Simulating Welding with Simufact Welding

Simulation Tool for a Practitioner

Watch this promotional video and gain first insights into Simufact Welding fields of application, use cases, and GUI impressions.

Available now: Simufact Welding 2022

Simufact Welding 2022

The latest version of our welding simulation solution offers enormous improvements in the RSW Module.

What´s new

Four-part Webinar series

Welding structure simulation - on demand

Take part our four-part webinar series on welding structure simulation.
Our Simufact experts give you insights into the application areas and the potential of welding simulation software.

Register now

Webinar: How Direct Energy Deposition simulation helps you optimize your processes

(Picture with friendly permission by Fraunhofer IPK)

Simufact launched adedicated simulation solution for Direct Energy Deposition (DED).

Familiarize yourself with the the functionality of the software, we will show you the GUI and software usage.

Register here

Brochure: Simufact Welding

Best Choice: Simufact Welding

What´s the value of Simufact Welding?

Simufact Welding is designed for modeling and simulation of a wide range of thermal joining processes by means of structural welding simulation including usual arc and beam welding processes as well as brazing. Additionally, Simufact Welding provides possibilities to model heat treatment processes, variations of cooling and unclamping setups as well as mechanical loading of welded structures.

Simufact Welding benefits in a nutshell:

Very biefly: Gain time and safety in the design of your welding processes.

 

8 good reasons for employing Simufact Welding

Employ Simufact Welding and ...

1. … identify critical distortions, i.e. with respect to assembly, bulging, imbalances, and clearances

2. … investigate and optimize clamping tools even before an investment in tools has been made

3. … identify optimal welding directions and welding sequences

4. … investigate the influence of unclamping on welding distortions and residual stresses

5. … gain knowledge about the development of the heat affected zone

6. … use a tool which supports you during planning of welding processes

7. … innovate your process design:

  • Virtually test and evaluate different variables without and avoid extremely expensive real tryouts
  • Examine the material behavior during the welding process

8. … verify the quality of welding seams, i.e. by calculating nugget sizes, brittle metallurgical phases, hardness, and effects of preheating.

"Best of Industry" award:

Logo best of industry Awards

In 2016, the German trade magazine MM MaschinenMarkt has honored the 'best of the best' with the high-ranking  "Best of Industry" industry award.

Aspects of Welding Simulation

Aspects of welding simulation (Radaj, 2002)
Aspects of welding simulation (Radaj, 2002)

Structural welding simulation

Welding simulation in Simufact Welding uses the finite element method. This approach is especially suitable for calculation of elastic-plastic material behavior with hardening, thus being well suited for structural welding simulation. Complex processes during welding – induced by an arc or by evaporating metal inside a keyhole - are not taken into account. This means that process stability and weld seam geometry are not results of a simulation but input parameters.

Structural welding simulation calculates effects of heat input of the welding process from a mathematical description of heat flux during welding, namely, a description of the melt pool isothermal line by an equivalent heat source.

 

Read more about heat sources

 

Complex process details such as the kind of the laser used or powder in a submerged welding process are neglected.

Structural welding simulation needs proper input data to calculate reliable results. The needed data includes:

  • Information on discretized geometry provided by a finite element mesh
  • Thermophysical and thermomechanical properties of used materials
  • Information on heat input and heat losses including welding velocity and welding sequence
  • Clamping conditions

 

RSW capabilities

Many of the over 150 existing welding processes can be investigated by Simufact Welding.

One of the most relevant welding processes is Resistance Spot Welding (RSW), a widely used process in automotive assembly and general sheet metal working. For RSW simulation, Simufact Welding covers both aspects: the simulation of structural welding as well as the simulation of the welding process.

Resistance Spot Welding capabilities

Structural Welding Simulation

Well visible: finite element mesh
Well visible: finite element mesh

Finite Element Method

Structural welding simulation uses the finite element method to calculate global and local impact of heat input on a welding assembly. Usual results are distortions, stresses and resulting material properties.

Structural welding simulation needs proper input data to calculate reliable results. The needed data includes:

  • Information on discretized geometry provided by a finite element mesh
  • Thermophysical and thermomechanical properties of used materials
  • Information on heat input and heat losses including welding velocity and welding sequence
  • Clamping conditions

What to expect from Simufact Welding

How can Simufact Welding support you with the design of a welding process or an assembly?

Depending on the level of detail and data quality you are able to ...

  • Calculate local and global properties of a welded structure, i.e. global and local deformations, residual stresses and metallurgical phases
  • Learn how changes in the assembly design (i.e. addition, movement or removal of stiffeners, changed fillet geometry) influences the final quality of the product
  • Check the influence of clamping conditions, also learn if all clamps are necessary
  • Investigate hot spots with respect to temperature or stresses that might lead to cracks or damage of the structure

Welding Simulation Results

Depending on the amount and quality of input data, Simufact Welding provides following results:

  • Expected distortions of the assembly
  • Residual stresses during and after welding and unclamping
  • Material state due to work hardening and phase transformation
  • Process variables, like heat fluxes and strains

 

Read more about Post Processing capabilities

Simulation of Laser Metal Deposition (Additive Manufacturing)

Laser Metal Deposition processes

Icon Laser Metal Deposition

Simufact Welding also covers the simulation of Additive Manufacturing Laser Metal Deposition (LMD) processes, such as:

Direct Metal Deposition (DMD)

Direct Energy Deposition (DED)

Laser Cladding

 

Software capabilities allow for:

  • Analyzing the coupled thermal-mechanical response of the process
  • Investigating phase transformations during cooling process
  • Predicting distortions and residual stress build up during the process
  • Studying the influence of speed and power of heating sources on the process

 

This video shows you the results of a laser deposition welding model of an additively made turbine blade.

