Fatigue crack growth behaviour of friction stir welded AA7075-T651 aluminium alloy joints

The aim of the present work is to evaluate the fatigue crack growth behaviour of 12 mm thick AA 7075-T651 aluminium alloy plates joined by FSW. Fatigue crack growth test was carried out on center cracked tensile (CCT) specimens extracted from the FSW joints and unwelded parent metal. Transverse tensile properties of the unwelded parent metal and welded joints were evaluated. Microstructures of the welded joints were analyzed using optical microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The scanning electron microscope was used to characterize the fracture surfaces. It was found that the ΔKcr of the welded joint is reduced by 10×10−3 MPa·m1/2 in comparison with the unwelded parent metal. Hence, the fatigue life of the friction stir welded AA 7075-T651aluminium alloy joints is appreciably lower than that of the unwelded parent metal, which is attributed to the dissolution of precipitates in the weld region during friction stir welding.