Welding-induced Distortion Research Articles

Prediction of the keyhole TIG welding-induced distortions on Inconel 718 industrial gas turbine component by numerical-experimental approach

Welding technologies represent a paramount joining process for ensuring the quality and reliability of critical industrial components; therefore, their innovation constitutes a driving force in realizing increasingly competitive products. A recently developed technology is the keyhole TIG welding, a new high energy–density alternative to the conventional TIG process. A key role in improving innovative manufacturing processes such as the keyhole TIG is covered by numerical simulation; indeed, it allows the development of a process digital twin able to support decisions and work as a predictive tool. Within this framework, the paper deals with the numerical-experimental investigation of the keyhole TIG technology, successfully employed on a simplified mock-up of an industrial gas turbine component consisting of two 6.5-mm-thick Inconel 718 rings. Numerical analysis aimed at predicting welding-induced distortions was performed employing two different computational approaches, namely the moving heat source and the simplified imposed thermal cycle methods. The numerical-experimental comparison of the results demonstrates an innovative approach in the field of the current keyhole TIG numerical simulation since, besides verification of numerical thermal analysis, further substantial validation of the post-weld distortion predictions is provided through comprehensive three-dimensional experimental data. Moreover, the comparative assessment of the two computational approaches and experimental evidence revealed that the imposed thermal cycle method implementation does not compromise the accuracy of welding distortion forecasting in industrial applications such as that investigated. Therefore, it can be regarded as a valuable tool for supporting the process engineer in designing the ideal set-up to comply with a variety of industrial requirements, among them strict design tolerances.

On the modelling of distorted thin-walled stiffened panels via a scale reduction approach for a simplified structural stress analysis

To reduce the weight of cruise ships, the shipbuilding industry is interested in thin-walled superstructures, where the thickness of butt-welded plates in stiffened panels is under 5 mm. Compared to thick plates, thin ones can develop severe welding-induced distortions, which limit the validity of recommended early-design structural stress assessment methods. Therefore, computationally costly 3D non-linear numerical analysis must be used. For a quick and effective early design, this paper investigates on simplified computational models for thin-walled panels under uni-axial tension, considering the distortions measured on 4-mm thick, full-scale ship-deck panels. A 2D simply-supported analytical plate is shown to be sufficiently accurate (i.e., error <10%) at 150MPa for a distortion with maximum slope within 0.02rad and amplitude smaller than the thickness (t). Moreover, a 1D beam numerical analysis efficiently predicts local stresses around the butt weld when the maximum distortion amplitude is below 0.6×tmm. The distortion needs to be considered at least up to a length of half of the plate width from the weld location and can represent longitudinal profiles within 60% of the plate width. In conclusion, the early structural stress assessment of thin-walled panels can be significantly simplified, thus helping bridge the gap between complex numerical analysis and simplified analytical solutions.

Three-dimensional transient heat transfer analysis of micro-plasma arc welding process using volumetric heat source models

