3d-Thermo-Mechanical Simulation Of Welding Processes.

Abstract

This paper presents a numerical approach for 3D simulation of welding processes. The main
objective of this simulation is the determination of temperatures and stresses during and after
the process. Temperature distribution define the heat affected zone where material properties
are affected. Stress calculation is necessary because high residual stresses may promote brittle
fractures, fatigue, or stress corrosion in regions near the weld. The finite element method has
been used to perform 1) a thermal analysis involving non-isothermal phase change and 2) a
mechanical elasto-plastic analysis. Comparisons between analytical and numerical results for
a non-isothermal solidification test case are presented.