Measurement and finite element analysis of temperature distribution in arc welding process

This presentation describes both the experimental measurement and finite element analysis used to study the temperature distribution during a metal inert gas (MIG) welding process, including the cooling down period. Welding was carried out on two pieces of 6 mm thick mild steel plates of size 200 mm by 75 mm with a 2 mm square gap between them. Simulation of the whole process was done using ANSYS 5.7 finite element software. The object of the exercise was to develop analytical techniques to accurately predict the temperature history of the weldment, which could be further used to analyse problems such as distortion of the weldment, residual stress formation and cracking phenomena. The experimental and computational results were found to be in very good agreement