Validation of three-dimensional finite element model for electron beam welding of Inconel 718

A three-dimensional finite element model for the prediction of the distortion and residual stresses induced during electron beam welding is described. The model is validated by butt welding experiments on two Inconel 718 plates. A particular effort is made to determine a good model for the heat input. A combined conical and double ellipsoid heat source is used to model the deep penetration characteristic of the electron beam and this source is calibrated using the results from a separate thermodynamic simulation, using the ELSIM finite difference code. Parallel computation is used to reduce the overall simulation time in the coupled thermomechanical simulation of welding. The agreement between calculations and experiments is good with respect to the residual stresses. Measured and computed deformations agree qualitatively although they differ in magnitude.