Abstract
Fatigue crack propagation of the friction stirred welded joint of AA6063-T5 plate was investigated. The fatigue crack propagation rates(FCPR) were experimentally evaluated by means of the specimens in which the initial notch was introduced at the different site; e.g., base metal site, center part of stirred zone, metallurgically heat affected zone, and thermo-mechanically affected zone. Through the work, special attention was paid to the difference in the crack propagation rates those might be influenced by the inhomogeneous microstructures and mechanical properties relating to the stirring process. The effect of 2 stage friction stir welding process on the FCPRs was also experimentally evaluated..
