Welding simulation using a reduced order model for efficient residual stress evaluation

Abstract In this paper, to evaluate the residual stress of welded structures efficiently, we propose a welding simulation method utilizing a reduced order model. To construct the reduced order model, a finite element model is divided into a target part and an omitted part. For the heat transfer analysis, a thermal boundary condition is newly defined and applied to the target part, to compensate for the heat loss induced by neglecting the omitted part. For the thermal elastic plastic analysis, a reduced model for the target part is constructed using the automated static condensation method. The performance of the proposed welding simulation method adopting the reduced order model is verified by solving several welding problems, and it effectively reduces computational costs while predicting the residual stress with little loss of accuracy.