Abstract The micro plasma arc welding process is associated with different physical phenomena simultaneously. This results in complexities to comprehend the actual mechanism involved during the process. Therefore, a robust numerical model that can compute the weld pool shape, temperature distribution, and thermal history needs to be addressed. Unlike, other arc welding processes, the micro plasma arc welding process utilizes thin sheets of thickness between 0.5 and 2 mm. However, joining thin sheets using a high-density arc welding process quickens the welding defects such as burn-through, thermal stresses, and welding-induced distortions. The incorporation of a surface heat source model for computational modeling of the high energy density welding process impedes heat transfer analysis. In that respect, researchers have developed numerous volumetric heat source models to examine the welding process holistically. Although, selecting volumetric heat source models for miniature welding is a significant task. The present work emphasis developing a rigorous yet efficient model to evaluate weld pool shape, temperature distribution, and thermal history of plasma arc welded Ti6Al4V sheets. The computational modeling is performed using a commercially available COMSOL Multiphysics 5.4 package with a finite element approach. Two different prominent thermal models, namely, Parabolic Gaussian and Conical power energy distribution models are used. A comparative analysis is carried out to determine the most suitable heat source model for evaluating temperature distribution, peak temperature, and thermal history. The analysis is done by juxtaposing the simulated half-cross-section weld macrographs with the published experimental results from independent literature. The numerical results showed that the proximity of top bead width magnitude was obtained using the Parabolic Gaussian heat source model for low heat input magnitude of 47.52 and high heat input magnitude of 65.47 J·mm−1, respectively. In terms of percentage error, the maximum top bead width percentage error for the Parabolic heat source model is 13.26%. However, the maximum top bead width percentage error for the Conical heat source model is 18.36%. Likewise, the maximum bottom bead width percentage error for the Parabolic heat source model and the Conical heat source model is 12.3 and 25.8%, respectively. Overall, it was observed that the Parabolic heat source model produces the least deviating outcomes when compared with the Conical distribution. It was assessed that the Parabolic Gaussian heat source model can be a viable heat source model for numerically evaluating micro-plasma arc welded Ti6Al4V alloy of thin sheets.

Hybrid Laser-Arc Welding-Induced Distortion Analysis of Large-Scale Thin-Walled Cruise Ship Structures

Abstract In recent years, there has been increasing use of thin-walled structures with a plate thickness of 6–10 mm in the construction of cruise ships. As one of the important processes of cruise ship construction, hybrid laser-arc welding, combining the advantages of laser welding and arc welding, is increasingly applied in thin-walled cruise ships with the objective of reducing panel deformation. However, due to the weak stiffness of the thin-walled structure with a continuous weld length of 4–16 m, complex welding deformation, e.g., buckling deformation, will be prone to occur. This paper analyzed the deformation behavior of large-scale thin-walled cruise ship structures with the change of weld length, structural width, and plate thickness in the hybrid laser-arc welding process. The buckling mode induced by the welding deformation is predicted based on the combination method of thermal elastic–plastic and inherent strain, as well as experimental verification. By analyzing the deformation behavior with the weld length of 5–15 m, when the continuous weld length exceeds 7.5 m during butt welding of large thin-walled cruise ship structures, the welding deformation mode will change from bending deformation to buckling deformation, while the maximum deformation will be reduced by about 50%. Compared with the buckling mode of the traditional thick-walled structures, with the decrease of plate thickness, the buckling mode of large ship structures will change from wave buckling deformation of the whole structure to wave buckling at the edge of structures.

Evaluation of welding-induced residual stress and distortion in A-TIG welding of duplex stainless steel

Applying non-uniform heat in welding causes residual stress and distortion, which affects the life of components. In the present study, the residual stress and distortion of Duplex 2205 stainless steel in A-TIG welding were investigated numerically and experimentally. The optimal welding parameters for highest penetration depth in welded samples were obtained experimentally. Uncoupled thermal-mechanical analysis using ABAQUS 2017 software has been done. Goldak's parameters were measured by empirical tests. The results include simulation diagrams of four samples consisting of the optimal sample without flux powder and three samples with the highest penetration depth. The simulation results show that the sample without flux has a higher maximum temperature and lower welding-induced distortions. The efficiency used in this research changes using and not using powder; it is concluded that, in similar conditions in A-TIG welding, fewer values of parameters are needed to achieve the appropriate result comparing conventional TIG. The efficiency of workpieces with flux should be considered about 20% lower to have similar results to the conventional TIG. The numerical modeling results showed a good agreement with experimental data both for temperature distribution and welding-induced residual stress and distortion. The distortion in the pieces with conventional TIG welding has increased to 11% at the farthest point from the welding line. The error obtained from comparing the results in residual stress is between 12 and 34%.

