Influence of notch radius and strain rate on the mechanical properties and fracture behavior of TIG-welded 6061 aluminum alloy

It is important to perceive the consequences of the presence of cracks or notches on the mechanical properties of the welded component. There are a number of literatures which focus on the fatigue properties of welds. Moreover, the effect of weld parameters on the mechanical properties has been studied by various researchers. However, the work related to the evaluation of tensile properties of welded components and the effect of notch parameters and test parameters on them is relatively scarce. This paper describes an experimental investigation to study the influence of notch root radius and strain rate on the fracture behavior and tensile properties of TIG-welded 6061 aluminum alloy. The tensile tests have been performed on 100 kN Universal Testing Machine under uniaxial static loading. The maximum stress at the notch tip calculated using Neuber's and Stain Energy Density (SED) methods is compared with the present experimental data. Average percentage variation in the value of maximum stress at the notch tip is 14.5% with respect to Neuber's and 6.9% with respect to SED method.