Strain-Controlled Low-Cycle Fatigue Behavior of Friction Stir-Welded AZ31 Magnesium Alloy

Strain-controlled low-cycle fatigue (LCF) behavior of friction stir-welded (FSW) AZ31 joints, produced at rotation rates of 800 and 3500 rpm, was studied. The joints exhibited symmetric hysteresis loops, whereas asymmetric loops were observed for the parent material (PM). The fatigue resistance of the FSW joints was slightly improved as the rotation rate increased, and both the FSW joints possessed a fatigue life similar to that of the PM at the low strain amplitude of 0.1 pct. The obtained fatigue data for the PM and FSW joints can be well described using the Coffin–Manson and Basquin’s relationships. For the FSW joints, during LCF deformation, the \( \left\{ {10\bar{1}2} \right\} \) twinning originated from the nugget zone (NZ)/thermomechanically affected zone (TMAZ) boundary and then propagated to the NZ interior. This was attributed to different textures in these regions: the center of the NZ exhibited a hard orientation, whereas a soft orientation was observed in the region around the NZ/TMAZ boundary. The fatigue cracks initiated at the bottom of the joints and propagated along the NZ/TMAZ boundary or the NZ adjacent to the NZ/TMAZ boundary.