DIC Measurement of Welding-Induced Deformation on a Train Bogie Moving Bolster Subassembly

The experimental evaluation of welding-induced distortion is a topic of great interest to both the scientific and industrial communities. With the aim of addressing a specific need in an industrial context, this paper investigates the capabilities of a stereo–Digital Image Correlation (stereo–DIC) system to measure the weld-induced distortion of the front-plate of a bogie train bolster subassembly. Currently, the deviation from planarity of this surface is measured at less than five points using a CMM in the post-weld cooled state. An additional machining process is then used to bring the surface within the tolerance required to join the welded assembly to the train body through a threaded flange. The paper shows that DIC can provide accurate full-field distortion and strain maps over the entire 588 mm × 308 mm surface of the front plate. The distinct strength of DIC over the currently used inspection technique is its ability to provide highly spatially dense data that are unaffected by rigid body motion. This can be advantageous in terms of saving time in the post-weld inspection and reducing errors in the finishing process. In addition, DIC capabilities revealed important information that was not available from the CMM, such as the full-surface map of the initial deviation of the plate from its nominal geometry and its asymmetric deformation after welding. Finally, the full-field nature of the experimental data obtained allows for seamless integration with FE thermo-mechanical simulations for numerical model validation, stress calculation, and optimization of geometry and technological processes.

Predicting residual stress in a 316L electron beam weld joint incorporating plastic properties derived from a crystal plasticity finite element model

Electron beam welding is an advanced joining technique which induces narrow weld region with minimal heat affected zone and weld-induced distortion. This reduces residual stresses in the joints which can be detrimental to structural performance of components in safety critical industries. Being an autogenous process, electron- beam welding generates a highly textured, columnar microstructure in the weld zone which have distinct properties when compared to the parent material region. Determining mechanical properties of the weld material assists in accurate assessment of the joint. However, extracting weld material specimens to determine plastic properties becomes increasingly cumbersome in thinner weld joints. An alternate approach has been demonstrated in this work wherein mechanical properties were derived using the weld microstructure in a crystal plasticity finite element (CPFE) framework. The initial calibration of the CPFE parameters was done using experimental data from thick weldment. These calibrated values were used to obtain the elastic and elastic-plastic properties of thinner weld materials by deforming corresponding synthetic microstructures whose attributes were determined by Electron Backscatter Diffraction analysis. The resultant properties were incorporated in a finite element (FE) based weld simulation to determine the residual strain. These results were compared with the residual strain data obtained using X-ray diffraction and good agreement was observed.

A novel pre-processing modelling method for the finite element analysis of the thermal deformation of large structures in the erection stage

The manufacturing process of ships and offshore structures comprises several stages, which include plate cutting, sub-assembly, block assembly, pre-erection, and erection. Accuracy and quality control management are crucial issues in the manufacturing process. Welding-induced distortion and deformation complicate the assembly stage in shipyards. Through conventional finite element (FE) analysis, the manufacturing process can be predicted and controlled up to the sub-assembly stage; however, applying the FE method to the stages between block assembly and erection is difficult. In this study, a new FE analysis method for predicting welding-induced thermal deformation of large blocks, which was difficult to predict with traditional methods, was proposed. In addition, based on this result, we developed a novel pre-processing modelling system that can automatically extract the erection weld lines and automatically divide blocks, which are necessary for the thermal deformation analysis of large blocks. Validation experiments confirmed the applicability of the proposed method to the shaft alignment of a container ship and LNG carrier, with industrial accuracy and quality control in the manufacturing process. Compared with existing methods, the proposed method increases the accuracy of the analysis and reduces the total pre-processing time.

