Welding simulation of complex structures – possibilities and limits

Abstract

The possibilities of predicting welding distortions are extensive. The boundary conditions used in industrial production play an important role in choosing the right strategy. Not only the right abstraction of the welding process is essential for correct and useful results, the clamping conditions and pre-tack welding are also very important. This article reviews experiments and FEM calculations of welded complex structures of industrial relevance. The examined structure comes from a railway vehicle and contains u-profiles with a sheet thickness of 4 mm. The review starts with the explanation of the researched structure and shows different welding situations, like unclamped and clamped manufacturing. Then the FE model with several weld seams is explained and the used boundary conditions are shown. Finally, the measured and calculated distortions are compared and discussed.

Keywords

welding simulation / FEM / distortion / boundary condition / clamping