Sfwelding Tutorial en PDF

Simufact.welding 6.
Structural Welding Simulation

Copyright © 2016 simufact engineering gmbh
All rights reserved
No part of this document may be reproduced, translated or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronically or mechanically, without prior
written permission of Simufact Engineering GmbH.
Proprietary Notice
Simufact Engineering GmbH reserves the right to make changes in specifications and other information contained in this document without prior
notice.
ALTHOUGH DUE CARE HAS BEEN TAKEN TO PRESENT ACCURATE INFORMATION, SIMUFACT CORPORATION DISCLAIMS ALL
WARRANTIES WITH RESPECT TO THE CONTENTS OF THIS DOCUMENT (INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, WARRANTIES
OR MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE) EITHER EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED. SIMUFACT CORPO-
RATION SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR DAMAGES RESULTING FROM ANY ERROR CONTAINED HEREIN, INCLUDING, BUT NOT
LIMITED TO, FOR ANY SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH
THE USE OF THIS DOCUMENT.
Trademarks
Simufact, Simufact.forming and other Simufact products are registered trademarks of Simufact Engineering GmbH.
Windows is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and other countries.
MSC and MSC.Marc are registered trademarks of MSC.Software Corporation.
3Dconnexion and SpaceDevice are registered trademarks of 3Dconnexion Inc.
All other registered and unregistered trademarks in this document are the sole property of their respective owners.
Contact:
www.simufact.com/contact
6.0 Simufact.welding
Table of Contents
Simufact.welding Tutorial ............................................................................................. xv
1. Welding simulation .................................................................................................... 1
1.1. About welding simulation ................................................................................. 2
2. Introducing Simufact.welding ....................................................................................... 5
2.1. What is Simufact.welding ................................................................................. 6
2.2. Understanding welding simulation ...................................................................... 6
2.3. Structural welding simulation ............................................................................ 8
2.4. Best welded strategy ........................................................................................ 9
2.5. Overview of the power tools ............................................................................. 9
2.6. GUI functions ............................................................................................... 12
2.6.1. User interface ..................................................................................... 12
2.6.2. General settings .................................................................................. 13
2.6.3. Units ................................................................................................. 15
2.6.4. Object catalog ..................................................................................... 16
2.6.5. Main objects ....................................................................................... 17
2.6.6. Advanced functions ............................................................................. 19
2.7. Help section .................................................................................................. 20
2.7.1. Offline help ........................................................................................ 20
2.7.2. Online help ........................................................................................ 20
3. Arc Welding ............................................................................................................ 21
3.1. Creating a new project .................................................................................... 22
3.2. Importing components .................................................................................... 25
3.3. Defining materials .......................................................................................... 28
3.4. Defining temperature objects ........................................................................... 31
3.5. Defining the mechanical boundary conditions (tools) ............................................ 32
3.6. Using node-sets ............................................................................................. 39
3.7. Creating weld paths and heat sources ................................................................ 41
3.7.1. Defining the welding path ..................................................................... 41
3.7.2. The welding parameters and heat source .................................................. 42
3.8. Configuring robots and weld beads ................................................................... 46
3.9. Simulation settings ......................................................................................... 52
3.10. Running the model ....................................................................................... 54
4. Beam welding .......................................................................................................... 56
4.1. Preface ......................................................................................................... 57
4.2. Creating a new project .................................................................................... 57
4.3. Importing components .................................................................................... 60
4.4. Defining materials .......................................................................................... 63
4.5. Defining temperature objects ........................................................................... 67
4.6. Defining the mechanical boundary conditions (tools or fixtures) ............................. 67
4.7. Creating welding trajectories ............................................................................ 77
4.7.1. Using node-sets ................................................................................... 77
4.7.2. Creating the trajectories ........................................................................ 81
4.8. Configuring the robot and defining the weld beads ............................................... 91
4.9. Simulation settings ......................................................................................... 95
5. Thermal cycle method (Meta-transient) ....................................................................... 100
5.1. Theory ....................................................................................................... 101
5.2. Creating a new project .................................................................................. 102
5.3. Importing components ................................................................................... 104
5.4. Defining materials ........................................................................................ 106
5.5. Defining the fixtures ..................................................................................... 108
5.6. Using node-sets ........................................................................................... 117
5.7. Creating trajectories ...................................................................................... 119
5.7.1. Defining the welding path ................................................................... 120
