Prediction of Welding Distortion by Elastic Finite Element Analysis using Inherent Deformation Estimated Through Inverse Analysis

Abstract

During welding, deformation is produced as an unavoidable consequence. The inherent deformation method, in which the inherent deformation is introduced into the elastic finite element method (FEM) as the initial strain, is one of the effective methods to predict the welding distortion of large structures. However, the values of the inherent deformations for all weld joints included in the structure must be known beforehand. Generally, the inherent deformations are influenced by various factors such as materials, welding method, welding condition, joint geometry, plate thickness, and weld length. Thus, it is meaningful to develop a simple method to obtain the inherent deformation. In this report, a simple and efficient method to estimate inherent deformation of typical weld joints is proposed. Further, using the estimated inherent deformation, the welding deformation of joint specimens and large plate structures are predicted.