Local equivalent welding element to predict the welding deformations of plate-type structures

Considering the Heat Affected Zone (HAZ) of welding joint, the residual strain be-haviors of material under constraint and temperature circulation, as well as the activating mechanism of welding process, this paper addresses a new type welding element for numerical simulation of welding deformation, which is called the LEWE (the local equivalent welding element). This element can describe the basic char-acteristics of welded seam: the local position points of inherent strain, the equiva-lent size, the bending radius (or bending angle) from inherent strain, etc. It could be used to predict the welding deformation of plate-type structure. The comparisons between the computed deflection of welded plate and its experiment measurement are present. The results showed that the LEWE possesses a potential to simulate the deformation of welding process high-efficiently and precisely.