Numerical simulation of moving heat source in arc welding using the Element-free Galerkin method with experimental validation and numerical study

Abstract

A three-dimensional unsteady heat transfer model based on the meshless Element-Free Galerkin (EFG) method was developed to predict the temperature field generated by a moving heat source. Numerical results obtained from the EFG method were compared with those from the finite element method (FEM) and then validated with robotic arc welding experimental results. Good agreements were found between the numerical and experimental results. An EFG parametric study was also carried out to investigate the effects of (i) the size and shape of the support domain, (ii) the ratio of quadrature points to field nodes, and (iii) the different weight functions.