Experimental and numerical simulation of multipass welding in ferritics steels

Abstract The use of finite difference, finite element, and finite volume methods are the numerical approaches largely used in the simulation of welding processes. Diversifying or implementing new numerical methods that aim for similarity with experimental processes is important to mitigate and control problems. The main goal of this paper is to show the feasibility of the element-based finite volume method (EbFVM) applied to the numerical simulation of the gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW) of ferritic steels subjected to multi-pass welding. The Element-based finite volume method (EbFVM), in conjunction with unstructured meshes, has been used to discretize the thermal equation in terms of enthalpy. The numerical simulation of the temperature cycles of select regions of the workpiece was confronted with an experimental GTAW process. The numerical results indicate that the method provides a robust simulation of autogenous TIG welding processes, particularly for thermal cycles in regions close to the fusion zone. For cycles at greater distances, the method also demonstrates reliable performance in capturing thermal cycle variations; however, the influence of anisotropic thermal conductivity requires further evaluation.