Residual stresses due to gas arc welding of aluminum alloy joints by numerical simulations

This study deals with the numerical simulation of the gas arc welding process of Aluminum tee joints using finite element analysis and evaluation of the effect of welding parameters on residual stress build up. The 3D simulations are performed using ABAQUS code for thermo-mechanical analyses with moving heat source, material deposition, solid-liquid phase transition, temperature dependent material properties, metal elasticity and plasticity, and transient heat transfer. Quasi Newton method is used for the analysis routine and thermo-mechanical coupling is assumed; i.e. the thermal analysis is completed before performing a separate mechanical analysis based on the thermal history. The residual stress build up and temperature history state in a three-dimensional analysis of the tee joint is then compared to experimental results. Hole drilling method is used for measuring the residual stress, while temperature history is measured by thermocouples. After carrying out numerical simulations, the effects of voltage/current, welding speed, material thickness and size of electrode on residual stress build-up and resulting distortions are evaluated.