Fatigue resistance characterization of frictions stir welds between complex aluminum extrusions: An experimental and finite element study

This paper presents a detailed experimental and computational investigation into fatigue behaviors in friction stir welds at both joint and component level for welded assemblies of complex 6005A-T6 aluminum extrusion profiles. A novel fatigue test method was developed for characterizing FSW joint fatigue resistance in a structural context. The fatigue test data obtained in this study were then generalized by using a traction-based structural stress method. The results show that the fatigue test data and their S-N curve representation can be used as a basis for supporting fatigue evaluation of friction stir welds joining complex aluminum extrusions.