5.7.2. The welding parameters and heat source ................................................ 121
iii
5.8. Configuring robots and weld beads ................................................................. 126

5.9. Simulation settings ....................................................................................... 133
5.10. Running the model ..................................................................................... 135
6. Brazing ................................................................................................................. 139
6.1. Creating a new project .................................................................................. 140
6.2. Importing components ................................................................................... 142
6.3. Defining materials ........................................................................................ 145
6.4. Defining the fixtures ..................................................................................... 147
6.4.1. Defining the bearings ......................................................................... 147
6.4.2. Defining the clampings ....................................................................... 150
6.4.3. Defining the fixing ............................................................................. 152
6.5. Configuring robots and weld beads ................................................................. 153
6.5.1. Importing the geometry of the filler ...................................................... 153
6.5.2. Defining the trajectory ........................................................................ 154
6.5.3. Defining the welding parameters and heat source ..................................... 157
6.5.4. Configuring the robot ......................................................................... 160
6.6. Simulation settings ....................................................................................... 163
7. Resistance spot welding ........................................................................................... 167
7.1. Introduction and basics ................................................................................. 168
7.2. Electrical resistance ...................................................................................... 169
7.3. Model description and model set up ................................................................ 172
7.4. Spot gun kinematics and electrode library ......................................................... 173
7.5. Sequences of a resistance spot welding process .................................................. 174
7.6. Process definition in Simufact.welding ............................................................. 175
7.6.1. Creation of a new project .................................................................... 176
7.6.2. Importing geometries .......................................................................... 178
7.6.3. Defining materials ............................................................................. 181
7.6.4. Initial and boundary conditions ............................................................ 184
7.6.5. Spot weld gun ................................................................................... 187
7.6.6. Solver settings ................................................................................... 195
7.6.7. Running the model ............................................................................. 198
7.7. Post processing ............................................................................................ 199
7.7.1. Electrical potential ............................................................................. 199
7.7.2. Electric current density ....................................................................... 200
7.7.3. Electric-thermal energy density ............................................................ 201
7.7.4. Electrical contact conductivity .............................................................. 202
7.8. Modeling hints ............................................................................................. 202
7.9. Known limitations ........................................................................................ 203
7.10. Exercise .................................................................................................... 203
7.11. Further reading and information .................................................................... 203
8. Stress relief heat treatment ....................................................................................... 204
8.1. Creation of a stress relief process .................................................................... 205
8.2. Configuring the process ................................................................................. 205
8.3. Defining missing process settings .................................................................... 207
9. Simplified approaches ............................................................................................. 209
9.1. Shrinkage method for thermal joining (Arc, Laser beam welding and Brazing) ......... 210
9.2. Single shot solution for thermal joining (Arc, Laser, electron beam welding and
Brazing) ............................................................................................................ 211
9.3. Single shot solution (RSW) ............................................................................ 213
9.4. Mechanical solution only ............................................................................... 215
10. Laser Metal Deposition .......................................................................................... 217
10.1. Process definition in Simufact.welding ........................................................... 218
10.2. Post processing .......................................................................................... 237
11. Postprocessing ...................................................................................................... 239
11.1. Result view ............................................................................................... 240
11.1.1. Main tool bar .................................................................................. 242
11.1.2. Color legend & Status information ...................................................... 249
iv
11.1.3. Control bar ..................................................................................... 254

11.1.4. Miscellaneous buttons ....................................................................... 255
11.2. Particle tracking ......................................................................................... 257
11.2.1. Adding particles to model .................................................................. 257
11.2.2. Validation of particles (THS plot) ....................................................... 261
11.3. Miscellaneous Topics .................................................................................. 264
11.3.1. Welding monitor .............................................................................. 264
11.3.2. THS plot for Boundary conditions (BC's) ............................................. 266
11.3.3. Result management .......................................................................... 268
11.3.4. Export in Simufact.welding ................................................................ 269
12. Material for welding simulation ............................................................................... 273
