Overcoming Liquation Cracking in AA7075 Welds via Friction Stir Processing Pre-weld Treatment: A Microstructural Approach

The AA7075 high-strength aluminum alloy exhibits a pronounced tendency for hot cracking during fusion welding, which hampers its widespread utilization in lightweight design concepts. This study aims to investigate the effectiveness of friction stir processing (FSP) as a pre-weld treatment to eliminate the occurrence of hot cracking during fusion welding of the AA7075 aluminum alloy. Our findings demonstrate that the FSP pre-weld treatment successfully suppresses liquation cracking in the AA7075 alloy, even when utilizing ER1050 filler metal for welding, which poses a considerable risk of liquation cracking. The FSP treatment induces a transformative effect on the microstructure of the hot-rolled material, leading to the conversion of the typical large elongated pancake-shaped grains into refined recrystallized grains. Electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) analysis confirms the introduction of finer grains, characterized by an increased grain boundary area, and higher volume fraction of low angle grain boundaries within the partially melted zone (PMZ) of the friction stir processed base metal. This leads to a reduction in the thickness of the liquid film and consequently diminishes the susceptibility to liquation cracking. These findings prove that arc welding with FSP pre-weld treatment is an enabling welding strategy for producing high-performance AA7075 joints.

Graphical Abstract