On the fatigue behaviour and design curves of friction stir butt-welded Al alloys

This paper collects available fatigue data on FSW of Al alloys and statistically analyses these deriving a first set of reference fatigue curves. It is envisaged that a comparison of the reference curves obtained with the design curves given by design standards or recommendations (concerning conventional joining techniques) can assist, at the design stage, thereby giving a quantitative comparison of the influence FSW technology on structural dimensioning and design.