Constellation, le dépôt institutionnel de l'Université du Québec à Chicoutimi

Résumé

This study aims to contribute to the development of performance-based quality control criteria, and fatigue design provisions for friction stir welded (FSW) joints used in structural applications. Fatigue tests have been conducted under tension loading on thick AA6061-T6 aluminum plates fabricated using friction stir welding. Fatigue stress-life (S–N) curves have been compared to fatigue design curves (ADM and IIW) available in international design codes. Defect tolerances in existing FSW standards (AWS and ISO) have been reviewed. Results show that an axial (linear) misalignment defects of the order of 10% of the plate’s thickness in size and a channel (wormhole) defect with the largest dimension of the order of 9% of the plate’s thickness provide an average fatigue strength of 81 MPa and 78 MPa respectively as compared to 103 MPa for a properly welded joint.