A B S T R A C TThe fatigue crack growth properties of friction stir welded joints of 2024-T3 aluminium alloy have been studied under constant load amplitude (increasing-K), with special emphasis on the residual stress (inverse weight function) effects on longitudinal and transverse crack growth rate predictions (Glinka's method). In general, welded joints were more resistant to longitudinally growing fatigue cracks than the parent material at threshold K values, when beneficial thermal residual stresses decelerated crack growth rate, while the opposite behaviour was observed next to K C instability, basically due to monotonic fracture modes intercepting fatigue crack growth in weld microstructures. As a result, fatigue crack growth rate (FCGR) predictions were conservative at lower propagation rates and non-conservative for faster cracks. Regarding transverse cracks, intense compressive residual stresses rendered welded plates more fatigue resistant than neat parent plate. However, once the crack tip entered the more brittle weld region substantial acceleration of FCGR occurred due to operative monotonic tensile modes of fracture, leading to non-conservative crack growth rate predictions next to K C instability. At threshold K values non-conservative predictions values resulted from residual stress relaxation. Improvements on predicted FCGR values were strongly dependent on how the progressive plastic relaxation of the residual stress field was considered. a = crack length AA2024-T3 = high-strength aluminium alloy grade d = slot aperture da/dN = crack growth rate E = plane-stress Young's modulus E = plane-strain Young's modulus EL = elongation at fracture FCGR = fatigue crack growth rate(s) FSW = friction stir welding h(x,a) = weight function HAZ = heat-affected zone K C = critical stress intensity factor K MAX = maximum applied stress intensity in fatigue K Ir = residual stress intensity factor in mode I of crack opening 526