Methodology to Reduce Distortion Using a Hybrid Thermal Welding Process

Abstract

Welding is a thermal process which results in high strain and stress values in the material and leads to its change of phase. This might cause significant distortions in the welded structure, which often becomes a relevant design and manufacturing issue. This study deals with a line-heating-based forming process that is applied at the moment of the welding operation, with the final objective of minimizing distortion. A FEM (finite element method) based on a thermo-elastoplastic approach is used here. The computational method is first calibrated in three stages: heatline forming calibration, flame heat source calibration, and the weld process. The final model presented in this work simulates a hybrid process called htTTT (high-temperature thermal transient tensioning) which was optimized over large T welds to minimize the final distortion of the components.

Cause of Angular Distortion in Fusion Welding: Asymmetric Cross-Sectional Profile along Thickness

“…Fusion welding is a commonly used joint technology for manufacturing various metal structures, particularly within the aeronautics, automotive, ships, and architecture [1,2,3,4,5]. However, fusion welding is usually accompanied by unavoidable shrinkage and undesired distortion, which can decrease the precision of the welded part [6,7].…”

Special Issue of the Manufacturing Engineering Society (MES)

“…The number of contributions in the “advances and innovations in manufacturing processes” field has been very remarkable as well, where outstanding works have been presented in the following areas: machining [15,16,17,18,19,20,21,22,23,24], forming [25,26,27,28,29,30], moulding [31], welding [32,33], and non-traditional manufacturing processes [34,35,36,37,38].…”