Fields of application field for welding simulation with Simufact.welding
Simufact.welding is a Finite Element-based software for welding simulation. Finite Element calculations are suitable for modeling the elastic-plastic material behavior and, thus, also for simulating welding structure.
Latest solver technology and a user-friendly overall concept allow to calculate welding sequences efficiently and to predict distortions of the component realistically, also with regard to microstructural changes.
Simufact.welding is a particularly high performance Finite-Element-based software with state-of-the-art solver technology allowing for elastic-plastic material behavior to be modeled. As one of the most important tasks, the software succeeds in realistically predicting the distortions and residual stresses that occur during welding, while considering phase transformations and controlling these in the component. Simufact.welding considers microstructural properties in the heat-affected zone; its form allows conclusions about the properties of the weld seam, in particular its strength. The user gains valuable clues to identify welding defects such as hot cracks in the simulation to avoid them in practice.
The software assists in finding the optimal clamping devices for the welding process and delivers facts to determine the best welding sequence. Simufact.welding predicts the final contour of the component and helps to produce parts in series with precise tolerance.
Features and Benefits
- To calculate the global temperature field
- To calculate the structural behavior
- To calculate the distortion
- To calculate the residual stresses
- Allow the use of more detailed information in a process chain (geometry local properties)
- Design and optimize the welding strategy and reduce the distortion
- Identify best welding process
- Optimize clamp-concept (geometry, time dependent and force/stiffness)
- Optimize the order of welding pathes
- Optimize the heat source
Simufact.welding using elasto-plastic material behaviour
- Simulate to find the following:
- Weld distortions
- Optimum clamping positions
- Optimum weld sequence
- Internal stresses
- Material properties including micro-structure of the heat effected zones
Feature at a glance with Salient Features
- Easy to set-up
- Accurate modelling of clamping conditions with geometry and forces
- Process chain simulation combining forming and welding using consistent material model and data set
- Pre- and post-processing in one GUI
- Graphically interactive control flow for robots and clamping tools
- Progress bar for calculation with access to results already calculated during the analysis
- Weld monitor (journey through the welding joints in 2D-section
- Diagrams with measurement points for the comparison with test welds
- Thermal cycle: New scalable calculation method for the reduction of calculation times = simplified calculation of long welds and so that simulation time is reduced by a factor of 2 to 5
- Optionally available: Integrated Meshing tool based on Altair® SimLab = Possibility to mesh complex geometries of hexa-, penta, and tetrahedrons on CAD basis
- Vividly cinematic illustration of the welding process in a simulation video, in which all relevant details are shown in one video by varying the illustration speed and angle.
- Streamlined adjustment of database material data to the real material condition = higher accuracy for the prediction of internal stresses and therefore also for distortion and spring-back effects
- Post-Processing: Analysis with the help of user-defined coordinate systems = users can define individual fail criteria
- Visualization of larger models with up to one to two terabyte of data
Simulate the following:
- All arc welding processes like GMA, MAG, TIG and sub-merged
- All beam welding processes like EBW and laser
- Multi-layer welding
- Build-up and overlay welding