US 12,109,647 B2
Method for producing hollow container
Nobushiro Seo, Shizuoka (JP); Keita Oikawa, Shizuoka (JP); and Ryo Yoshida, Shizuoka (JP)
Assigned to NIPPON LIGHT METAL COMPANY, LTD., Tokyo (JP)
Appl. No. 17/611,864
Filed by NIPPON LIGHT METAL COMPANY, LTD., Tokyo (JP)
PCT Filed Feb. 7, 2020, PCT No. PCT/JP2020/004920
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Nov. 16, 2021,
PCT Pub. No. WO2020/235149, PCT Pub. Date Nov. 26, 2020.
Claims priority of application No. 2019-093483 (JP), filed on May 17, 2019; and application No. 2019-093484 (JP), filed on May 17, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2022/0226927 A1, Jul. 21, 2022
Int. Cl. B23K 20/00 (2006.01); B23K 20/12 (2006.01); B23K 103/10 (2006.01)
CPC B23K 20/1225 (2013.01) [B23K 20/1255 (2013.01); B23K 2103/10 (2018.08)] 24 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for manufacturing a hollow container with use of a rotary tool including a tapered stirring pin,
the method comprising:
preparing a first metal member having a concave portion which is formed by a bottom and a peripheral wall extending from a peripheral edge of the bottom, a second metal member having a concave portion which is formed by a bottom and a peripheral wall extending from a peripheral edge of the bottom, and an auxiliary member having a frame structure corresponding to an end surface of the peripheral wall of the first metal member and an end surface of the peripheral wall of the second metal member;
butting, in which the end surface of the peripheral wall of the first metal member and the end surface of the peripheral wall of the second metal member are faced with each other, the auxiliary member is interposed in a gap between the end surfaces, the end surface of the peripheral wall of the first metal member is butted against one side surface of the auxiliary member to form a first butted portion, and the end surface of the peripheral wall of the second metal member is butted against the other side surface of the auxiliary member to form a second butted portion; and
joining, in which the rotating rotary tool is inserted only through an external surface of the auxiliary member and is relatively moved along the first butted portion and the second butted portion, with only the stirring pin contacting the auxiliary member and an outer peripheral surface of the stirring pin contacting the first and second metal members, to join the first metal member to the second metal member via the auxiliary member with a contact margin between the outer peripheral surface of the stirring pin and the end surfaces set to be less than 1.0 mm,
wherein the first metal member, the second metal member, and the auxiliary member are made of aluminum or an aluminum alloy, and the first metal member and the second metal member have higher hardness than the auxiliary member, and
the end surface of the peripheral wall of at least one of the first metal member and the second metal member has an inclined surface to face outward, and the auxiliary member has an inclined surface, which is tapered from the external surface toward an internal surface, on at least one of the side surfaces.