Modeling of the thermal fluid flow and keyhole shape in stationary plasma arc welding

A three dimensional transient model has been developed to investigate the fluid flow and heat transfer in the weld pool with a dynamic-variation keyhole during stationary plasma arc welding (PAW). The level set method is used to track the moving boundary of the keyhole, and the evolution of both keyhole and weld pool in stationary keyhole PAW process are quantitatively analyzed. The thermal fluid flow of the molten metal surrounding the keyhole inside the weld pool is numerically simulated, and its effect on the keyhole shape is considered. The establishing time of an open keyhole is calculated for the stationary plasma arc welding of stainless steel plates with thickness 6 mm. The stationary keyhole PAW experiments are conducted to measure the keyhole shape, the fusion zone, and the establishment time of the keyhole. The predicted results, such as the keyhole length and width at bottom-side, the weld width at top- and bottom-side, and the establishment time of the keyhole, are in agreement with the experimental measurement.     

A new strategy for the numerical modeling of a weld pool

Welding processes involve high temperatures and metallurgical and mechanical consequences that must be controlled. For this purpose, numerical simulations have been developed to study the effects of the process on the final structure. During the welding process, the material undergoes thermal cycles that can generate different physical phenomena, like phase changes, microstructure changes and residual stresses and distortions. But the accurate simulation of transient temperature distributions in the part needs to carefully take account of the fluid flow in the weld pool. The aim of this paper is thus to propose a new approach for such a simulation taking account of surface tension effects (including both the “curvature effect” and the “Marangoni effect”), buoyancy forces and free surface motion.The proposed approach is validated by two numerical tests from the literature: a sloshing test and a plate subjected to a static heat source. Then, the effects of the fluid flow on temperature distributions are discussed in a hybrid laser/arc welding example.     

Analysis of temperature and stress field in Al alloy’s twin wire welding

By analyzing the shape of twin wire welding’s arcs and the track of droplets’ transition, the phenomenon that the twin wire welding’s fore arc and rear arc all deflect to the middle of the two arcs is found. Based on this the double ellipsoid heat source model is amended, and a heat source model which can apply to calculate the twin wire welding’s temperature field is put forward. This model is testified by actual experiment of temperature sampling. By comparing the temperature field of twin wire welding and single wire welding, the results show that twin wire welding has slender weld pool the end part of which is ellipsoid, and its HAZ is narrower than that of single wire welding. So, twin wire welding can not only reduce the Al alloy generating hot crack, but can also weaken the “overaging” softened phenomenon of heat treated strengthening Al alloy. In the end, the evolving rules of 2219 Al alloy’s longitudinal and transverse stress when welded with twin wire welding are analyzed.     

An upwind numerical solution of nonlinear advection-diffusion problems with a moving heat source

In the present work, two-dimensional temperature variations and a position of a weldpool within a workpiece during keyhole plasma arc welding are determined. The model allows to include temperature dependent thermal properties, variable welding speed, different keyhole radii and a nonlinear boundary condition of the third kind on the upper and the lower surfaces of the workpiece. The upwind scheme (donor cell method) is employed to present physically realistic numerical solutions. The obtained results can be used for controlling the plasma arc welding process through the controlling of plasma jet diameter. Received on 10 March 1998     

Marangoni convection and weld shape variation in A-TIG welding process

The flux effect on TIG weld shape variations is investigated by application of the heat transfer and fluid flow model. The simulation makes use of Nimonic 263 alloy, TiO, TiO₂ and Ti₂O₃ as the flux. The arc constriction and the reversed Marangoni convection are considered to be the two main factors for increasing penetration of A-TIG weld pool. And the simulated results show that the latter is the main factor for changing weld shapes. The surface tension temperature coefficient is sensitive to the active elements and affects the pattern of the fluid flow. By controlling the category and quantity of the active elements, different kinds of the weld shapes are obtained. The experimental result shows that increase of active flux on the weld bead tends to increase the penetration of the weld pool at first and then decreases steeply. This does not coincide with the simulated results. It is probably because part of the oxide in the flux is not totally decomposed when the flux reaches a critical value. The solid oxide particles in the weld pool act as the obstacles of the fluid flow and reduce the velocity of the flow.     