Investigating influence of external restraint on welding distortion in LAHS steel thin-plate structures by means of integrated computational approach

In order to ensure the dimensional accuracy during welding assembly, external restraints are often used to control welding-induced distortion. The objective of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of external restraints on the reduction of welding distortion in low alloy high strength (LAHS) steel thin-plate panel structures with different plate thickness by means of an integrated computational approach. In the current study, the total deformation of LAHS steel thin-plate welded structure was computed by a two-step integrated computational approach which combines the thermal elastic plastic finite element method (FEM) with the elastic FEM based on inherent strain theory. In the integrated computational approach, the thermal elastic plastic FEM was employed to obtain the inherent deformations of each typical joint involved in the thin-plate welded structure at the first step, and then the elastic FEM based on the inherent strain theory was used to estimate the total deformation of the whole thin-plate welded structure. Firstly, the integrated computational approach was used to simulate the buckling distortion in a thin-plate panel structure, and the corresponding experiment was carried out to verify its computational accuracy. Then, two finite element models with plate thickness of 5 and 12 mm were established to clarify the effectiveness of external restraint on the reduction of welding distortion of the thin-plate welded structures. The simulated results suggest that external restraint could not effectively prevent the occurrence of buckling distortion for the thin-plate structure with 5 mm thickness, while it can reduce the out-of-plane deformation to a large extent for the thin-plate welded structure with 12 mm thickness.

Assessing and mitigating the distortion and stress during electron beam welding of a large shell-flange structure

Electron beam (EB) welding can efficiently join large-scale components using one single autogenous pass, but it still faces challenges associated with weld-induced distortion and stress. This study investigates EB welding in a low-alloy steel thick-section shell-flange structure for a small modular reactor. A 3D thermal-metallurgical-mechanical model is developed to assess the weld-induced distortion and stress, as well as the strategy to mitigate them. When no restraint is imposed on the circumferential weld plane, an opening and sliding gap develops during the EB welding, which can cause weld defects and even process failure. Restraint through tack welds can effectively mitigate the gapping distortion, but it generates high transient tensile stress in the tack weld. Circumferentially continuous tack weld is preferential over circumferentially discrete tack welds to minimise the tensile stress. The final residual stress is insensitive to the tack-weld restraint, and the stress distribution in the steady-state welding region is broadly similar to that found in plate butt welds. However, concentration of residual stresses with high triaxiality occurs in the weld stop region, with high tensile stresses generated just behind the beam stop location, which cannot be diminished by overlap welding or change of weld stop position. The mechanisms responsible for the distortion and the transient and residual stresses are analysed. This study could provide rational basis for designing weld restraint to control distortion and guiding stress mitigation strategy for crack-susceptible region in EB weldments.

Finite Element Analysis on Welding-Induced Distortion of Automotive Rear Chassis Component

Welding-induced distortion is a major concern for the industrial joining practice. The welding-induced distortion at the weldment between the coupled torsion beam axle (CTBA) of the automotive rear chassis parts and trailing arm connected to the wheel hub axle module seriously affects the tow angle, camber angle, and caster of the wheel axle. In this paper, the welding process between CTBA and trailing arm was numerically analyzed via SYSWELD (i.e., a finite element analysis code), using the material properties predicted via J-MatPro SW, material properties software, considering the thermo-mechanical-metallurgical properties of materials. From the numerical study for the weldment of CTBA and trailing arm, we predicted the welding and thermal distortions, temperature variation, microstructure, and residual stress at the concerned area. As a result, the temperature of the welded area was predicted between 102 °C and 840 °C at the end of weldment and converged to room temperature after 1000 s. The maximum portion of the martensite structure at the welded area was expected to be 55%. The expected distortions of the trailing arm after the weldment were 0.52 mm, −1.47 mm, and 0.44 mm in the x, y, and z-directions, respectively. Finally, the limitations of this research and recommendations are presented.

