Numerical Studies on Residual Stress and Strain Distribution in Thick-welded Plate

Abstract

In this study, a numerical method is used to investigate the effect of welding parameter and cooling time on residual stress and strain in the multi-pass butt Gas Metal Arc (GMA) welding process, while plate is restrained in transverse direction of welding direction. Two dimension finite element simulations were implemented to predict the welding temperature distributions, residual stress and strain on 16mm thick SM490 steel plate for different input welding parameter at each weld pass using Ansys software. Not only the temperature dependent thermal properties were considered, but also birth and death technique is employed to control the process of weld filling. The simulated results provide good evidence that residual stress and strain is mainly dependent on heat load, welding parameter and restraints on material. The large amount of residual stress and strain is being developed around the Heat Affected Zone, Fusion zone and welding regions. The elastic FE model can be used to predict precisely the welding deformation and residual stress in a thick multi pass butt welding. Furthermore, the extensive experiment effort of component testing could be reduced adequate and deliberate application of welding FE simulation.