Three dimensional modeling weld solidification cracks in multipass welding

This paper utilizes element birth and death finite element technique to control the process of filling metal step by step during multipass welding process. The dynamic thermal distributions and strain evolutions are simulated in 10 mm SUS310 stainless steel in multipass welding after taking into consideration of the fluid flow in the weld pool, the latent heat, taking into account the effect of the deformation in weld pool, change of initial temperature and solidification shrinkage. At the same time, the driving forces to weld solidification cracks of each weld pass are obtained successfully according to simulated thermal cycle (temperature against time) and mechanical strain cycle (mechanical strain against time). The results show the patterns of distribution of the driving force are similar to those of surface fusion welding. The driving force of first weld pass is larger than following weld passes and the driving force decreases gradually in company with welding processing. Sequent welding processes affect the mechanical strain distributions of previous weld pass, of which the tensile mechanical strain changes to compressive strain. In addition, the driving forces are analyzed and weld solidification cracks are predicted during multipass welding. The predicted results agree well with the experiments. Therefore, the simulated results in this study provide the foundation for predicting weld solidification cracking in actual weldment.     

On determining the shape of weld pools

The equations governing heat and fluid flow in weld pools for the TIG fusion welding process are presented and this coupled system is solved numerically using finite differences. Electromagnetic forcing terms, buoyancy forces, shear forces on the pool surface due to the variation in surface tension with temperature and an additional uniform magnetic field applied normal to the workpiece are all included in our model and results are displayed indicating the relative importance of these four mechanisms.     

Simulation of temperature fields in arc and beam welding

 Heat and mass transfer in arc and beam welding is considered. The main objectives are analysis of the heat transfer in the weld pool and the workpiece and to demonstrate how computer simulation can be used as a tool to predict the temperature distribution as the determining element of the heat effects of welding. Simulation results of two particular welding processes are compared and validated with measurements. Received on 26 July 1999     

Comprehensive numerical analysis of a three-pass bead-in-slot weld and its critical validation using neutron and synchrotron diffraction residual stress measurements

The current paper presents a finite element simulation of the residual stress field associated with a three pass slot weld in an AISI 316LN austenitic stainless steel plate. The simulation is split into uncoupled thermal and mechanical analyses which enable a computationally less expensive solution. A dedicated welding heat source modelling tool is employed to calibrate the ellipsoidal Gaussian volumetric heat source by making use of extensive thermocouple measurements and metallographic analyses made during and after welding. The mechanical analysis employs the Lemaitre–Chaboche mixed hardening model. This captures the cyclic mechanical response which a material undergoes during the thermo-mechanical cycles imposed by the welding process. A close examination of the material behaviour at various locations in the sample during the welding process, clearly demonstrates the importance of defining the correct hardening and high temperature softening behaviour. The simulation is validated by two independent diffraction techniques. The well-established neutron diffraction technique and a very novel spiral slit X-ray synchrotron technique were used to measure the residual stress–strain field associated with the three-pass weld. The comparison between the model and the experiment reveals close agreement with no adjustable parameters and clearly validates the used modelling procedure.     

Marangoni convection in weld pools with a free surface

A steady-state two-dimensional model of heat transfer and fluid flow was developed to describe Marangoni convection in the weld pool. Both the pool surface and the fusion boundary were calculated. The validity of the model was verified against an asymptotic solution for Marangoni-convection-induced free surface geometry. Two different cases were studied, i.e. a negative surface tension temperature coefficient ?γ/?T a positive one, and the resultant shapes of the weld pool surface were compared.     

Metal Flow during Friction Stir Welding of 7075-T651 Aluminum Alloy

Bronze foil of 0.1 mm thickness was placed between faying surfaces of two plates to be butt-welded as marker material to reveal the flow behavior of weld metal during friction stir welding of 7075-T651 aluminum alloy. By tracing the bronze foil fragments in the weld after welding, the metal flow behavior during the welding process was revealed. Besides, the tool forces in the welding process were measured by the octagonal loop resistance turning dynamometer to expound the periodic variation of metal flow pattern. Results show that the flow behavior of the weld metal is different along the thickness direction. The flow pattern presents a periodic variation, and a formula has been proposed to calculate the periodicity of the metal flow. In addition, the weld nugget zone presents a “spoon” shape and the fine grains at the spoon handle and those at the spoon bowl are originated from different zones. A plastic metal flow model in FSW was proposed based on the results. Furthermore, the formation of defects was explained by researching the weld metal flow behavior.     

