Modelling the Welding Process of an Orthotropic Steel Deck

Modelling the Welding Process of an Orthotropic Steel Deck

E. Van Puymbroeck, N. Iqbal, H. De Backer

Abstract. A three-dimensional finite element welding simulation procedure is developed with the software Siemens NX and solver type SAMCEF in order to determine the residual stresses of a welded component of an orthotropic bridge deck. The welding process of a deck plate which is welded to a closed trapezoidal stiffener is simulated. A decoupled thermal-mechanical analysis is performed. During the thermal analysis, the temperatures introduced by the passage of the welding torch are calculated for different time steps. This temperature field is used during the thermal analysis to determine the residual welding stresses for the same time steps. The decoupled thermal-mechanical analysis gives the distribution of the residual stresses in the longitudinal direction. Only this direction is discussed since this is the direction that follows the welding path. On the deck plate there are tensile yield residual stresses near the weld region. In between the welded webs of the stiffener, there are compressive residual stresses. For the longitudinal stiffener, there are again tensile yield residual stresses near the weld which decrease at a greater distance and turn into compressive residual yield stresses. The finite element model results in a residual stress distribution introduced by the welding operation. This distribution can be used in future research to determine the effect of residual stresses on the fatigue life of this welded component in the orthotropic bridge deck.

Keywords
Finite Element Modelling, Welding Simulation, Residual Welding Stresses, Orthotropic Bridge Deck

Published online 9/11/2018, 6 pages
Copyright © 2018 by the author(s)
Published under license by Materials Research Forum LLC., Millersville PA, USA

Citation: E. Van Puymbroeck, N. Iqbal, H. De Backer, ‘Modelling the Welding Process of an Orthotropic Steel Deck’, Materials Research Proceedings, Vol. 6, pp 239-244, 2018

DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.21741/9781945291890-38

The article was published as article 38 of the book Residual Stresses 2018

Content from this work may be used under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 licence. Any further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the title of the work, journal citation and DOI.

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