Fatigue crack growth in the welding nugget of FSW joints of a 6060 aluminum alloy

Friction stir welded butt joints were performed on 8 mm thick sheets made of AA6060 T6 aluminum alloy by means of a CNC machine tool, at feed rates between 117 and 683 mm/min and tool rotational speed between 838 and 1262 rpm. Tensile tests, metallographic analyses and micro-Vickers tests were carried out to evaluate the mechanical properties of the joints as a function of the process parameters. The fatigue behavior was studied by means of crack growth tests performed according to ASTM E647 standard on CT specimens, with propagation in the middle of joint along the weld nugget. The results show the influence of welding process parameters on mechanical properties and fatigue behavior. Reduction of UTS of about 20–30% with respect to base material occurred with rupture in the softened zone of welding, usually HAZ. In this range, slight variations of joint efficiency were observed with f/S ratio, while the width of the softening area increases for decreasing values of this parameter. Fatigue crack growth was always slower than that in the base material at low ΔK below 12 MPa m1/2. The effect of non-optimal welding parameters was evident at intermediate and high ΔK, due to defects, such as tunnels, that cause dramatic increase of propagation rate up to five times higher than the base material.