Numerical study on stress induced cambering distortion and its mitigation in welded titanium alloy sheet

Abstract

Arc welding process is widely used for fabricated thin structures in aerospace, shipyard, etc. Welding deformation is undesirable owing to the decrease in buckling strength and injures the beautiful appearance of structures. In addition, it causes errors during the assembly which result in more rework and productivity restriction. Welding deformation is complicated in real structure and is difficult to control. In the present study, numerical simulation by applying finite element has been performed using ANSYS to predict residual stress and cambering distortion in welded titanium alloy sheet. Furthermore, attempt was made to eliminate this distortion by applying dynamic spot cooling source technique behind the welding torch. The computed result revealed that the cambering could be eliminated under proper control of the parameters of this technique, such as the distance between the two sources. Transient residual stress through the thickness exhibit different behaviour and magnitude from that in conventional welding, and its cost is minimised by such technique. Explanation of this minimising mechanism was discussed.     

Residual welding stresses in laser beam and tungsten inert gas weldments of titanium alloy

Abstract

The residual welding stresses in laser beam (LB) and tungsten inert gas (TIG) weldments of a titanium alloy in thin plate form were investigated experimentally in the present work. A hole drilling technique was used to measure the residual stresses in the weldments. The effects of the welding method and post-weld heat treatment (PWHT) on the residual stresses were analysed. The results show that (i) the residual stress distribution in the LB welded joints is similar to that obtained for traditional fusion welding processes, although the distribution zone is much narrower in LB welding, (ii) the residual stress in the heat affected zone for LB welding is about 100 MPa lower than that for TIG welding, and (iii) PWHT in vacuum greatly relieves the welding residual stress.     

3D numerical study of effects of temperature field on sensitisation of Alloy 690 butt welds fabricated by gas tungsten arc welding and laser beam welding

Abstract

This study examines the effects of the temperature field on the sensitisation of Alloy 690 butt welds fabricated using the gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW) method and the laser beam welding (LBW) method respectively. The welding thermal cycles of the two welding methods are simulated using ANSYS software based upon a moving heat source model. The validity of the numerical model is confirmed by comparing the simulation results with the corresponding experimental findings. Agreement is found between the numerical results for the temperature field and the experimental temperature measurements. In addition, it is shown that the LBW weldment experiences a more rapid heating and cooling effect than the GTAW weldment, and therefore has both a smaller heat affected zone and a narrower sensitisation region. Thus, the validity and general applicability of the thermal welding model are confirmed.     

New technique to control welding buckling distortion and residual stress with non-contact electromagnetic impact

Abstract

A new technique using non-contact electromagnetic forces has been proposed for controlling welding buckling distortion and residual stresses in welded thin plates. The experimental results show that the method can successfully eliminate the buckling distortion and reduce the residual stresses. Three-dimensional finite element modelling has been developed to study the evolution of the stress and strain throughout the welding and electromagnetic impacts. The predicted welding distortion and residual stresses are in good agreement with the experimental results. The numerical analyses show that the reduction in distortion and stress is a result of the change of the plastic strain field in the weld region: electromagnetic impacts reduce longitudinal compressive plastic strain in the local region near the weld, and even produce the tensile plastic strain. Moreover, it is found that the residual stress can promote the changes of the longitudinal plastic strain state under electromagnetic impact.