Finite element modeling of the effect of welding parameters on solidification cracking of Austenitic Stainless Steel 310

Abstract

A transient thermo-mechanical model is employed to study the effects of welding parameters on the occurrence of solidification cracking. A finite element program, ANSYS, is employed to solve the thermal and mechanical equations while the different variables such as welding current, speed and sequence are considered in the simulation. The studied geometry was butt joint of two stainless steel plates with the thickness of 2 mm. Then, the samples were welded by TIG method without filler. To verify the numerical results, the model outputs were checked with the experimental observations and good agreement was observed. It was found that the increasing of welding current from 70 A to 100 A resulted in the increase in transverse tensile strain from 1.2 to 2.1 which can facilitate the occurrence of solidification cracking. Furthermore, the application of symmetric welding layout is an effective method to prevent solidification cracking.