A new welding modeling approach in simulation driven design

Abstract: This thesis is a part of a larger project involving the Faste Laboratory at
Luleå University of Technology and the Wingquist Laboratory at Chalmers
University of Technology. The interaction between simulation driven design
and variation simulations is the main focus of this project.
Computational welding mechanics has been developed during the last 30 years
and can today be used to predict the outcome of real welding processes e.g.
deformations and residual stresses. Hence, these types of simulations are
starting to be used as a part of the product development process.
The aim is to show that it is possible to perform simulation driven design
on welded products in such a way that traditional physical testing can be
reduced or even excluded.
This thesis was divided into two parts. The aim of the first part was to
show that VrWeld, a welding simulation software developed by Goldak
Technologies, can perform accurate welding simulations and provide reliable
results. This is done by running NeT’s Round Robin Benchmark which consists
of a single weld bead on a stainless steel plate. The results from VrWeld
were compared to simulation results and residual stress measurements from
other Round Robin participants. The second part of the thesis is a case
study of a rear axle bridge from a Volvo wheel loader. The deformations
caused by welding during manufacturing were measured and compared with
simulation results. An alternative welding sequence was simulated to show
the possibilities of including these simulations in a simulation driven
design process. The results show that it is possible to perform welding
simulations in VrWeld for both residual stress analyses and deformation
analyses, with the same or better accuracy as other simulation softwares.
The results also indicate good opportunities to implement such simulation
tools in a simulation driven design process.