce a friction stir weld, methods of forming a friction stir weld, and assemblies such as electronic devices that include a friction stir weld.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A tool for forming a friction stir weld, the tool comprising:
a support body having:
a longitudinal axis,
an outer surface centered on the axis, and
a distal end having a distal face centered on the axis and extending to a distal face perimeter,

a pin extending from the distal face along the axis,
a scroll pattern in the distal face, the scroll pattern comprising multiple arcuate grooves in the distal face, each groove extending from a groove start location located between the axis and the distal face perimeter, to a groove end segment at the distal face perimeter, and
chamfered shoulder segments at the distal face perimeter between the groove end segments.

2. A tool of claim 1 wherein the chamfered shoulder segments comprise surfaces that extend between the outer surface and the distal face.

3. A tool of claim 2 wherein the chamfered shoulder surfaces extend along the perimeter between a support body edge defined by the chamfered shoulder surface and the outer surface, and a face edge defined by the chamfered shoulder surface and the distal face.

4. A tool of claim 3 wherein an angle at an intersection of the axis and a line that connects the support body edge and the face edge is in a range from 30 to 60 degrees.

5. A tool of claim 3 wherein a chamfered shoulder surface viewed in a cross sectional plane that includes the axis is a line between the support body edge and the face edge.

6. A tool of claim 1 wherein the scroll pattern includes a plurality of spiral grooves, and each groove extends along the distal face, away from the axis, to the perimeter.

7. A tool of claim 1 wherein the grooves have a depth relative to the distal face in a range from 0.05 to 0.5 millimeters.

8. A tool of claim 1 wherein the pin comprises:
a base at a connection between the pin and the distal face and centered on the axis,
a distal pin end located away from the base along the axis and centered on the axis, and
pin sidewalls extending between the base and the distal pin end.

9. A tool of claim 8 wherein the pin sidewalls include from 3 to 8 facets.

10. A tool of claim 1 wherein the support body has a diameter in a range from 2 to 10 millimeters.

11. A tool of claim 1 wherein the pin has a diameter in a range from 0.01 to 1.5 millimeter measured at a connection between the pin and the distal face.

12. A tool of claim 1 wherein the pin has a length along the axis in a range from 0.1 to 1.5 millimeters.

13. A tool of claim 1 wherein the grooves include chamfered sidewalls.

14. A method of forming a friction stir weld, the method comprising:
providing a workpiece comprising a first metal piece and a second metal piece,
providing a tool as provided at claim 1 ,
placing the tool in contact with the workpiece, and
rotating the tool about the axis while the tool contacts the workpiece to form a friction stir weld between the first metal piece and the second metal piece.

15. A method of claim 14 wherein, with the tool in contact with the workpiece, the first metal piece has a first thickness in a direction of the axis and the second metal piece has a second thickness in the direction of the axis, and the first thickness is less than the second thickness.

16. A method of claim 15 wherein the first thickness is less than 0.5 millimeters and the second thickness is greater than 0.5 millimeters.

17. A method of claim 14 wherein during rotating the pin extends to a depth of the workpiece that is greater than the first thickness.

18. A method of claim 14 comprising, during rotating, applying downforce in a direction of the axis from the tool to the joint, the downforce being less than 1,000 newtons.

19. A method of claim 14 comprising, during rotating, moving the tool along the joint at a speed that is in a range from 0.1 to 3 meters per minute.

20. A method of claim 14 comprising forming the friction stir weld at a perimeter of the workpiece, wherein the friction stir weld provides a hermetic seal at the perimeter.

Assignees

• Seagate Technology Llc

Inventors

• Severson Samuel Edward
• Bruce Jeffrey L
• Coffey Jerome Thomas

Classifications

• B23K20/12 Primary

  the heat being generated by friction; Friction welding · CPC title

• B23K20/1225

  Particular aspects of welding with a non-consumable tool · CPC title

• B23K2101/24

  Frameworks · CPC title

• B23K20/1255 Primary

  Tools therefor, e.g. characterised by the shape of the probe · CPC title

• B23K20/26

  Auxiliary equipment · CPC title