Stress corrosion cracking behavior of Nd:YAG laser butt welded AZ31 Mg sheet

In this study, the stress corrosion cracking (SCC) behavior of samples fabricated from AZ31 Mg alloy by laser butt welding was investigated in slow strain rate tensile (SSRT) and constant load tests. The results show that the laser butt welded AZ31 Mg samples are highly susceptible to SCC. The failure of the samples occurred in the fusion boundary when tested in corrosion environment in contrast to failures in the fusion zone (FZ)/base region observed for tests in air. It is suggested that weakening of the fusion boundary is due to the localized corrosion attack along the region.