Fatigue damage study of cold metal transition fusion-brazed aluminium/steel dissimilar joints

Abstract

An aluminium/steel CMT-welded joint is mainly composed of fusion zone (FZ), interfacial intermetallic compound (IMC) zone, and heat-affected zone (HAZ). IMC and FZ are the weakest link in the welded joint. The fatigue fracture indicates that the lattice distortion caused by the lattice mismatch of Fe₂Al₅ and Fe is more likely to engender dislocation slipping and cracks easily nucleate during the fatigue testing. The hysteresis loop is shifted to the right, which indicating that the specimen experiences a ratcheting effect. In the high-stress condition, the cyclic hardening induced by the ratcheting strain is much stronger than that in the lower stress condition, which improves the fatigue life of the materials.