This paper deals with analysis and comparison of the equivalent plastic strain and temperature fields in the aluminium alloy 2024 T3 (AA2024 T3) joint, with macro/microstructure appearance and hardness profile. In the alloys hardened by heat treatment, grain size and particle size of the precipitate are functions of equivalent plastic strain, strain rate and temperature. By analysing the equivalent plastic strain fields and temperature fields it is possible, to some extent, to capture the effect of welding parameters and thermo-mechanical conditions on grain structure, and therefore hardness and strength in the welded joint. A coupled thermo-mechanical model is applied to study the material behaviour during the linear welding stage of friction stir welding. The 3-D finite element model has been created in ABAQUS/EXPLICIT software using the Johnson-Cook material law. The values of thermo-mechanical quantities during the welding stage are obtained from the numerical model and shown as distributions across the joint. The obtained values of these quantities are related to the microstructure of the joint zones and hardness distribution, and this relation is discussed.
