Heat Source Modeling and Study on the Effect of Thickness on Residual Stress Distribution in Electron Beam Welding

Abstract

In this study, the volumetric heat source in electron beam welding (EBW) is modeled through finite element method taking advantage of ABAQUS software package. Since this welding method is being applied in plates with different thicknesses and also considering that residual stresses reduce the strength of these weldments, the effect of thickness in the distribution and magnitude of residual stresses after welding is studied. Regarding the vast application of Inconel 706 super-alloy in aerospace industries, this material was selected in the current research. In order to validate the finite element model, the obtained results were compared to those of other researchers in this area, and good agreement was observed. The simulation results revealed that increase in the plate thickness leads to increase in the residual stresses. In addition heat treatment in the base metal (before welding) increases the residual stresses significantly.