Ultrasonic fatigue test system was employed to study the very high cycle fatigue behaviors of friction stir welded joints in AA7075-T6. The local fatigue strengths in the HAZ, TMAZ and NZ were investigated, and the fatigue crack initiation mechanism was analyzed. Based on the experimental results, the following important conclusions can be drawn:
(1)
For full specimens, the fatigue strength in the VHCF range accounts for only 35% of base material. The FSW joints did not show a better fatigue performance in the VHCF as comparing to traditional fusing welding. The local fatigue tests show that the TMAZ on advancing side has the lowest fatigue strengths, and a fatigue limit can be confirmed in the VHCF range.
(2)
In the TMAZ, Two kinds of particles, Fe-rich intermetallic compounds and Mg2Si-based particles, were both crushed due to the intense plastic deformation during the FSW process, resulting in the generation of micro cracks within the particles. The fatigue strength of the TMAZ decreased greatly, due to the fact that the pre-existed micro cracks shorten the fatigue crack initiation process.
(3)
In the NZ, the cracked particles caused by plastic deformation were split into individual smaller ones and dispersed in the matrix, and the size of the Mg2Si particles is larger than the Fe-rich intermetallic compounds after the dynamically recrystallization process. Accordingly, the Mg2Si particle was the crucial sole cause of fatigue crack initiation due to debonding, because the precipitate-free zones at grain boundaries weakens the link in the microstructure.
(4)
The resistances to fatigue crack initiation in the TMAZ and NZ seem to be different due to changes of particles from intragranular (TMAZ) to intergranular distribution (NZ) in the matrix. As the decrease of cyclic loading stress, the fatigue crack leaned to be originated at the TMAZ in short fatigue life, or at the NZ in very high cycle fatigue regime.