Fatigue Properties of AA6060-T6 Butt Welds Made by Hybrid Metal
Extrusion & Bonding (HYB)
Abstract
The present investigation is concerned with high-cycle axial fatigue
testing of a 2 mm AA6060-T6 HYB butt weld produced in the solid state
using AA6082 filler metal addition. The results complement the
three-point bend testing and the tensile testing done in two previous
studies. In this study, optical microscope and scanning electron
microscope examinations have been carried out to reveal the joint
macro/microstructure and document possible surface and root defects
deemed to affect fatigue life. In the as-welded condition, the HYB weld
suffers from surface irregularities at the weld face and “kissing”
bond formation in the root region. Despite of this, the subsequent
testing shows that the fatigue properties exceed those reported for
comparable AA6082-T6 gas metal arc butt welds and matching those
reported for corresponding high-strength laser beam and friction stir
weldments.