In order to improve the performance of spot welded joints of 2024-T42 aluminum alloy, it was analyzed and compared with the mechanical properties, microstructure, hardness and fracture mode in RFSSW joint, resistance spot welded and riveting. Experiments showed that the best mechanical properties was RFSSW joint, the tensile shear property was 7.23kN, which could get 115.8% higher than riveting property and 37.6% higher than resistance spot welded joint; the pull-out property was 3.09kN, which could get 3.69% higher than riveting property and 137.7% higher than resistance spot welded joint; the hardness of RFSSW joint was higher than that of resistance spot welded joint, and the hardness of nugget zone was close to the base metal, as the hook defect was in the joint The lowest hardness was in notch and HAZ, nevertheless, the lowest hardness resistance spot welded joint was in equiaxed crystal zone in nugget zone, just only get 50% of the base metal, just as pores and crack defect were inside. On the basis of analysis of SEM, the fracture morphology in characterized were in ductile fracture and mixed fracture respectively in RFSSW and resistance spot weld joints. The analysis of the performance of the 2024-T42 aluminum alloy spot welding join could provide a theoretical and technical basis for the application of aluminum alloy structural spot welding.