宽幅钢箱梁环焊缝焊接顺序优化研究

基于热弹塑性有限元法,采用ANSYS软件建立了网格疏密过渡的单箱五室钢箱梁壳单元模型;结合高效的分段移动热源,实现了对大型复杂长焊缝结构焊接全过程的数值模拟,并定性对比了宽幅钢箱梁在不同的环焊缝焊接顺序下顶板和底板的变形情况.分析结果表明:腹板焊缝的焊接顺序对竖向最大变形值(绝对值)的影响不大,其值主要取决于顶板和底板...     

激光定向能量沉积的粉末尺度多物理场数值模拟

激光定向能量沉积技术作为一种同轴送粉式金属增材制造技术, 以其制造效率高、成形尺寸大等优势在航空、航天、交通等领域具有广阔的应用前景. 然而, 该技术在金属零件的尺寸精度和形状精度控制方面存在诸如尺寸偏差大、表面不平整等控形问题, 亟需发展高效高精度预测熔覆层成形尺寸形貌的数值模拟方法. 针对该问题, 本文建立了考虑激光-粉末-熔池交互过程的高保真多物理场数值模型. 其中, 采用高斯面热源等效激光光束, 利用拉格朗日质点法求解粉末输送及其与激光交互的过程, 进一步结合有限体积法和流体体积法求解粉末-熔池的交互及其流动凝固过程, 并通过TC17合金单道熔覆层实验结果进行了验证. 基于该模型, 首先预测了不同工艺参数下单道熔覆层形貌尺寸, 并对熔覆层形貌的变化趋势及其内在的物理机理进行了深入分析. 结果表明, 依赖于工艺参数的粉末温度分布和粉末基板能量分配比例对熔池流场和熔覆层尺寸有显著的影响. 本文所建立的数值模型可辅助激光定向能量沉积增材制造技术控形工艺参数优化, 所得结论可为成形件尺寸和形状精度控制提供理论指导.      

Numerical simulation and control of welding distortion for double floor structure of high speed train

The welding heat source models and the plastic tension zone sizes of a typical weld joint involved in the double floor structure of high speed train under different welding parameters were calculated by a thermal-elastic-plastic FEM analysis based on SYSWELD code.Then,the welding distortion of floor structure was predicted using a linear elastic FEM and shrinkage method based on Weld Planner software.The effects of welding sequence,clamping configuration and reverse deformation on welding distortion of floor structure were examined numerically.The results indicate that the established elastic FEM model for floor structure is reliable for predicting the distribution of welding distortion in view of the good agreement between the calculated results and the measured distortion for real double floor structure.Compared with the welding sequence,the clamping configuration and the reverse deformation have a significant influence on the welding distortion of floor structure.In the case of30 mm reverse deformation,the maximum deformation can be reduced about 70%in comparison to an actual welding process.     

Heat transfer,development length,and friction factor correlations for the asymptotic region of a laminar arc constrictor

A rigorous equilibrium model is formulated for the laminar flow of plasma through the heating region of a constricted arc plasma generator. The resulting equations are solved for an argon gas using an implicit finite-difference scheme, and the wall shear stress and heat transfer are computed from momentum and energy balances for a wide range of flow rates and arc currents. Friction factors based on this method are in agreement with empirical values to within approximately 10 per cent, and heat transfer calculations agree with the orders of magnitude predicted by a simplified arc model. A dimensionless number peculiar to the constricted arc, the so-called Ohmic heating parameter, is used to correlate the mean Nusselt numbers in the asymptotic arc regime. When the fluid properties are based on the mean temperature, the product of friction factor and Reynolds number is found to be a constant for currents below 200 Amp and to vary with the Ohmic heating parameter for larger currents. Correlations are also presented for the thermal development length, and the agreement with experiment is good.     

Transient free convection flow of a viscoelastic fluid over vertical surface

In this paper, the viscoelsatic boundary layer flow and the heat transfer near a vertical isothermal impermeable surface and in a quiescent fluid are examined. The gov-erning equations are formulated and solved numerically using MackCormak’s technique. The results show excellent agreement with previously published results by a compari-sion. Representative results for the velocity and temperature profiles, boundary layer thicknesses, Nusselt numbers, and local skin friction coefficients are shown graphically for different values of viscoelsatic parameters. In general, it is found that the velocities increase inside the hydrodynamic boundary layers and the temperatures decrease inside the thermal boundary layers for the viscoelsatic fluid as compared with the Newtonian fluid due to favorable tensile stresses. Consequently, the coefficients of friction and heat transfer enhance for higher viscoelsatic parameters.     

