Comparison of Finite Element Methods in Fusion Welding Processes—A Review

Abstract

Currently, welding processes have become one of the most used methods for joining materials in all kinds of industries, thanks to properties such as high speed and high tensile strength. However, despite these advantages, this type of connection method has some drawbacks, for example, residual stress and structural distortion, mainly due to the process thermal cycles. Structural distortion is one of the major concerns of industrial joining practice. In order to decrease distortion, the variation of welding sequence, direction, and clamping conditions, have been applied through several years, by trial and error tests. However, numerical simulation enables virtual examination of the welding, mainly due to the progress on the numerical methods, which stimulated the research on welding simulation models. These models can cover a wide spectrum of physical and thermal processes occurring during, and after welding. The aim of this paper is to provide wider information about types of finite element method (FEM) in fusion welding processes and to demonstrate the accuracy of FEM models results compared to experimental.