Effect of weld reinforcement on tensile and fatigue properties of 5083 aluminum metal inert gas (MIG) welded joint: Experiments and numerical simulations

The weld reinforcement has a strong impact on mechanical properties of MIG welded joints. This paper investigates the effect of weld reinforcement on tensile, high cycle fatigue and fatigue crack propagation properties of 5083 MIG welded joint through experimentation and numerical simulations. The results show that the existence of reinforcement significantly increases the tensile strength of the welded joint, even exceeding that of base material. But the weld reinforcement is detrimental to fatigue properties. Another significant discovery is that the weld reinforcement alters the mechanism of fatigue crack initiation and rupture relative to the smooth specimens.