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Abstract
In this paper, the effect of post heat treatment on fatigue behaviour of friction stir spot welded Al–Mg–Si aluminium alloy was investigated. The microstructure of the weld zone was classified into two regions: stir zone (SZ) and mixed zone (MZ), where fine equiaxed grains due to dynamic recrystallization were observed. Two kinds of post heat treatment, namely aging and T6 treatment, were applied to the as-welded joints. The grains in the SZ and MZ were extremely enlarged only by T6 treatment, but some fine grains still remained near the boundary of MZ. Fatigue tests were conducted using lap-shear specimens at a stress ratio R = 0.1. Post heat treatments exhibited little influence on fatigue strength, but fatigue fracture morphology was dependent on both load level and post heat treatment. At high applied loads, fatigue fracture took place through the MZ in the as-welded and aged joints, while along the boundary of MZ in the T6 treated joint. At low applied loads, the fatigue crack initiated at the edge of the nugget and then propagated through the upper sheet in the as-welded joint, but the lower sheet in the aged and T6 treated joints. The dependence of fracture morphology on post heat treatment was attributed to the change of microstructures and hardness distribution around the nugget by post heat treatment.
Acknowledgements
Finally, we would like to express our appreciation for the assistance given throughout this study by Mr Tomomi Ishiguro, a former student of Gifu University.