Part-through fracture toughness (KIe) and crack-tip opening displacement (CTOD) of welded joints of AA2014-T6 at low temperatures

The part-through fracture toughness (KIe) and crack-tip opening displacement (CTOD, δm) of welded joints of aluminum alloy (AA) 20l4-T6, including the weld metal, the fusion zone (FZ), the heat-affected zone (HAZ), and the base material, were investigated at both liquid nitrogen temperature and liquid helium temperature with surface-crack tension (SCT) specimen and single-edge-notched bend (SENB) specimen respectively. Results indicate a conventional fusion welding process leads to formation of second-phase precipitations and inclusions, which cause significant reduction of fracture resistance at the weld metal and the FZ by fractographic analyses of fractured surface.