A 2D finite element with through the thickness parabolic temperature distribution for heat transfer simulations including welding

• A formulation of a 2D heat transfer element with parabolic through-the-thickness temperature distribution was carried out.
• An element stabilization procedure was developed.
• A tungsten arc welding process was simulated using the 2D formulated element and, in addition, using ANSYS software with 3D elements (SOLID70).
• The results obtained by 2D model, 3D ANSYS model and experimental data showed good agreement.
• Good results can be obtained with less computational effort by the 2D formulated element.

The arc welding process involves thermal cycles that cause the appearance of undesirable residual stresses. The determination of this thermal cycle is the first step to a thermomechanical analysis that allows the numerical calculation of residual stresses. This study describes the formulation of a 2D finite element with through the thickness parabolic temperature distribution, including an element estabilization procedure. The 2D element described in this paper can be used to perform thermal analysis more economically than 3D elements, especially in plates, because the number of degrees of freedom through the thickness will always be three. A numerical model of a tungsten arc welding (GTAW) setup was made based on published experimental results. Size and distribution of the heat source input, thermal properties dependent on temperature, surface heat losses by convection and latent heat during phase change were considered. In parallel the same setup was modeled using ANSYS software with 3D elements (SOLID70) to compare against 2D numerical results. The results obtained by 2D model, 3D model and experimental data showed good agreement.