Modelling of welded aluminium connections in large-scale analyses

This article addresses large-scale analyses of welded aluminium connections where the weak zones are to be represented by a few shell elements. A combined experimental and numerical study on the behaviour and modelling of welded aluminium connections is presented, where a shell-element modelling framework applicable in large-scale analyses is proposed, accounting for geometrical instability, thinning, and ductile fracture. The proposed modelling framework is calibrated and validated using cross-weld tension tests. The test campaign involves tension testing of two Al-Mg-Si alloys and two welding techniques widely used in industrial applications. The shell-element simulations represented the response of the tests reasonably well.