Hybrid-laser welding-induced distortions and residual stresses analysis of large-scale stiffener panel

The weld induced-residual stresses and distortions due to hybrid laser welding of a ship deck panel are estimated. A 3-D finite element analysis is developed to estimate the post-weld-induced distortions and residual stresses using a transient indirect, decoupled, thermo-mechanical analysis. The welding simulation and analysis cover butt and fillet welding. The welding sequence is defined as a one-pass butt-weld, and after the cooling process is ended, the fillet weld of stiffeners is applied. The results of the transient thermo-mechanical analysis are validated and compared with experiments. It is concluded that the developed numerical model estimates very well the hybrid laser welding induced distortion and residual stresses. The developed model can be directly implemented in fatigue and ultimate strength structural analysis.

Welding-Induced Angular Distortion of a 6 MM-Thick 5A06 Aluminum Alloy Plate: A Numerical Simulation

Welding-Induced Angular Distortion of a 6 MM-Thick 5A06 Aluminum Alloy Plate: A Numerical Simulation

Systematization of heat straightening process of stiffened plate by surface flattening

Heat straightening of welding-induced distortion, which has mostly relied on shipyard experience, was systemized for computation. The process of geometrically flattening a curved surface with fixed edges was formulated step by step based on thermal forming mechanisms. The proposed algorithm divides the measured surface into patches, connects them with virtual springs, and optimally arranges the patches on a plane in a direction that minimizes the potential energy within the weld lines. The overlaps between the geometrically calculated patches become the amount to shrink. The relationship between spot heating distance, curvature, and shrinkage was investigated through experiments and thermal elastic-plastic analysis to convert shrinkages into process parameters. It showed that the plastic shrinkage increases as the spot heating distance narrows, but the rate decreases. Also, the plastic shrinkage keeps constant regardless of the curvature, whereas the total shrinkage decreases as the curvature decreases. For validation of the proposed methodology, flame straightening experiments were carried out. It has been shown that the case using the plastic shrinkage produced fewer heating spots with higher efficiency than that using the total shrinkage.

A Quantitative Weld Sizing Criterion and Applications in Load Capacity Evaluation of Hollow Structural Section Joints

Existing weld sizing procedures for hollow structural section (HSS) connections in Codes and Standards are empirical in nature, often resulting in oversized welds. There is a growing interest in quantitative weld sizing for ensuring both structural safety and cost-effective construction of lightweight hollow section structures. In this study, a mesh-insensitive traction stress method is introduced for evaluating strength of fillet-welded HSS joints. The results are then generalized into a closed-form expression with a clearly defined mechanics basis. This expression relates weld throat shear stress to fillet weld size and remote load, with its dimensional geometric parameters being determined through a detailed parametric finite element analysis (FEA) of circular hollow section (CHS) and rectangular hollow section (RHS) connections with various dimensions. The effectiveness of the closed-form expression is demonstrated by comparing the predicted failure loads with those measured from a large number of HSS test data available from literature. Furthermore, the proposed quantitative weld sizing criterion can lead to as much as 20% weld size reduction from those determined using existing empirical-based weld sizing criteria, which can be very beneficial for welding-induced distortion control in construction of lightweight thin-walled structures.

A Geometry-Based Welding Distortion Prediction Tool.

The prediction of welding distortion requires expertise in computer simulation programs, a clear definition of the nonlinear material properties, and mesh settings together with the nonlinear solution settings of a coupled thermal–structural analysis. The purpose of this paper is to present the validation of an automatic simulation tool implemented in Ansys using Python scripting. This tool allows users to automate the preparation of the simulation model with a reduced number of inputs. The goal was, based on some assumptions, to provide an automated simulation setup that enables users to predict accurate distortion during the welding manufacturing process. Any geometry prepared in a CAD software can be used as the input, which gave us much geometrical flexibility in the shapes and sizes to be modeled. A thermomechanical loosely coupled analysis approach together with element birth and death technology was used to predict the distortions. The automation of the setup enables both simulation and manufacturing engineers to perform welding-induced distortion prediction. The results showed that the method proposed predicts distortion with 80–98% accuracy.

