The aim of this research is to investigate the sequence of processes for improving the welded surface integrity of AA7075-T651 aluminum alloy joined by friction stir welding (FSW). The improvement processes that will be investigated herein include mechanical surface improvement with deep rolling (DR) and post-weld heat treatment (PWHT). Therefore, this study investigated welded surface integrity, which comprises residual stress, microhardness, surface roughness, microstructure, and fatigue life (screening). The experiment consists of three sets of combinations. In the first set, only FSW was applied; in the second set, FSW was applied, followed by DR, and then PWHT processes (FSW-DR-PWHT); and in the last set, FSW was applied, followed by PWHT, and then DR processes (FSW-PWHT-DR). Fatigue testing was carried out by undertaking a four-point bending test using a bending stress of approximately 300 MPa with a test frequency of 2.5 Hz at room temperature and stress ratio R = 0. The study found that residual stress plays an important role in the fatigue life. Finally, the fatigue test showed that FSW workpieces subject to the PWHT process followed by the DR process (FSW-PWHT-DR) had the highest fatigue life, with an increase of 239% when compared with unprocessed FSW workpieces.
Keywords: AA7075-T651 aluminum alloy; deep rolling; fatigue life; friction stir welding; post-weld heat treatment; surface integrity.