Finite Element Modelling of Heat Flow and Distortion in TIG Welded Stainless Steel and a Comparison with Experimental Measurements

Finite element modelling of heat flow and distortion in TIG welded stainless steel and a comparison with experimental measurements

 

Aditya A Deshpande*, Lei Xu, Wei Sun, D Graham McCartney, Thomas H Hyde

Department of Mechanical Materials and Manufacturing Engineering

University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK

 * Corresponding Author: aditya.deshpande@nottingham.ac.uk

 Abstract

Finite element (FE) simulation of welding process enables prediction of component distortion during the process, which significantly reduces the need for physical trials. In this paper, FE modelling of tungsten inert gas (TIG) welding is performed for a butt joint of two 2 mm thick stainless steel 304 sheets using SYSWELD. A three dimensional double ellipsoid (Goldak) heat source is used to model the heat flow during welding. The isotropic hardening material behavior model is used in the mechanical analysis and the annealing is considered at 1200°C. A number of welding trials were manufactured for different clamping conditions and welding sequences. The welding parameters employed in the model are identified from welding trials. The predicted FE results, such as thermal histories, macrographs and residual displacements, are compared with corresponding experimental results. The effects of different boundary conditions (clamping during welding) and welding sequences on residual distortion are investigated using FE modelling and welding experiments. The FE predictions are found to be in reasonably good correlation with experimental results.

 

Keywords: FE modeling; SYSWELD; Annealing; Heat source fitting; TIG welding.