A Comprehensive Review of Finite Element Analysis Techniques for Flat Plate Welded Joints

Abstract

Welded flat plate joints find extensive use in structural engineering including ships, pressure vessels, offshore platforms, heavy machinery, and aircraft components, whose performance and reliability in joints is essential. However, the welding process presents complicated thermal interactions, mechanical interactions, which lead to left-over stresses, distortions, microstructural changes, and the shortening of fatigue life. FEA has become a necessary computing tool in the accurate prediction of the behaviour of welded plate structures, reducing experimental effort, and optimization of the processes. In this review, there is a general analysis of the methods of finite element modeling applied to the welded joints of the flat plates with specific focus on ANSYS-based numerical simulation models. The literature results emphasize that the progress of coupled thermo-mechanical modeling, heat source modeling, adaptive meshing, parameter optimization, and metallurgical and fatigue behavior integration has been achieved. The paper also reveals how four primary welding parameters namely heat input, plate thickness, filler materials, welding speed and cooling rate affects structural integrity. Continued issues like computational cost, uncertainty in material properties and validation restrictions are addressed and new trends revealed like AI-assisted prediction and reduced-order simulation. It is concluded in the review that future advancements in hybrid numerical-experimental methods will be able to increase accuracy and applicability in industry to help improve the quality of the welds and quality of the structural performance of vital engineering systems.

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