2D and 3D numerical simulations of TIG welding of a 316L steel sheet

In this study, a numerical simulation to predict residual stresses and distortion generated by a TIG welding process is presented. 3D numerical simulations have been performed on an instrumented test involving a fusion line along the long axis direction of a 316L plate. For the transient thermal analysis, the heat-input modeling was calibrated against thermocouple measurements. The subsequent mechanical analysis was performed with elasto-vicoplastic (EVP) or elasto-plastic (EP) constitutive equations, in order to investigate viscosity effects. Both results of EP and EVP calculations have been compared to the experimental results (transient displacements, final shape, and residual stresses). Afterward, the relevance of a simplified 2D-plane stress modeling of this test case, for the prediction of residual stresses, is discussed.