Abstract: A method for spot-welding metallic materials includes: sandwiching the metallic materials with a pair of electrodes; a pre-heating step for pre-heating a region different from a given region which should be welded by applying electric power having a high frequency to the pair of electrodes; and a welding step for spot-welding a given region of the metallic materials by applying electric power for welding to the pair of electrodes. The heating time in the pre-heating step and that in the welding step are independently controlled.

Abstract: A power conversion apparatus and a power conversion method are provided for heat treatment. The power conversion apparatus includes a rectifier configured to convert AC power to DC power, a smoothing filter configured to control the DC power received from the rectifier to be constant, an inverter configured to convert the DC power received from the smoothing filer into high-frequency power by turning the DC power on and off using a switching device made of an SiC semiconductor, and a control unit configured to control the rectifier and the inverter. A rating of output power output from the inverter is determined in accordance with a frequency of the high-frequency power output from the inverter, a current-applying time, and an operation rate obtained by dividing the current-applying time by a sum of the current-applying time and a non-current-applying time.

Abstract: A welding equipment for metallic materials capable of performing heat treatment such as tempering based on partial heating in spot welding is provided. The welding equipment sandwiches metallic materials with a pair of electrodes, and heats different regions of the metallic materials by energization, with the pair of electrodes maintained at the same position with respect to the metallic materials. The welding equipment includes a first heating means connected to the pair of electrodes for heating and welding the internal region of the circle defined by projecting the cross-sectional area of the axis of the electrodes on the metallic materials by applying power having a low first frequency, a second heating means for heating a ring-shaped region along the circle by applying power having a second frequency that is higher than the first frequency, and an energization control unit for independently controlling the first and the second heating means.

Abstract: An induction heating power supply apparatus includes a smoothing section to smooth pulsating current of DC power output from a DC power supply section, and an inverter to convert the DC power smoothed by the smoothing section to AC power. The smoothing section includes a pair of bus bars connected to the inverter and a capacitor connected to the pair of bus bars. Each of the bus bars has an external surface extending in a current flow direction, the external surface including a flat face having a larger surface dimension than another face of the external surface in a direction perpendicular to the current flow direction. The bus bars are arranged in a layered manner such that the flat faces of the bus bars are opposed to each other and such that an insulator is sandwiched between the flat faces of the bus bars.

Abstract: An induction heating, power supply apparatus includes a smoothing section to smooth DC power and an inverter section to convert the smoothed DC power into AC power, The inverter section has first and second modules, each having serially connected switching devices. Output bus bars are interposed between the first and second modules. The smoothing section has first bus bars connected to a DC power supply section and the first module, a capacitor connected to the first bus bars, second bus bars connected to the DC power supply section and the second module, and another capacitor connected to the second bus bars. The first and second bus bars extend parallel to the output bus bars. The first module is interposed between the first bus bars and the output bus bars. The second module is interposed between the second bus bars and the output bus bars.

Abstract: A power conversion apparatus and a power conversion method are provided for heat treatment. The power conversion apparatus includes a rectifier configured to convert AC power to DC power, a smoothing filter configured to control the DC power received from the rectifier to be constant, an inverter configured to covert the DC power received from the smoothing filer into high-frequency power by turning the DC power on and off using a switching device made of an SiC semiconductor, and a control unit configured to control the rectifier and the inverter. A rating of output power output from the inverter is determined in accordance with a frequency of the high-frequency power output from the inverter, a current-applying time, and an operation rate obtained by dividing the current-applying time by a sum of the current-applying time and a non-current-applying time.

Abstract: A power supply apparatus for induction heating is provided. The power supply apparatus includes a smoothing filter configured to smooth a pulsating current of DC power output from a DC power supply, and an inverter configured to convert the DC power that has been smoothed by the smoothing filter into AC power. The smoothing filter includes a plurality of capacitors having different internal inductances and connected to each other in parallel between input terminals of the inverter, each of the capacitors being connected to the input terminals of the inverter directly or through a pair of bus bars. The plurality of capacitors includes a first capacitor and a second capacitor, the first capacitor having smaller internal inductance than the second capacitor and a shorter conductive path between the input terminals of the inverter than the second capacitor.

Abstract: A power conversion apparatus and a power conversion method are provided. The power conversion apparatus includes a rectifier configured to convert AC power to DC power, a smoothing filter configured to control the DC power received from the rectifier to be constant, an inverter configured to convert the DC power received from the smoothing filter into high-frequency power by turning the DC power on and off using a switching device, and a control unit configured to control the rectifier and the inverter. A rating of output power from the inverter is determined in accordance with a frequency of the high-frequency power output from the inverter, a current-applying time, and an operation rate obtained by dividing the current-applying time by a sum of the current-applying time and a non-current-applying time.

Abstract: Provided are: a welded structural member whose spot-welded part has both strength and ductility, and whose rupture strength proven by a rupture test such as a cross tensile test is high; and a method for welding such a structural member. The welded part 3 of the welded structural member 1 made of the above steel plates bonded by overlapping their faces and forming the welded part 3 by spot welding includes: a molten and solidified part 4; and a heat-affected zone 5 surrounding the molten and solidified part 4. The hardness on the welded surface increases to harder than the hardness of the steel plates 2 (base material) along a direction from a region outside the heat-affected zone 5 toward the heat-affected zone 5.

