Abstract: A friction stir welding method for steel sheets includes inserting a rotating tool into an unwelded portion where two or more steel sheets are overlapped or butted together; moving the rotating tool along portions to be welded while rotating the tool so that a softened portion is formed in the steel sheets by friction heat generated between the rotating tool and the steel sheets, and the steel sheets are welded together by utilizing a plastic flow generated by the softened portion being stirred; and preheating the unwelded portion before welding by the rotating tool by a pair of heating devices disposed over and under the unwelded portion and ahead of the rotating tool in the advancing direction to enable high speed welding without the risk of generation of welding defects and damage to the welding tool.

Abstract: This indirect spot welding is for welding members including at least two overlapping steel sheets that have a ferrite phase as a main phase by holding a welding electrode (23) against a steel sheet (21) from one side while applying pressure with the electrode (23), attaching a feeding point (24) to a steel sheet (22) at the other side at a location remote from the electrode (23), and allowing current to flow between the electrode (23) and the feeding point (24). This welding includes contacting magnetic rigid bodies (26-1, 26-2) to a peripheral area of the electrode (23) from the one side against which the electrode (23) is held and securing an overlapping region in the peripheral area of the electrode (23) by a magnetic force produced by the rigid bodies (26-1, 26-2), thereby obtaining a weld having fully satisfactory strength, regardless of the rigidity of the members.

Abstract: An oval nugget can reliably be obtained with this indirect spot welding method. In this indirect spot welding method, an electrode end portion of a welding electrode includes a tip of the welding electrode, and as viewed from the tip, the electrode end portion has a two-step dome shape formed by a first curved surface with a curvature radius r1 (mm) located within a range of a circle of radius R (mm) centering on the tip and a second curved surface with a curvature radius r2 (mm). 2?t?R?6?t (1), 30?r1 (2), and 6?r2?12 (3), where t is the sheet thickness (mm) of a thinner metal sheet.

Abstract: A resistance spot welding system includes a calculation unit that calculate and store a time variation of an instantaneous amount of heat generated, a division unit that divides a current pattern into a plurality of steps and stores a time variation of the instantaneous amount of heat generated and a cumulative amount of heat generated for each step as a target value, and an adaptive control unit that starts welding upon subsequent actual welding using, as a standard, a time variation curve of the instantaneous amount of heat generated that is stored as the target value, and adjusts welding current and voltage during welding, when a time variation amount of an instantaneous amount of heat generated deviates during any step from the time variation curve by a difference, so as to compensate for the difference during a remaining welding time in the step.

Abstract: Proposed is a method of resistance spot welding to join a plurality of overlapping metal sheets, including: dividing a current pattern into two or more steps for welding; before actual welding, performing test welding to store, for each step as a target value, a time variation of an instantaneous amount of heat generated per unit volume and a cumulative amount of heat generated per unit volume; and subsequently, as actual welding, starting welding using, as a standard, a time variation curve of the instantaneous amount of heat generated per unit volume obtained by the test welding, and when a time variation amount of an instantaneous amount of heat generated deviates during any step from the time variation curve by a difference, performing adaptive control welding to control a current passage amount in order to compensate for the difference during a remaining welding time in the step.

Abstract: An indirect spot welding method is provided in which, in indirect spot welding, nuggets formed in a fused state can be stably obtained. In the indirect spot welding method, the welding time is divided into two time periods t1 and t2, where electrode force F1 and current C1 are applied in the first time period t1, and electrode force F2 lower than electrode force F1 and current C2 higher than current C1 are applied in the next time period t2.

Abstract: When friction-stir welding steel sheets, for the rotating tool, rotation speed RS is 100-1000 rpm, rotational torque RT 50-500 Nm, and travel speed TS 10-1000 mm/min, and HIPT (kJ/mm2) is 0.3-1.5. The steel sheets used have a composition including 0.01-0.2 mass % of C, 0.5-2.0 mass % of Mn, 0.6 mass % or less of Si, 0.030 mass % or less of P, 0.015 mass % or less of S, and 0.0060 mass % or less of 0, with a content of Ti [% Ti] and a content of N [% N] being restricted in relation to the HIPT, Ceq being 0.5 mass % or less, and the balance being Fe and incidental impurities. As a result, local change in the frictional heat and plastic flow generated by friction can be prevented, yielding a weld portion with uniform and good toughness.

