Fast 3D simulation of a single-pass steel girth weld

¹ University Lyon, ENISE, LTDS, UMR 5513 CNRS, 58 rue Jean Parot, 42023 Saint-Etienne Cedex 02, France
² Haulotte Group, 27 rue d’Onzion, 42152 L’Horme, France
³ ESI France, Le Recamier, 70 rue Robert, 69458 Lyon Cedex 06, France

^a Corresponding author: eric.feulvarch@enise.fr

Received: 10 October 2014
Accepted: 27 September 2015

Abstract

The prediction of welding residual stresses requires accurate account to be taken of the couplings between heat transfer, metallurgy and stresses-strains in the heat affected zone. To begin with, simulations of residual stresses for welding processes were performed at the beginning of the 1970s. Since then, calculations have been compared and validated with experimental measurements, the major problem remaining is the calculation time. Despite the technological evolution of computers, a 3D calculation can last several days. To avoid this difficulty, a 3D simplified approach is proposed in this article. It consists of decreasing the computation time for the current zone of the welds. To show the relevance of such an approach, the methodology developed is presented through the application of a single-pass steel girth weld. For this application, the computing time can be reduced by more than 67% compared to a standard “step by step” simulation.