Influences of post weld heat treatment on fatigue crack growth behavior of TIG welding of 6013 T4 aluminum alloy joint (Part 1. Fatigue crack growth across the weld metal)

The present study evaluates the influences of PWHT on FCG behavior and tensile properties of TIG butt welded Al 6013-T4 sheets. Crack propagation tests were carried out on compact tension (CT) specimens. The T82 heat treatment was varied in three artificial aging times (soaking) of 6, 18 and 24 hours. The results of T82 heat treatment with artificial aging variations were tested for their fatigue crack growth rates at the main metal zone, the heat-affected zone (HAZ), and the welded metal zone. It has been observed that the various agings in heat treatment T82 are sensitive to the mechanical properties (fatigue crack growth rate test, tensile test). The results show that PWHT-T82 for 18 hours aging is the highest fatigue resistance, while the aging 18 hours provided the highest tensile test result.