Effect of welding sequence on residual stress distributions in GTA welding of AA5251 plate

Abstract

Abstract In this paper, a thermo-mechanical model has been used to predict the temperature history and residual stress distribution in gas tungsten arc welding of AA5251 plates. This model has also been utilized to estimate the residual stresses under different welding sequences, while in the model the effect of temperature on material properties were taken into account. In order to verify the predictions, residual stresses within the welded samples and weld pool geometry were experimentally measured employing hole drilling and macro-examination of weld cross-section, respectively. The comparison between numerical and experimental data shows a reasonable agreement. The predictions show that the welding sequence has a major effect on maximum temperature and temperature distribution as well as stress and plastic strain distributions around the weld.