| Résumé | Aluminum alloys are increasingly used as part of light-weighting strategies for manufacturing components in the transportation sector. Widespread application has, however, been limited by the low weldability of high strength aluminum alloys, such as crack sensitive grades of the 2XXX, 6XXX and 7XXX series. As a solid-state joining process, friction stir welding (FSW) presents a tremendous potential for assembling 6xxx series aluminum structures due to the low energy involved, which allows lower welding-induced distortions and improved mechanical performance of the joint. In this work, FSW of 3.18 mm thick AA6061-T6 sheets was investigated to examine the influence of weld pitch on the microstructure and mechanical performance of butt joints. The mechanical properties of the welds were found to be lower than those of the AA6061 in the T6 temper. A post-weld heat treatment was effective for bringing the mechanical properties close to the base metal values. |
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