Courtesy of Fraunhofer IPK

New FEM approach for Directed Energy Deposition (DED) processes significantly reduces computational time enabling industrial use

New FEM approach for Directed Energy Deposition (DED) processes significantly reduces computational time enabling industrial use – pro-beam additive GmbH case study

The advantages of the process include faster production times and manufacturability of larger components than other comparable Additive Manufacturing (AM) processes.

However, the deformation after the DED process is enormous due to the size of the parts and the energy input during the process. The result is that the final shape of the DED parts does not match with that of the design. FEM simulation allows the prediction of the final distortions and their compensation to obtain an optimised DED component. This saves costs, but computation time is still a major obstacle for industrial use.

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One Graphical User Interface (GUI)

One single GUI for all simulation tasks

Simufact Material GUI with applied filter for welding application
Simufact Material GUI with applied filter for welding application

Simufact Welding offers a powerful GUI supporting the user during all simulation steps:

  • Modeling
  • Calculation
  • Result evaluation

Simufact Welding includes scalable simulation approaches for your individual needs and goals - available in one single GUI.

Your benefit: One single GUI for the entire simulation process, there is no need to skip between different software applications.

 

Read more about GUI capabilities

Scaled simulation approach

Simufact Welding provides a unique scaled simulation approach out of one GUI, scaling between detailed results, but rather slow calculation and coarse results, but fast calculation.

 

Your benefit:

The scalable approach gives you the flexibility to choose the right simulation approach for your individual sitation. For certain result quality the model complexity and the calculation time can be scaled between several weeks and few hours.

Read more about the scaled simulation approach

 

Modular structure

Product portfolio Simufact Welding
Product portfolio Simufact Welding

Simufact Welding is a modular software, subdivided into application modules providing welding process-specific functionality and additional modules providing material data and parallelization technology boosting simulation performance.

Core functionality is provided by the Welding Hub and its associated Thermal Joining application modules, offering the possibility of pre- and postprocessing as well as calculation of thermal joining processes. Additionally, a Resistance Spot Welding module is available. An optional bundle with MSC Apex Modeler provides CAD and meshing capabilities.

Standard modules include the capability of:

  • Flexible definition of equivalent heat sources for thermal joining
  • Definition, visualization and editing of material data
  • Possibility of parallelization
  • Scaled simulation approaches
  • Definition of time-temperature curves for heat treatment

 

Learn more about application modules

Learn more about additional modules

 

Process chain Simufact Welding – Simufact Forming

Process chains and data exchange

The capability of transferring simulation results from one manufacturing step to subsequent steps is a prerequisite for result accuracy in the entire simulation process chain.

In combination with Simufact Forming it is possible to model entire process chains, for instance forming processes on components that are welded in the next step and vice versa.

Data exchange between Simufact Forming and Simufact Welding allows for stepwise calculations that are based on previous results. This approach makes it possible to calculate welded assemblies, or to carry out process chain simulations.

Therefore it is possible to integrate welding with pre- and post-processing in a common numerical framework. The easy data transfer allows consideration of the material history with respect to a previous forming process, as well as the fatigue response of a calculated weldment.

 

Produktlienenlogo Simufact Welding
Pfeil
Productline Logo Simufact Forming

Simulation videos Simufact Welding

Wheel rim, welded from the inside, temperature field

 

Wheel rim, welded from the inside, distortions

 

Welding of a bearer structure, temperature field

 

Von Mises equivalent stress

 

Maximal temperatures of a resistance spot welded connection between B-pillar and the roof frame

 

Webinar Recording

Welding Simulation in Joining and Assembly

This video gives a brief introduction into welding simulation in joining and assembly with Simufact Welding. First part introduces the aims of Simufact Welding and in the second part offers insights into the practical side of Simufact Welding with different examples.

Webinar recording from August, 16th, 2017, held by Dr. Marius Gatzen

53:08 min

Simufact Welding case study

Avoiding Welding Cracks by means of simulation

Avoiding welding cracks by means of simulation – Changan case study

Challenge: 

Through thermal energy metal is melted and creates a safe joint which in turn leads to a change in the micro-structure of the material in the heat affected-zones (HAZ) and can thus contribute unwanted failure mechanisms. 

Solution:

By combining fatigue analysis and Simufact Welding based results showing welding residual stress, the cracking issue could be reproduced successfully. 

 

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References Simufact Welding

Many customers, including leading automotive OEMS like Audi, Volkswagen, Daimler, Honda, Tesla, and others, Tier-1 suppliers like ZF, Bosch, Magna Cosma, Luk, Benteler, aerospace companies, general manufacturing companies like Siemens and Shanghai Electric, as well as a large number of universities worldwide are employing Simufact welding simulation technology for productive use or R&D purposes.

Users of Simufact Welding for structural welding simulation are, among others:

Contact Us

Simufact Global Sales & Support Network

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