12.1. Introduction ............................................................................................... 274
12.2. Selecting the correct material from the data base .............................................. 274
12.3. Modifying existing materials and entering your own data ................................... 275
12.4. How a material data should be defined ........................................................... 279
12.5. Creating and importing material data with JMatPro ........................................... 281
12.6. Hardening model ........................................................................................ 282
13. Batch mode .......................................................................................................... 284
13.1. Introduction ............................................................................................... 285
13.2. Available options ........................................................................................ 285
13.2.1. Commands for the script file .............................................................. 286
13.3. Examples .................................................................................................. 286
14. Data exchange with heat source simulation software and databases ................................. 288
14.1. Choosing a heat source to be exported ........................................................... 289
14.2. General heat source properties ...................................................................... 289
14.3. Welding parameters .................................................................................... 290
14.4. Heat source data ......................................................................................... 292
15. User defined heat sources ....................................................................................... 295
15.1. Introduction ............................................................................................... 296
15.2. Prerequisites .............................................................................................. 296
15.3. Editing the DAT-file ................................................................................... 296
15.4. Editing the FORTRAN file .......................................................................... 297
15.5. Header of the FORTRAN file ....................................................................... 297
15.6. Output of the FORTRAN file ....................................................................... 298
15.7. Calculation of heat flux distribution ............................................................... 298
15.8. Compiling the solver ................................................................................... 299
v
List of Figures
1.1. Welding simulation setup of a simple structure ............................................................. 2
1.2. Effective stress contour of a welding simulation for a ground vehicle component ................. 3
2.1. Research fields of welding simulation according to Radaj (2002) ...................................... 6
2.2. Side-by-side view of a simple GMAW model setup and resulting peak temperature .............. 7
2.3. Undesirable impacts caused by distortion ..................................................................... 8
2.4. Comparison of the distortion between single-layer submerged arc welding and pre-heated
5-layer MAG welding .................................................................................................... 9
2.5. Simufact.welding main screen - user friendly interface at the core of development .............. 10
2.6. Temperature, distortion and effective stress are some of the available post-processing
variables ..................................................................................................................... 12
2.7. Main screen - overview of the available interaction areas .............................................. 13
2.8. Settings - The global settings are available through settings menu ................................... 14
2.9. Settings window - Customize Simufact.welding to operate your way ............................... 14
2.10. Unit system and Units - Simufact.welding is capable of handling multiple unit systems
simultaneously ............................................................................................................. 15
2.11. Recalculation of units - Simufact.welding can match all parameters to base system con-
figuration .................................................................................................................... 16
2.12. Object catalog window- Here is where all data is made available for the project ............... 17
2.13. Explorer window- All the objects participating on a welding simulation are listed under
the process name ......................................................................................................... 18
2.14. Assessing results - Right-clicking on Results object makes a new set of options avail-
able ........................................................................................................................... 19
2.15. Offline help - Available documents for consulting ...................................................... 20
3.1. Creating a new project - This is the first step to follow with the Arc Welding tutorial .......... 22
3.2. Name and location - Choose a name for the project and locate the folder to save it. ............. 23
3.3. Configuring the simulation- Choosing what will compose the simulation. ......................... 24
3.4. Main screen - overview of available interaction areas ................................................... 25
3.5. Importing components - How to import geometries (mesh) for welding simulation ............. 26
3.6. Importing with correct length unit - The unit system originally selected should be used
with this option. .......................................................................................................... 27
3.7. Visualization window - Updated with just imported components ..................................... 28
3.8. Material library - Simufact.welding has an extensive material library available .................. 29
3.9. Available materials - The material library contains the most diverse and commonly em-
ployed materials .......................................................................................................... 30
3.10. Assigning the material - Components and Robots require to have an assigned material
data for mechanical/thermal calculation ........................................................................... 30
3.11. Creation and assignment wizard for components ........................................................ 31
3.12. Temperature object ............................................................................................... 31
3.13. Types of boundary conditions - There are four types available: Bearing, Fixing, Clamp-
ing and Local joints ..................................................................................................... 32
3.14. Creating fixtures - Fixtures can be created inside Simufact.welding or imported from ex-
ternal meshes .............................................................................................................. 33
3.15. Generating geometry - Creating simple geometries to act as boundary condition ............... 34
3.16. View tool bar - Changing views to display selected areas ............................................ 34