Numerical simulation of flow boiling for organic fluid with high saturation temperature in vertical porous coated tube

A semi-analytical model is developed for the prediction of flow boiling heat transfer inside vertical porous coated tubes. The model assumes that the forced convection and nucleate boiling coexist together in the annular flow regime. Conservations of mass, momentum, and energy are used to solve for the liquid film thickness and temperature. The heat flux due to nucleate boiling consists of those inside and outside micro-tunnels. To close the equations, a detailed analysis of various forces acting on the bubble is presented to predict its mean departure diameter. The active nucleation site density of porous layer is determined from the pool boiling correlation by introducing suppression factor. The flow boiling heat transfer coefficients of organic fluid (cumene) with high saturation temperature in a vertical flame-spraying porous coated tube are studied numerically. It is shown that the present model can predict most of the experimental values within ±20%. The numerical results also indicate that the nucleate boiling contribution to the overall heat transfer coefficient decreases from 50% to 15% with vapor quality increasing from 0.1 to 0.5.     

Fracture mechanisms of CTOD samples of submerged and flux cored arc welding

Three welding procedures commonly used to rebuild worn shafts in sugar cane mills were analyzed: two processes of submerged arc welding and one of flux cored arc welding. Crack tip opening displacement for the welding was determined according to ASTM E 1290 standard. The fracture surface and microstructure of the samples were characterized using scanning electron microscopy and optical microscopy, respectively. The fracture parameter CTOD was correlated with the fracture surface and microstructures. The single deposit of FCAW process and the outer weld deposits of SAW process present acicular and blocky ferrite and non-metallic inclusions with spherical shape distributed randomly in the welding. The inner deposits for SAW process show equiaxed ferrite and pearlite with fine inclusions. Welding material B-MA 1 presented the highest CTOD_c with 0.2115 mm, followed by A-MA 2 with 0.1672 mm and A-MA 1 with 0.1238 mm. Each presented ductile fracture surfaces characterized by spherical dimples, microvoids nucleated in inclusions. Deposits B-MA2 and C-MA 1 presented lower CTOD_c, unstable crack growth and brittle fractures, characterized by intergranular failures due to fine inclusions in the grain boundaries.     

Particle shape effect on hydrodynamics and heat transfer in spouted bed: A CFD–DEM study

Spouted bed has drawn much attention due to its good heat and mass transfer efficiency in many chemical units. Investigating the flow patterns and heat and mass transfer inside a spouted bed can help optimize the spouting process. Therefore, in this study, the effects of particle shape on the hydrodynamics and heat transfer in a spouted bed are investigated. This is done by using a validated computational fluid dynamics–discrete element method (CFD–DEM) model, considering volume–equivalent spheres and oblate and prolate spheroids. The results are analysed in detail in terms of the flow pattern, microstructure, and heat transfer characteristics. The numerical results show that the prolate spheroids (Ar = 2.4) form the largest bubble from the beginning of the spouting process and rise the highest because the fluid drag forces can overcome the interlocking and particle–particle frictional forces. Compared with spherical particles, ellipsoidal spheroids have better mobility because of the stronger rotational kinetic energy resulting from the rough surfaces and nonuniform torques. In addition, the oblate spheroid system exhibits better heat transfer performance benefiting from the larger surface area, while prolate spheroids have poor heat transfer efficiency because of their orientation distribution. These findings can serve as a reference for optimizing the design and operation of complex spouted beds.     

Influence of temperature dependent conductivity of a nanofluid in a vertical rectangular duct

Natural convective heat transfer and fluid flow in a vertical rectangular duct filled with a nanofluid is studied numerically assuming the thermal conductivity to be dependent on the fluid temperature. The transport equations for mass, momentum and energy formulated in dimensionless form are solved numerically using finite difference method. Particular efforts have been focused on the effects of the thermal conductivity variation parameter, Grashof number, Brinkman number, nanoparticles volume fraction, aspect ratio and type of nanoparticles on the fluid flow and heat transfer inside the cavity. It is found that the flow was enhanced for the increase in Grashof number, Brinkman number and aspect ratio for any values of conductivity variation parameter and for regular fluid and nanofluid. The heat transfer rate for regular fluid is less than that for the nanofluid for all governing parameters.