TWI Industrial Member Report Summary 705/2000
M G Dawes, S A Karger and J Przydatek
Background
A recent TWI review of the rapid and successful application of friction stir welds to Al alloys revealed a need for more published information in a number of areas. This report concerns new information on the strength and fracture toughness of friction stir welds in three Al alloys. The report is complementary to another recent TWI report that looked at new information on the microstructure and corrosion resistance of the same friction stir welds in 2014A and 7075 Al alloys. New information is also given in this report for friction stir welds in a 5083-O Al alloy.
Objectives
- To determine the strength and fracture toughness of the parent metals and different regions of the friction stir welds using both conventional tests and state-of-the-art fracture mechanics toughness tests.
- To examine potentially useful correlations between the results of the conventional tests and the fracture mechanics toughness tests.
- To make a preliminary fracture assessment of how the parent metals and different regions of the friction stir welds compare in a typical structural situation.