3.17. Selecting reference faces - It is important to have a clean view of the location to place
the geometry ............................................................................................................... 35
3.18. Configuring the geometry ...................................................................................... 35
3.19. Moving components - Using the Translation/Rotation tool to move components on the
visualization area ......................................................................................................... 36
3.20. Translating position - Moving components using an increment-driven mode or click-n-
drag using the axis system ............................................................................................. 37
3.21. Rotating position - Rotating components using an increment-driven mode or click-n-
3.22. Placing fixtures - Reference for positioning the just created geometries .......................... 38
3.23. Clamping force - Configuring clamps to use holding force ........................................... 39
vi
3.24. Node-set creation - Creating a group of points from directly selection on the screen .......... 40
3.25. Node-set creation - Picking of points ....................................................................... 40
3.26. Creating trajectories - A trajectory can be created from scratch or imported from previ-
ously determined coordinates ......................................................................................... 41
3.27. Trajectory from node set - Creating trajectories with path information from node sets ........ 42
3.28. Welding parameter - Creating a new welding parameter .............................................. 42
3.29. General properties - Textual description of the welding process .................................... 43
3.30. Welding parameters - Configuring the welding parameters for a given process ................. 44
3.31. Conventional heat source - Goldak's model for arc welding processes ............................ 45
3.32. Heat source geometry - The heat source geometry has to be configured correctly or the
power density will produce incorrect or no results at all ...................................................... 46
3.33. Assigning trajectories - Trajectories are objects that define the weld path and carry the
welding parameters ...................................................................................................... 47
3.34. Robot configuration - All robot configurations are performed on this window .................. 47
3.35. Robot general configuration - Many parameters for configuring the robot are available ...... 48
3.36. Trajectory orientation - Configuring angular alignment of the trajectory path regarding
local axis .................................................................................................................... 49
3.37. Schematic view - This window shows a preview of the alignment with current parame-
ters ............................................................................................................................ 50
3.38. Fillet geometry assignment - The user has the option to import an existing mesh or gen-
erate the fillet inside Simufact.welding ............................................................................ 50
3.39. Fillet description - Parameters for fillet generation ..................................................... 51
3.40. Resulting fillet - The user can preview the resulting fillet on the model before accepting
the configuration .......................................................................................................... 52
3.41. Solver settings- It is possible to configure the solver to run specific tasks according to
user needs ................................................................................................................... 52
3.42. Configuring parallelization- Simufact.welding comes with two flavors of parallelization:
domain decomposition and shared memory ...................................................................... 53
3.43. Configuring run time - Set enough run time in order to capture also the cool down of the
welded structures ......................................................................................................... 54
3.44. Simulation start - Running a process ....................................................................... 55
3.45. Successful completion - After a successful completion of calculation, the control tool bar
shows 100% done and the message 'job is finished based on time' ........................................ 55
4.1. Model view of the Laser beam welding tutorial model .................................................. 57
4.2. Name and location - Choose a name for the project and locate the folder to save it .............. 58
4.3. Configuring the simulation- Choosing what will compose the simulation .......................... 58
4.4. Main screen - overview of available interaction areas ................................................... 59
4.5. Importing components - How to import geometries (mesh) for welding simulation ............. 60
4.6. Importing with correct length unit- The unit system originally selected should be used
with this option ........................................................................................................... 61
4.7. Visualization window - Updated with just imported components ..................................... 62
4.8. Clipping plane - dialog window ............................................................................... 62
4.9. Material library - Opening Simufact.materials ............................................................. 63
4.10. Available materials - The material library contains the most diverse and commonly em-
ployed materials .......................................................................................................... 64
4.11. Creation and assignment wizard for components ........................................................ 65
4.12. Defining the initial phase fraction ........................................................................... 66
4.13. Current state of the process tree .............................................................................. 66
4.14. Temperature object ............................................................................................... 67
4.15. Types of fixtures - There are four types of fixture available: Bearing, Fixing, Clamping
and Local joints ........................................................................................................... 68
4.16. View tool bar - Changing views to display selected areas ............................................ 69
4.17. Generate a geometry for the first bearing .................................................................. 69
4.18. Selecting reference faces - It is important to have a clean view of the location to place
the geometry ............................................................................................................... 70
4.19. Configuring the geometry - Many parameters are available to build the geometry ............. 71
4.20. Moving components- Using the Translation/Rotation tool to move components on the vi-
sualization area ............................................................................................................ 72
vii
4.21. Translating position - Moving components using an increment-driven mode or click-n-

4.22. Rotating position - Rotating components using an increment-driven mode or click-n-
