Finite Element Analysis of Residual Stress in Butt Welding of Two Similar Plates

In this paper, Manual Metal Arc Welding of carbon steel plates was studied. The finite element analysis of residual stresses in butt welding of two similar plates is performed with the ANSYS software. This analysis includes a finite element model for the thermal and mechanical welding simulation. It also includes a moving heat source, material deposit, temperature dependent material properties, metal plasticity and elasticity, transient heat transfer and mechanical analysis. The welding simulation was considered as a sequential coupled thermo-mechanical analysis and the element birth and death technique was employed for the simulation of filler metal deposition. The residual stress distribution and magnitude in the axial direction is to be obtained. A good agreement between the computation and experimental results is to be obtained.