Numerical simulation of welding temperature field, residual stress and deformation induced by electro slag welding

► A computational approach was developed to simulate ESW process. ► Δt8/5 time due to ESW is much long, and size of HAZ is very large. ► Large triaxial residual tensile stresses generated around weld zone. ► Significant welding deformation produced in the ESW joint. To increase productivity, welding process with large heat input such as electro slag welding (ESW) process has been used to connect the joints between the diaphragm and the column plate in high-rise steel building. However, the heat input of ESW is much higher than those of the other welding processes, and the high heat input not only largely alters the properties of steel but also results in large residual stresses. Consequently, the changes of steel properties and residual stresses induced by ESW have significantly effects on the safety of a structure. In this study, a three dimension (3-D) finite element model with considering moving heat source was developed to simulate the welding temperature field, Δt8/5 time, welding residual stress and distortion in a typical thick plate joint performed by ESW. The thermal cycles computed by finite element model were compared with experimental measurements. Meanwhile, the features of welding residual stress and distortion distributions in the ESW joint were investigated numerically. In addition, the influences of heat input on the size of heat affected-zone (HAZ), Δt8/5 time welding residual stress and distortion were examined. The thermal cycle curve and simulated by FEM model can be used to deduce the micro-structure as well as toughness of weld zone and HAZ, while the welding residual stress distribution estimated by numerical model can be helpful to assess the structural integrity.