Effect of Submillimeter Variation in Plunge Depth on Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of FSLW 2A12 Aluminum Alloy Joints

Friction stir lap welding was conducted on 2 mm + 2 mm sheets of aluminum alloy 2A12-T4. The plunge depth (PLD) was designed as 2.45–2.58 mm, which was varied in submillimeters as 2.45, 2.50, 2.53, 2.55, and 2.58 mm, and the axial force was recorded in the welding process. The results show that the PLD fluctuation in submillimeters causes significant variation in the axial force and affects the voids (i.e., Void I and Void II), hook, and effective sheet thickness (EST), among which Void I is the main factor that affects the EST. The fracture load–PLD function in the tensile shear test of the joints follows the rule of the EST–PLD function. An optimized PLD is approximately 2.55 mm, at which the EST reaches 1.71 mm, corresponding to a peak fracture load of 11.03 kN. Thus, a PLD of 2.55 mm is suggested with a tolerance of 0.02 mm, corresponding to a fracture load of 9.6–11.0 kN, i.e., within a fluctuation of 12%.