Fatigue of friction stir welded aluminum alloy joints: A review

Abstract

The application fields of friction stir welding technology, such as aerospace and transportation, has high safety requirements and fatigue is the dominant failure mode for weldments. It is of great significance to understand the fatigue properties of friction stir welded joints. This paper provides an overview of the fatigue mechanism, influencing factors, crack growth rate, and fatigue life assessment. It is found that the fatigue performance of friction stir welded joints can be affected by welding process parameters, test environment, stress ratio, residual stress, and weld defect. The optimized process parameters can produce high quality weld and increase the weld fatigue life. Laser peening is an effective post weld treatment to decrease fatigue crack growth rate and improve material fatigue life.