Abstract: A welding structural part 1 is manufactured by overlapping the surfaces of steel sheets 2, and forming a weld zone by spot welding. The weld zone 3 includes: a weld nugget 4; and a heat affected zone 5 surrounding the weld nugget 4, wherein the hardness in the weld zone increases along an exterior region 6 of the heat affected zone 5 toward the heat affected zone 5, and then decreases along the heat affected zone 5 toward the central region of the weld nugget 4. In the boundary region between the weld nugget 4 and the heat affected zone 5, the weld nugget 4 may have a convex portion 4A bulging into the heat affected zone 5 along the overlapped portion. The steel sheets 2 contain carbon in 0.15 mass % or more.

Abstract: A welding equipment for metallic materials capable of performing heat treatment such as tempering based on partial heating in spot welding is provided. The welding equipment sandwiches metallic materials with a pair of electrodes, and heats different regions of the metallic materials by energization, with the pair of electrodes maintained at the same position with respect to the metallic materials. The welding equipment includes a first heating means connected to the pair of electrodes for heating and welding the internal region of the circle defined by projecting the cross-sectional area of the axis of the electrodes on the metallic materials by applying power having a low first frequency, a second heating means for heating a ring-shaped region along the circle by applying power having a second frequency that is higher than the first frequency, and an energization control unit for independently controlling the first and the second heating means.

Abstract: A welding equipment for metallic materials capable of performing heat treatment such as tempering based on partial heating in spot welding is provided. The welding equipment 1 sandwiches metallic materials 9 with a pair of electrodes 4, 4, and heats different regions of the metallic materials 9 by energization, with the pair of electrodes 4, 4 maintained at the same position with respect to the metallic materials 9. The welding equipment includes a first heating means 6 connected to the pair of electrodes 4, 4 for heating and welding the internal region of the circle defined by projecting the cross-sectional area of the axis of the electrodes on the metallic materials by applying power having a low first frequency, a second heating means 8 for heating a ring-shaped region along the circle by applying power having a second frequency that is higher than the first frequency, and an energization control unit 10 for independently controlling the first and the second heating means 6, 8.

Abstract: A high-strength die-quenched part 1 is formed by heating a high-strength steel sheet 11 up to an austenite region, hot stamping and cooling inside a mold, and its microstructure has the martensite wherein carbide particles 2 are finely dispersed over an entire region including prior-austenite grain boundaries. It is desirable that the prior-austenite grain size in the microstructure of the high-strength steel sheet, which is a base material, be 10 ?m or smaller. The high-strength die-quenched part has high-strength and high-ductility thanks to its martensite.

Abstract: A welding structural part 1 is manufactured by overlapping the surfaces of steel sheets 2, and forming a weld zone by spot welding. The weld zone 3 includes: a weld nugget 4; and a heat affected zone 5 surrounding the weld nugget 4, wherein the hardness in the weld zone increases along an exterior region 6 of the heat affected zone 5 toward the heat affected zone 5, and then decreases along the heat affected zone 5 toward the central region of the weld nugget 4. In the boundary region between the weld nugget 4 and the heat affected zone 5, the weld nugget 4 may have a convex portion 4A bulging into the heat affected zone 5 along the overlapped portion. The steel sheets 2 contain carbon in 0.15 mass % or more.

Abstract: A high-strength die-quenched part 1 is formed by heating a high-strength steel sheet 11 up to an austenite region, hot stamping and cooling inside a mold, and its microstructure has the martensite wherein carbide particles 2 are finely dispersed over an entire region including prior-austenite grain boundaries. It is desirable that the prior-austenite grain size in the microstructure of the high-strength steel sheet, which is a base material, be 10 ?m or smaller. The high-strength die-quenched part has high-strength and high-ductility thanks to its martensite.

Abstract: A welding equipment for metallic materials capable of performing heat treatment such as tempering based on partial heating in spot welding is provided. The welding equipment 1 sandwiches metallic materials 9 with a pair of electrodes 4, 4, and heats different regions of the metallic materials 9 by energization, with the pair of electrodes 4, 4 maintained at the same position with respect to the metallic materials 9. The welding equipment includes a first heating means 6 connected to the pair of electrodes 4, 4 for heating and welding the internal region of the circle defined by projecting the cross-sectional area of the axis of the electrodes on the metallic materials by applying power having a low first frequency, a second heating means 8 for heating a ring-shaped region along the circle by applying power having a second frequency that is higher than the first frequency, and an energization control unit 10 for independently controlling the first and the second heating means 6, 8.

Abstract: A liquid phase diffusion bonding method for dissimilar metal sheets by allowing a galvanized steel sheet and an aluminum alloy sheet to come into close contact with each other and pressing both sheets by using a first mold of a liquid phase diffusion bonding apparatus and a second mold of the same; and heating the sheets at approximately the same heat-up rate and at approximately the same temperature to perform liquid phase diffusion bonding of the sheets by using induction heat generated by applying high frequency currents to a first high frequency induction heating coil provided on the first mold and a second high frequency induction heating coil provided on the second mold. The first high frequency induction heating coil and the second high frequency induction heating coil are positioned to sandwich the sheets at predetermined distances from the sheets, respectively.

Abstract: A liquid phase diffusion bonding method for dissimilar metal sheets of the present invention has the steps of: allowing a galvanized steel sheet and an aluminum alloy sheet to come into close contact with each other and pressing both sheets by using a first mold of a liquid phase diffusion bonding apparatus and a second mold of the same; and heating the galvanized steel sheet and the aluminum alloy sheet at approximately the same heat-up rate and at approximately the same temperature to perform liquid phase diffusion bonding of the sheets by using induction heat generated by applying high frequency currents to a first high frequency induction heating coil provided on the first mold and a second high frequency induction heating coil provided on the second mold. The first high frequency induction heating coil and the second high frequency induction heating coil are positioned to sandwich the galvanized steel sheet and the aluminum alloy sheet at predetermined distances from the sheets, respectively.