FEM modelling of stress and strain distribution in weld joints of steel sandwich panels

Abstract

The development of laser welding technology has enabled the mass production of thin-walled structures, including steel sandwich panels. The technology of joining plating panels with stiffeners by welding allows us to create joints with a specific geometry and material properties. In comparison with other types of joints, laser welds are characterized by their specific behaviour under cyclic load and, as a consequence, a different model of fatigue damage. The basis of fatigue analysis of laser-welded joints was the determination of stress concentrations in the notches. For this purpose, a numerical finite element method model of a laser-welded joint was created. The article presents the main aspects of the numerical model and the results concerning the influence of the modelling method on the strain and stress distribution in the notches. For the weld root notch, the theoretical results have been compared with experimental data of strain distributions obtained by the laser extensometry grid technique.