4.23. Generating geometries - Creating the two bearings ..................................................... 75
4.24. Placing fixtures - Reference for positioning the just created geometries .......................... 76
4.25. Clamping force - Configuring clamps to use holding force ........................................... 77
4.26. Node-set creation - Creating a group of points via direct selection on the screen ............... 78
4.27. Node-set 01 - Selecting node sets for the first tack weld .............................................. 79
4.28. Node-set 02 - Selecting another node set .................................................................. 80
4.29. Node-set 03 - Node set sequence to the welding path .................................................. 80
4.30. Giving the node sets meaningful names ................................................................... 81
4.31. Creating trajectories - A trajectory can be created from scratch or imported from previ-
ously determined coordinates ......................................................................................... 82
4.32. Trajectory from node set - Creating trajectories with path information from node sets ........ 83
4.33. Trajectories from node set - Generating trajectories from node sets ................................ 83
4.34. Welding parameter - Creating a new welding parameter .............................................. 84
4.35. General properties - Textual description of the welding process .................................... 85
4.36. Tack weld parameters - Configuring tacking parameters .............................................. 86
4.37. Laser heat source - Double cylinder model for beam welding processes .......................... 87
4.38. Heat source for tacking - Configuring the heat source dimension for tack welds ............... 88
4.39. Welding parameters - Configuring the welding parameters ........................................... 89
4.40. Heat source for welding - The heat source geometry has to be configured correctly or the
power density will produce incorrect or no results at all ...................................................... 90
4.41. Configured weld parameters - The two welding parameters are now configured ................ 91
4.42. Assigning trajectories - Trajectories are objects that define the weld path and carry the
welding parameters ...................................................................................................... 92
4.43. Robot configuration - All robot configurations are performed on this window .................. 92
4.44. Trajectory orientation - Configuring angular alignment of the trajectory path regarding
local axis .................................................................................................................... 93
4.45. Schematic view - This window shows a preview of the alignment with current parame-
ters ............................................................................................................................ 94
4.46. Fillet geometry assignment - The user has the option to import an existing mesh or gen-
erate the fillet inside Simufact.welding ............................................................................ 94
4.47. Automatic check if the end time of the robot should be used as the process end time .......... 95
4.48. Solver settings - It is possible to configure the solver to run specific tasks according to
user needs ................................................................................................................... 95
4.49. Configuring parallelization - Simufact.welding comes with two flavors of parallelization:
domain decomposition and shared memory ...................................................................... 96
4.50. Configuring run time - Set enough run time in order to capture also the cool down of the
welded structures ......................................................................................................... 97
4.51. Auto refinement - Enabling cutting-edge technology to better solve the physics ................ 97
4.52. Save and start the simulation! ................................................................................. 98
4.53. Successful completion - After a successful completion of calculation, the control tool bar
shows 100% done and the message 'job is finished based on time' ........................................ 99
5.1. Default thermal cycle table .................................................................................... 101
5.2. Creating a new project .......................................................................................... 102
5.3. Choose a name for the project and locate the folder to save it ....................................... 102
5.4. Configuring the simulation ..................................................................................... 103
5.5. Importing components ........................................................................................... 104
5.6. Importing with correct length unit - The unit system originally selected should be used
with this option .......................................................................................................... 105
5.7. Visualization window ............................................................................................ 106
5.8. Open the material library ....................................................................................... 107
5.9. Available materials ............................................................................................... 107
5.10. Assigning the material ......................................................................................... 108
5.11. Creating fixtures ................................................................................................. 109
5.12. Creating simple geometries to act as fixtures ........................................................... 110
viii
5.13. Selecting reference faces ...................................................................................... 111

5.14. Configuring the geometry .................................................................................... 111
5.15. Moving components ............................................................................................ 112
5.16. Moving components using an increment-driven mode or click-n-drag using the axis sys-
tem .......................................................................................................................... 112
5.17. Rotating components using an increment-driven mode or click-n-drag using the axis sys-
tem .......................................................................................................................... 113
5.18. Placing clamping ................................................................................................ 113
5.19. Configuring clamps to use holding force ................................................................. 114
5.20. Using node sets as local joints reference ................................................................. 115
5.21. Picking nodes for the local joints .......................................................................... 115
5.22. Small spheres will indicate the presence of local joints .............................................. 116
5.23. Defining the contact tolerance for local joints .......................................................... 117
5.24. Defining the internal trajectory path ....................................................................... 118
5.25. Defining the external trajectory path ...................................................................... 118