Abstract: Provided is a method of resistance spot welding of welding a sheet set including a high strength steel sheet with which a high joint strength can be achieved even for a high Ceq material. A method of resistance spot welding a sheet set of two or more lapped steel sheets by weld the sheet set while clamping and pressing the sheet set between a pair of welding electrodes includes a first welding step of applying an weld current Im (kA) and forming a nugget having a nugget diameter d (mm) that satisfies the following inequality (1); a cooling step, subsequent to the foregoing first welding, of cooling the sheet set while continuing to press the sheet set; and a second welding step of performing two-step welding, 3×?tm?d?6×?tm??(1), where tm is the thickness (mm) of the thinnest one of the foregoing two or more steel sheets.

Abstract: In a welded joint manufactured by a method of resistance spot welding thin steel sheets, when the diameter of a nugget formed from the thin steel sheets is denoted by d, on a horizontal plane passing through a nugget surrounded by a corona bond, distribution of an amount of P in a region in the nugget surrounded by a closed curve at a distance d/100 from an end portion of a weld zone toward the inside of the nugget and a closed curve at a distance d/5 from the end portion of the weld zone toward the inside of the nugget is analyzed by area analysis, and the proportion of the region in terms of area in which the concentration m (mass %) of P is more than twice the concentration M (mass %) of P of a base metal composition is 5% or less.

Abstract: An indirect spot welding method is provided in which, in indirect spot welding, nuggets formed in a fused state can be stably obtained. In the indirect spot welding method, the welding time is divided into two time periods t1 and t2, where electrode force F1 and current C1 are applied in the first time period t1, and electrode force F2 lower than electrode force F1 and current C2 higher than current C1 are applied in the next time period t2.

Abstract: In carbon dioxide arc welding by use of shielding gas comprised of carbon dioxide as main component, a welding wire that enables spray transfer of globules, and provides an excellent bead shape in addition to reduction of amount of spatters even in a high-speed welding, and a welding method using the welding wire are proposed.

Abstract: An aluminum alloy sheet combining excellent press formability and spot weldability is disclosed. A chromate film of about 1.0 to 50.0 mg/m.sup.2 expressed in terms of metallic chromium is formed as a first layer on an aluminum alloy sheet, and an organic resin film containing about 60-95% by weight of organic lubricant and having a thickness of 0.02 to 0.90 .mu.m in terms of dry thickness is formed as a second layer on the chromate film. As the organic lubricant, a high-density polyethylene having a mean molecular weight of about 900 to 15,000 and a density of about 0.93 g/ml or more is preferable. This aluminum alloy sheet can be effectively used for automobile body applications.

Abstract: A method including preparing an aluminum scrap containing a total of about 0.3 to 2.0 wt % of Fe and Si; melting and then adjusting the material composition so as to attain an Mg content of about 3 to 10 wt % or a composition further containing at least one of the elements Cu, Mn, Cr, Zr and Ti, each in the amount of 0.02 to 0.5 wt %; subjecting the material to casting, hot rolling, cold rolling and continuous annealing to obtain an aluminum alloy sheet having a tensile strength of about 31 kgf/mm.sup.2 or more; and applying a lubricant surface coating to impart a coefficient of friction of not more than about 0.11.

Abstract: A surface-treated aluminum material comprising an aluminum or aluminum alloy substrate, a chromate film deposited on the substrate, and an organic resin mixture film deposited on the chromate film is provided. The chromate film is deposited to a coating weight of from 5 to 100 mg/m.sup.2 calculated in terms of elementary chromium on the aluminum substrate. The organic resin mixture film is deposited to a dry film thickness of from 0.05 to 3.0 .mu.m, and comprises (a) 100 parts by weight of an organic resin, (b) 0.5 to 40 parts by weight of a powder lubricant having an average particle size of from 0.05 to 20 .mu.m, said average particle size being in the range of from 1.0 to 10 folds of the dry film thickness, and (c) 1.0 to 40 parts by weight of electroconductive finely divided particles having an average particle size in the range of from 0.05 to 5 .mu.m, said average particle size being in the range of from 1.0 to 2 folds of the dry film thickness.