Modeling of 3D temperature field in butt welded joint of 6060 alloy sheets using the ANSYS program

In work, the modeling of a three-dimensional temperature field in a butt weld connection of two 6060 aluminum alloy sheets using Finite Element Method is presented. The calculations were performed for two welding methods: TIG (Tungsten Inert Gas) and MIG (Metal Inert Gas). The Goldak's double ellipsoidal heat source model has been used in modeling. The thermal-mechanical properties of the material were assumed to depend on the temperature. The Workbench, DesignModeler, Mechanical, Fluent and CFD-Post modules of the ANSYS program were used for numerical simulations. In the description of the geometry of joints, cube type elements were used, with density of grid in the heat affected zone. The parabolic shapes of face and root were assumed based on the literature and results of the experiment. The temperature distributions in cross-sections of welded joints as well as welding thermal cycles at selected points were analyzed. The results of numerical simulations were verified experimentally. Comparison of calculated and obtained in the experiment the characteristic limits of heat affected zones showed satisfactory compatibility. The directions of heat propagation determined by vectors of cooling rates coincide with the longitudinal axis of dendritic grains determined on the basis of metallographic tests. (paper)