FATIGUE CRACK GROWTH BEHAVIOUR OF FRICTION STIR WELDED ALUMINIUM ALLOYS

摘要

The effect of Friction Stir Welding joining process on the damage tolerance behaviour of friction stir welded aluminium alloys is experimentally investigated. Fatigue crack propagation tests for different aluminium alloys and welding configurations have been performed. The main conclusion arising from the experimental study is that the damage tolerance behaviour of the welded material is in most cases comparable to the base material. Furthermore, the most critical area of the joint was identified to be the weld interface, i.e. the area between the nugget and the thermo-mechanically affected zone.