Chained simulation of the welding-forming process in analysing press force and geometrical deformation using non-linear numerical computation with experimental validation

This study discusses the development of a numerical simulation model to predict press force and final deformation induced by welding-to-forming process chain with experimental validation. The numerical models of welding and forming were developed in sequence by utilizing two specialized virtual manufacturing software family namely Simufact.Welding (SW) and Simufact.Forming (SF). In the non-linear thermomechanical simulation, the GMAW process was firstly executed on a butt joint of mild steel S235 with thickness of 2 mm followed by bending process whereby the plate and dies geometry were modelled based on the actual dimension and the weld bead geometry was modelled by means of simplified shape. The result of transient welding simulation was transferred to forming which considers the final deformation and effective stress. For achieving realistic transient temperature distribution, the heat transfer coefficients during the welding process were calibrated on specific points measured by using thermocouple with data logger. For verification purpose, a series of comprehensive welding experiments was executed using robotic system followed by the metal bending process using hydraulic press machine. It can be observed at the final deformation results that the difference between simulation using SF-SW and experiment showed an acceptable error percentage within the range of 4 to 12% on each measurement point and up to 7% in average. The press force prediction showed an error percentage of up to 10% at lower-to-medium and up to 17% at high stroke section. Hence, by referring to the results, this study can be applied to select a suitable press machine for this specific coupled process based on estimated load range.