This article presents the latest results of an ongoing national research project on improved models for the prediction of welding residual stresses of thick-plated welded I-girders. The experimental program is presented and the importance of different influencing factors on the residual stresses is discussed in detail. All results are compared for mild (S355J2+N) and high strength (S690QL) steel. Finally, conclusions for further works are drawn.
This article addresses the imperfections caused by the weld assembly in I-shape sections made of two structural steel grades. Load influencing imperfections are assumed as deviations from the ideal shape (e.g. bending distortion) and longitudinal residual stresses. The quality of a numerically aided design of components exposed to either compression and/or bending is significantly affected, depending on these parameters. The Eurocode (EC3) provides robust simplified models. As a result, the Ultimate Limit State (ULS) is approached on a conservative basis. The following investigations are aimed at providing further guidance on these values in component-like specimens. The long term goal is an improved understanding of the load-bearing capacity of such sections. As a first step in this process, the experimental and corresponding numerical studies are presented.
Welding is the most important joining technique and offers the advantage of customizable plate thicknesses. On the other hand, welding causes residual stresses and deformations influencing the load carrying capacity. Their consideration in the design requires simple and fast models. Though welding simulation has contributed to accurately access to these values nowadays, their application to large components remains still in a less practicable range. Nevertheless, many studies emphasized the need to make corrections in recently available simplified models. Especially the influence of residual stresses seems somewhat overestimated in many cases if comparing conventional structural steel S355 and high-strength steel S690. In the age of computer-aided design, an improved procedure to implement weld-inducted imperfections appears overdue. This will be presented in two parts. The first part illustrates the potential influence of post-welding imperfections exemplified for weak axis buckling in comparison with the general method in accordance with Eurocode 3. Residual stresses and initial crookedness were varied systematically in order to produce a scatter band of capacities. An approach to characterize the borders of these imperfections was untertaken before that. The excessive scattering of reduction factors for the load bearing capacity demonstrates the importance of these variables. Results were finally evaluated against advanced simulation models which will be further detailed in part two of this contribution.
Measurement and numerical modeling of residual stresses in welded HSLA component-like I-girders
(2016)
The present contribution shows the residual stress results obtained from experiments with the sectioning method in comparison to global(structural) welding simulation models on component-like (i.e., large scale) I-girders made
of structural steel grades S355 and S690QL. Plates were welded by conventional gas metal arc welding using two different heat inputs. In addition, the base material was assumed to be stress-free. Based on these results, conclusions and recommendations for the design of welded I-girders are drawn.