Fatigue performance of pulsed current gas tungsten arc, friction stir and laser beam welded AZ31B magnesium alloy joints

This paper reports the influence of welding processes such as friction stir welding (FSW), laser beam welding (LBW) and pulsed current gas tungsten arc welding (PCGTAW) on fatigue properties of AZ31B magnesium alloy. Fatigue experiment was conducted using servo hydraulic controlled fatigue testing machine. Fatigue strength, fatigue notch factor and notch sensitivity factor were evaluated. The LBW joints showed higher fatigue strength compared to FSW and PCGTAW joints. The formation of very fine grains in weld region, higher fusion zone hardness, uniformly distributed finer precipitates are the main reasons for superior fatigue performance of LBW joints compared to PCGTAW and FSW joints.