Fatigue crack initiation for Al-Zn-Mg alloy welded joint

To investigate fatigue crack initiation characteristics of Al-Zn-Mg alloy welded joint, notched specimens were used in fatigue test for the base metal, welding bead and heat affected zone (HAZ). The fatigue fracture surface near the fatigue crack initiation site was observed by scanning electron microscope (SEM). The results show that the differences of fatigue crack initiation life among base metal, welding bead and HAZ are not obvious. Inhomogeneity in microstructure and mechanical performance of HAZ influences the fatigue crack initiation life. The ratio of fatigue crack initiation life (Ni) to fatigue failure life (Nf) for the base metal, welding bead and HAZ of A7N01 aluminium alloy welded joint are 26.32%, 40.21% and 60.67%, respectively. Fatigue crack initiation life can be predicted using a uniform model. Observation of fatigue fracture surfaces shows that for the welding bead a fatigue crack initiates from the smooth surface due to the welding process, the blowhole in HAZ causes fatigue crack and the crushed second phase particles play an important role in fatigue crack initiation for the base metal.