Finite Element Analysis of Heat Distribution in Weld Parts by Adaptive Mesh Method

In this article, thermal analysis of sheet metals during arc welding is studied by an adaptive finite element method to construct a welding process simulator. This simulator can be developed to reduce the cost of weld training. By increasing the calculation speed of heat transfer in comparison with the usual methods, this approach analyzes the process in real-time and permits the development of the simulator. So, it can be used as the main calculation engine of a welding simulator. The most crucial parameter in evaluation of real-time analysis is the calculation accuracy. Hence an adaptive mesh method based on H-refinement is applied and the heat transfer is analyzed by both constant and adaptive mesh methods. First, the heat transfer equations will be derived and solved, then the stiffness and capacity matrix and the other parameters will be obtained. The linear 3D tetrahedral elements are used and considered by means of 3 dimensional cartesian coordinates. The heat flux of the arc is studied through Pavelic model. The parameters of interest in the equations are welding voltage, current, speed and sheet specifications which are time dependant. A comparison between the calculation times and accuracy of the results demonstrates that an adequate calculation speed is achieved without any considerable effect on the accuracy.