Parameter Study of a Thermal Analysis of a Bead-on-Plate Weld

Failures in engineering components operating at high temperature often initiate in welded joints, particularly in the heat-affected zone (HAZ) adjacent to a weld. This is due to the inhomogenous microstructure of the weld and adjacent material due to the different thermal histories experienced during the weld cycle. It is therefore important to accurately predict the temperature distributions arising during welding and the subsequent effect on material microstructure. The NET TG1 bead-on-plate weld geometry is examined in this work. This geometry is a single weld bead laid on the surface of an AISI 316L austenite steel plate. Experimental data from the TG1 study are available to validate different weld simulation techniques. Here, a sensitivity study to the thermal properties is carried out and the influence on the HAZ temperatures and grain size is examined. The study shows that the conductivity and the specific heat capacity significantly affect the temperature prediction in the HAZ with a similar influence on predicted grain size following welding. Results are presented for a stainless steel (316L) and a martensitic steel (P91) plate.