Numerical Modeling of Fillet and Butt Welds in Steel Structural Elements with Verification Using Experiment

The article deals with the physical tests of steel supporting elements, whose main purpose is obtaining the material, geometry and strength characteristics of the fillet and butt welds. A welded joint consists of separate zones (such as the main material, the weld and the heat affected zone) with different mechanical properties, therefore it is mechanically heterogeneous. The main aim was at defining the tested samples of numerical models for using FEM analysis in commercial software ANSYS. The tension test was performed during the experiment, wherein the totals load value and the corresponding deformation of the specimens under the load was monitored. Obtained data were used for the calibration of numerical models of test samples and they are necessary for further strain analysis of steel supporting elements.