Tool for friction stir welding

Abstract

A tool for friction stir welding includes a tool part, a shank part and a cap part. The tool part and the shank part have a hexagonal frustum-shaped concave section and a hexagonal frustum-shaped convex section to enable movement of the tool part with respect to the shank part in a direction parallel to an axis of rotation while movement of the tool part with respect to the shank part in a direction around the axis of rotation is restricted, by the hexagonal frustum-shaped concave section and the hexagonal frustum-shaped convex section of the tool part and the shank part are fitted to each other. After the hexagonal frustum-shaped concave section and the hexagonal frustum-shaped convex section are fitted to each other, by the tool part and the shank part being covered by the cap part, the tool part is fixed to the shank part.

1 . A tool for friction stir welding comprising:
 a tool part abutting a workpiece while being rotated;   a shank part configured to fix the tool part to a front end of the shank part and be rotated together with the tool part; and   a cap part configured to cover the tool part and the shank part,   wherein portions in the tool part and the shank part at which the tool part and the shank part contact each other have at least one from between a convex section and a concave section, in order to enable movement of the tool part with respect to the shank part in a direction parallel to an axis of rotation of the shank part while movement of the tool part with respect to the shank part in a direction around the axis of rotation of the shank part is restricted, by the convex section and the concave section of the tool part and the shank part being fitted to each other, and   after the convex section and the concave section of the tool part and the shank part are fitted to each other, the tool part is fixed to the front end of the shank part, by the tool part and the shank part being covered by the cap part.   
     
     
         2 . A tool for friction stir welding comprising:
 a tool part abutting a workpiece while being rotated;   a shank part configured to fix the tool part to a front end of the shank part and be rotated together with the tool part; and   a screw having a groove formed at its outer periphery thereof for fixing the tool part to the front end of the shank part,   wherein portions in the tool part and the shank part at which the tool part and the shank part contact each other have at least one from between a convex section and a concave section, in order to enable movement of the tool part with respect to the shank part in a direction parallel to an axis of rotation of the shank part while movement of the tool part with respect to the shank part in a direction around the axis of rotation of the shank part is restricted, by the convex section and the concave section of the tool part and the shank part being fitted to each other,   the shank part has a shank part hole section wherein the screw is capable of reaching the tool part fixed to the front end of the shank part passing through the shank part,   the tool part has a tool part screw hole section having a groove, at an inner periphery, meshing with the groove of the outer periphery of the screw passing through the shank part hole section, and   after the convex section and the concave section of the tool part and the shank part are fitted to each other, the tool part is fixed to the front end of the shank part, by the groove of the outer periphery of the screw passed through the shank part hole section meshing with the groove of the inner periphery of the tool part screw hole section.   
     
     
         3 . The tool for friction stir welding according to  claim 2 , having a groove with an inner diameter larger than an inner diameter of the tool part screw hole section in an inner periphery of the shank part hole section, and capable of screwing in a tool part detachment screw having a groove on its outer periphery meshing with the groove of the inner periphery of the shank part hole section. 
     
     
         4 . The tool for friction stir welding according to  claim 2 , wherein the groove of the outer periphery of the screw and the groove of the inner periphery of the tool part screw hole section are formed such that the screw moves in an inward direction of the tool part screw hole section when the screw is rotated in the same direction as the rotational direction of the shank part. 
     
     
         5 . The tool for friction stir welding according to  claim 1 , wherein the convex section is a shape protruding in either a polygonal conical shape or a polygonal frustum shape, and the concave section is a shape recessed in either a polygonal conical shape or a polygonal frustum shape. 
     
     
         6 - 11 . (canceled) 
     
     
         12 . The tool for friction stir welding according to  claim 2 , wherein the convex section is a shape protruding in either a polygonal conical shape or a polygonal frustum shape, and the concave section is a shape recessed in either a polygonal conical shape or a polygonal frustum shape. 
     
     
         13 . The tool for friction stir welding according to  claim 1 , wherein the convex section is a protruding shape as a key, and the concave section has a recessed shape as a key groove. 
     
     
         14 . The tool for friction stir welding according to  claim 2 , wherein the convex section is a protruding shape as a key, and the concave section has a recessed shape as a key groove. 
     
