Thermal and stress analysis of a sheet metal in welding

A cantilever assembly subjected to heating at its fixed end, which resembles the welding of a sheet metal is considered. Temperature and stress fields are computed during the heating process. A control volume approach is introduced for the numerical solution of heat transfer equations while the finite element method is adopted for stress field predictions. It is found that the temperature distribution in the transverse direction does not vary considerably, but varies significantly in the longitudinal direction. The temporal change of temperature gradient induces stresses in the substrate material. However, the maximum magnitude of the von Mises stress is less than the yield strength of the substrate material. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.