Welding Induced Distortions and Strains of a Built-Up Panel: Experiment and Numerical Validation

Weld build-up or weld cladding is a welding process in which weld metal can be deposited in order to reclaim the material thickness. In certain applications, welding induced distortions must be controlled while simultaneously minimizing welding induced residual strains. In order to examine the relative effect of the weld build-up region on welding induced distortion and residual strains, two panels were fabricated with either a small 100 × 100 × 3 or large 200 × 200 × 3 mm depression that was subsequently filled by welding. During welding, the strains, displacements and temperature were continuously monitored in order to compare the transient solution with companion FEM models of the same structures. The coupled thermo-mechanical problem was solved using Goldak Technology Inc.s VrSuite program, with the level of agreement of the measured distortions, strains and temperature profiles dependent on their location and history. Both the numerical and experimental tests showed that despite the differences in the geometry, both panels developed the same strain state, although the large welded patch had greater peak value and larger distortions.