     
         15 . The tool for friction stir welding according to  claim 1 , wherein the convex section has a serrated shape including a surface parallel to the axis of rotation of the shank part and perpendicular to the direction around the axis of rotation, and the concave section has a serrated shape including a surface parallel to the axis of rotation of the shank part and perpendicular to a direction around the axis of rotation. 
     
     
         16 . The tool for friction stir welding according to  claim 2 , wherein the convex section has a serrated shape including a surface parallel to the axis of rotation of the shank part and perpendicular to the direction around the axis of rotation, and the concave section has a serrated shape including a surface parallel to the axis of rotation of the shank part and perpendicular to a direction around the axis of rotation. 
     
     
         17 . The tool for friction stir welding according to  claim 2 , wherein the convex section has a serrated shape including a surface parallel to the axis of rotation of the shank part and perpendicular to a direction around the axis of rotation, and the concave section has a serrated shape including a surface parallel to the axis of rotation of the shank part and perpendicular to the direction around the axis of rotation,
 and further provided with a nut having a groove at its inner periphery meshing with the groove of the outer periphery of the screw, the nut having an outer diameter larger than an inner diameter of the shank part hole section,   wherein the screw passes through the nut while the groove of the outer periphery of the screw and the groove of the inner periphery of the nut are meshed with each other,   the convex section and the concave section of the tool part and the shank part are fitted to each other,   and after the groove of the outer periphery of the screw passing through the shank part hole section is meshed with the groove of the inner periphery of the tool part screw hole section, in a state in which the shank part is disposed between the tool part and the nut,   the tool part is fixed to the front end of the shank part by the nut being rotated in a direction in which the nut and the tool part approach each other, and   the tool part is detached from the front end of the shank part by the screw being rotated in a direction in which surfaces perpendicular to the direction around the axis of rotation of the serrated shapes fitted to each other separate from each other, after the nut is rotated in a direction in which the nut and the tool part recede from each other.   
     
     
         18 . The tool for friction stir welding according to  claim 2 , wherein the convex section has a serrated shape including a surface parallel to the axis of rotation of the shank part and perpendicular to a direction around the axis of rotation, and the concave section has a serrated shape including a surface parallel to the axis of rotation of the shank part and perpendicular to the direction around the axis of rotation,
 and after the screw is removed from the tool part screw hole section and the shank part hole section,   a tool part detachment screw having a groove at its outer periphery meshing with the groove of the inner periphery of the tool part screw hole section passes through the shank part hole section, and the groove of the outer periphery of the tool part detachment screw is meshed with the groove of the inner periphery of the tool part screw hole section, and   the tool part is detached from the front end of the shank part by the tool part detachment screw being rotated in a direction in which surfaces perpendicular to the direction around the axis of rotation of the serrated shapes fitted to each other separate from each other.   
     
     
         19 . A tool for friction stir welding comprising:
 a tool part abutting a workpiece while being rotated;   a shank part configured to fix the tool part to a front end of the shank part and be rotated together with the tool part; and   a sliding restriction member fixed to a portion at which the tool part and the shank part contact each other,   wherein a portion of the tool part and the shank part in which the tool part and the shank part contact each other have at least one from between a dovetail-shaped section protruding in a trapezoidal shape and a dovetail groove section recessed in a trapezoidal shape, the dovetail-shaped section protruding in a trapezoidal shape and the dovetail groove section recessed in a trapezoidal shape enabling slide movement of the tool part with respect to the shank part in a direction perpendicular to an axis of rotation of the shank part while movement of the tool part with respect to the shank part in a direction parallel to the axis of rotation of the shank part is restricted by the dovetail-shaped section and the dovetail groove section of the tool part and the shank part being fitted to each other, and   after the dovetail-shaped section and the dovetail groove section of the tool part and the shank part are fitted to each other, the tool part is fixed to the front end of the shank part so as to restrict slide movement of the tool part with respect to the shank part in the direction perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the shank part, by the sliding restriction member being fixed to the portion at which the tool part and the shank part contact each other.   
     
     
         20 . The tool for friction stir welding according to  claim 19 , further comprising a detachment member receiving section capable of having attached thereto a detachment member for applying a force such that the tool part slides with respect to the shank part in the direction perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the shank part when the dovetail-shaped section and the dovetail groove section of the tool part and the shank part are fitted to each other and the sliding restriction member is not fixed to the portion at which the tool part and the shank part contact each other.