Numerical Simulation and Experimental Validation of MIG Welding of T-Joints of Thin Aluminum Plates for Top Class Vehicles

Abstract

The integration of experiments with numerical simulations can efficiently support a quick evaluation of the welded joint. In this work, the MIG welding operation on aluminum T-joint thin plate has been studied by the integration of both simulation and experiments. The aim of the paper is to enlarge the global database, to promote the use of thin aluminum sheets in automotive body industries and to provide new data. Since the welding of aluminum thin plates is difficult to control due to high speed of the heat source and high heat flows during heating and cooling, a simulation model could be considered an effective design tool to predict the real phenomena. This integrated approach enables new evaluation possibilities on MIG-welded thin aluminum T-joints, as correspondence between the extension of the microstructural zones and the simulation parameters, material hardness, transient 3D temperature distribution on the surface and inside the material, stresses, strains, and deformations. The results of the mechanical simulations are comparable with the experimental measurements along the welding path, especially considering the variability of the process. The results could well predict the welding-induced distortion, which together with local heating during welding must be anticipated and subsequently minimized and counterbalance

Numerical simulation of the metal inert gas welding process that considers grain heterogeneity

“…In the simulation, the heat conduction is the main factor inside the welded specimen and considers the heat convection and radiation between the surface of the welded specimen and the outside. The heat conduction process in weldment can be described by the Fourier law 4 where k is the material heat conductivity.…”

“…Bonazzi et al. 4 established a numerical model for the welding process of a thin aluminum plate through the sequential coupling of the thermal model and mechanical model and claimed that the mechanical simulation results of the model were in good agreement with the experimental results. However, they simplify the coupling between the heat and force during welding.…”

“…In recent years, many numerical simulation studies have been carried out on the MIG welding process, and the accuracy of this method has been proven by many experiments. 1,4–9 However, most of the existing numerical simulation that has been done is on the macroscopic scale, and there are no reports of welding simulations that consider the microstructure and grain heterogeneity. In this paper, a welding numerical simulation method is proposed to calculate the welding thermal stress distribution in grains that considers grain heterogeneity.…”

Simulation and Experimental Validation of Secondary Dendrite Arm Spacing for AlSi7Mg0.3 Chassis Parts in Low Pressure Die Casting

“…The SDAS is strongly influenced by the solidification dynamics [2], hence the integrated design and simulation of a casting and its manufacturing equipment is critical. Design by Simulation techniques aid designers [3,4]. However, the heat transfer and SDAS models are not easy to compute, since they must be carefully calibrated [5].…”

Advances in Welding Metal Alloys, Dissimilar Metals and Additively Manufactured Parts

“…Among the thermal fusion joining processes, the most common process is electric arc welding. Several methods use the electric arc approach for fusion welding of steel [2], aluminum [3], titanium [4] and magnesium alloys [5]. The selection of filler material is critical for the quality of the dissimilar metal welds [6].…”