Abstract
Computational design of real-world welded structure is extremely time consuming due to coupled physics and high nonlinearity. Most of welding residual stresses (WRS) and distortion simulations have been in the past limited to small coupons, and reduced order (from 3D to 2D) or inherent strain approximations are used for larger structures. In the current study, an explicit finite element code based on Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) has been developed to realistically simulate the 3D transient thermo-mechanical responses of actual structural component in welding process. Laser brazing of aluminum alloy panel as a representative automobile welding scenario was simulated for predicting out-of-plane distortion under different clamping condition. The deformation pattern and magnitude were validated through laser scanning data. In addition, the code was used to investigate the weld residual stresses in multi-pass arc welding of a pressurizer surge nozzle, and subsequent repair welding where 3D simulation is necessary. The model is compared with experimental data in WRS international Round Robin. Differences in the 3D model and typical 2D asymmetrical model are presented and discussed. Such efficient numerical model makes it feasible to use integrated computational welding engineering (ICWE) to simulate welding process for large-scale structures.