Welding-induced residual stresses and distortions of butt-welded corroded and intact plates

The welding-induced residual stresses and distortions of butt-welds between non-corroded and corroded steel plates are studied experimentally and numerically, simulating a repair in an aged structure. Butt welds are made between plates with different corrosion levels and intact ones, and temperature distributions and distortions have been measured. Finite element analyses of the butt-welded corroded and non-corroded plates are performed to estimate the welding-induced distortions and residual stresses for different levels of corrosion degradation. The environmental conditions during the welding repair process are also accounted for. Experimentally evaluated mechanical properties of corroded steel plates as a function of the temperature during the welding process are employed in non-linear finite element analyses. The importance of the material properties as a function of the severity of the steel plates' corrosion degradation on the welding-induced distortions and residual stresses is also quantified. This study shows the importance of considering the ageing of steel in the repair process. The developed methodology allows critical operational decisions to be made with greater ease and confidence in analysing the welding-induced distortions and residual stresses when ageing structures are repaired to extend their service life. Furthermore, different welding sequence scenarios may be analysed to identify the most appropriate repair solution in minimising the repair cost.

Influence of bevel angle on the welding-induced residual stress and distortion based on a thermometallurgical-mechanical model in a Q345-316L dissimilar butt welded joint

Generally, residual stress and distortion are evident in dissimilar welded joint, which are easily affected by different welding parameters. The occurrence of residual stress and distortion almost is attributed to that the non-uniform expansion and contraction of the weld and surrounding base material during arc welding. Different bevel angle has a serious effect for the result of welding due to producing different thermal conduction direction and volume of filler metal. Therefore, the effect of bevel angle on residual stress and distortion in a Q345-316L dissimilar joint is studied employing finite element method and experiment. Considering thermo-metallurgical-mechanical coupling behaviors, solid phase transition effect, the isotropic hardening model and mobile heat resource were performed on the stress field and distortion in the joints of V-bevel angle 45°, 60°, 75°, and 90°. Besides, the result of the simulation was verified by the corresponding experiment result. As a result, it is found that the influence of bevel angle on the residual stress and distortion is significantly apparent in the Q345-316L dissimilar joint.

Control of weld distortion through in-situ preheating of weld filler wire

ABSTRACT The present study deals with a new technique for controlling the weld-induced distortion. This developed technique involves in-situ preheating of welding filler wire before it emerges from the contact tube. Welding filler wire preheating was carried out using an external constant current power source and a specially designed welding torch. Weld beads were deposited on 3.0 mm low carbon steel sheet using a bead on plate technique with different preheat values of welding filler wire by the submerged arc welding process. Electrical signals were recorded to analyze the effect of welding filler wire preheating on arc characteristics. Probability density distribution (PDD) curves from electrical signals indicate that with the rise in preheat value, welding current decreases and results in stable arc characteristics. An increase in preheat value also reduces the longitudinal bending distortion of the sheet. The maximum reduction in the longitudinal bending distortion of the sheet (~53%) was obtained at the maximum preheat value of 200 Ampere.

Numerical prediction of deformation in thin-plate welded joints using equivalent thermal strain method

Large welding-induced distortions are inevitably generated in a thin-plate welded joint due to its weak stiffness. In this study, an equivalent thermal strain method based on inherent strain theory is proposed to predict the welding deformation of thin plates. An artificial temperature and an orthotropic thermal expansion coefficient are adopted to directly simulate the welding shrinkage and bending behavior of the cooling phase in all directions. To describe the distribution of transverse inherent strain through thickness more accurately, a composite shell element is employed, which can divide the thickness into multiple layers and set different material properties. A three-dimensional (3D) thermo–elastic–plastic finite element method (TEP-FEM) model is also developed to simulate the welding process of a thin plate and compute the inherent strain. Moreover, an experiment was performed to verify the accuracy of the numerical model. Comparing the results from experimental data, TEP-FEM, and the proposed method, it is discovered that the new method can predict the deformation of a thin-plate welded joint with good computational accuracy.