Abstract: A storage device for a vehicle includes a storage section which has a space and has an engagement hole provided on the back side in a mounting direction and in which an article is put in and taken out through an opening portion, and a detachable separator which partitions the space in the storage section, is formed in a substantially L shape having two plate sections intersecting one another when viewed from the mounting direction into the storage section, has a projecting portion which protrudes toward the front in the mounting direction and is engaged with the engagement hole, and is mounted in the engagement hole at a partitioning position to divide the space into two compartments and a compartment expanding position to form a single compartment larger than either of the two compartments in the space.

Abstract: First, welding protrusions of two aluminum alloy plates are butted against each other, and an engagement projection of one of the aluminum alloy plates is brought into engagement with an engagement recess of the other aluminum alloy plate, thereby maintaining the butted state and defining voids in back of butt regions of the welding protrusions in a direction of irradiation of a laser beam. Then, the laser beam is irradiated to the butt regions to bond the welding protrusions to each other. The Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 films located on the surfaces of the welding protrusions on a back side in a direction of irradiation of the laser beam are pushed into the voids by a molten pool and hence, they cannot intrude into a weld zone to form a notch. By employing this arrangement in the butt welding using the laser beam, the need for a jig for maintaining the butted state of the aluminum alloy plates is eliminated and a butt joint having a high strength can be obtained.