Computational welding mechanics and process modelling workflows

Computational welding mechanics and process modelling workflows are workflow resources for numerical analysis of welding, surfacing, friction stir welding, post-weld heat treatment, additive manufacturing and special electrometallurgy processes. The workflows support calculation of thermal fields, thermal cycles, stress-strain state, residual stresses, welding distortions, diffusion processes, structural integrity and process-parameter effects. The resource is intended for tasks where experimental welding or materials testing data need to be complemented by finite-element modelling, engineering calculation, computational prediction or digital-twin-oriented workflow preparation. It can support both research studies and engineering assessment of welded structures, including pipelines, pressure vessels, nuclear-energy equipment, large welded structures and advanced manufacturing processes.

Technical notes

The resource is organized as a set of computational workflows rather than as a single software package. A typical workflow may include geometry preparation, material data collection, definition of welding or heat-treatment conditions, selection of heat-source or process model, finite-element model preparation, boundary-condition setup, solver execution, post-processing and comparison with experimental or inspection data. Depending on the task, workflows may cover residual stress and welding distortion modelling, girth weld assessment, friction stir welding thermal analysis, post-weld heat treatment simulation, defect acceptability analysis, diffusion modelling in electrode or metallurgical systems, and digital-twin-oriented modelling for wire arc additive manufacturing. The workflow setup depends on material grade, sample or structure geometry, welding process, thermal cycle, restraint conditions, loading conditions, available experimental data and required accuracy. Therefore, the resource should not be treated as a black-box tool. The modelling assumptions, input data, software environment, validation route and expected outputs should be agreed before the work starts

Data outputs

Typical outputs include finite-element models, input files, mesh files, thermal-cycle profiles, temperature fields, stress and strain fields, residual stress distributions, welding distortion predictions, deformation maps, post-weld heat treatment results, defect assessment indicators, diffusion profiles, concentration maps, parameter-sweep tables, processed plots, calculation logs and technical reports. For digital and FAIR-oriented use, the output package may also include workflow descriptions, model assumptions, material-property tables, scripts, software settings, validation notes, README documentation and metadata describing geometry, material, process parameters, units, boundary conditions and data formats.

Services using this resource

Used in pilot chains

• Welding process testing and modelling