5.26. Node set name ................................................................................................... 119
5.27. Creating trajectories ............................................................................................ 120
5.28. Drag and drop node sets to create trajectories .......................................................... 121
5.29. Creating a new welding parameter ......................................................................... 122
5.30. Textual description of the welding process .............................................................. 123
5.31. Configuring the welding parameters for a given process ............................................ 124
5.32. Goldak's model for arc welding processes ............................................................... 125
5.33. Defining the heat source geometry ......................................................................... 126
5.34. Assigning trajectories .......................................................................................... 127
5.35. Robot configuration ............................................................................................ 127
5.36. Robot general configuration ................................................................................. 128
5.37. Trajectory orientation .......................................................................................... 129
5.38. Schematic view of the trajectory ........................................................................... 130
5.39. Fillet geometry assignment ................................................................................... 130
5.40. Parameters for fillet generation ............................................................................. 131
5.41. Resulting fillet ................................................................................................... 132
5.42. Generated weld beads ......................................................................................... 132
5.43. General solver settings ........................................................................................ 133
5.44. Configuring parallelization ................................................................................... 134
5.45. Configuring run time ........................................................................................... 134
5.46. Calling the model check ...................................................................................... 135
5.47. Model check results in two warnings ..................................................................... 136
5.48. Simulation start and monitor ................................................................................. 137
5.49. Successful completion of the simulation ................................................................. 137
5.50. Evaluation of peak Temperature ............................................................................ 138
6.1. Creating a new project .......................................................................................... 140
6.2. Choose a name and location for the project ............................................................... 140
6.3. Configuring the simulation ..................................................................................... 141
6.4. Main screen - overview of available interaction areas ................................................. 142
6.5. Importing components ........................................................................................... 143
6.6. Importing with correct length unit ........................................................................... 144
6.7. Updated visualization window ................................................................................ 144
6.8. Open the material library ....................................................................................... 145
6.9. Select materials of the material library ..................................................................... 146
6.10. Assigning the materials to the components and the robot ........................................... 146
6.11. Select the types of fixtures ................................................................................... 147
6.12. Creating fixtures ................................................................................................. 148
6.13. Generating simple geometry for the fixture ............................................................. 148
6.14. Configuring the geometry .................................................................................... 149
6.15. Moving components ............................................................................................ 150
6.16. Generated bearings and clampings ......................................................................... 151
6.17. Settings for the first clamping ............................................................................... 152
6.18. Settings for the second clamping ........................................................................... 152
ix
6.19. Model view and process tree after defining all fixings ............................................... 153
6.20. Import geometry of the filler ................................................................................ 154
6.21. Node-set creation ................................................................................................ 155
6.22. Picking points for the node-set .............................................................................. 155
6.23. Creating trajectories ............................................................................................ 156
6.24. Creating the trajectory from a node-set ................................................................... 157
6.25. Creating a new welding-parameter ......................................................................... 157
6.26. Heat source - General properties ........................................................................... 158
6.27. Heat source - Configuring the welding parameters .................................................... 159
6.28. Configuring the heat source geometry .................................................................... 160
6.29. Assigning the trajectory to the robot ...................................................................... 160
6.30. Configuring the robot .......................................................................................... 161
6.31. Configuration of the robot - Times ........................................................................ 161
6.32. Configuration of the robot - Trajectories ................................................................. 162
6.33. Schematic view of the trajectory alignment ............................................................. 162
6.34. Configuration of the robot - Fillet geometries .......................................................... 163
6.35. Solver settings - General settings ........................................................................... 163
6.36. Solver settings - Parallelization ............................................................................. 164
6.37. Solver settings - Time control ............................................................................... 164
6.38. Solver settings - Refinement ................................................................................. 165
6.39. Open the Simufact.monitor and start the simulation .................................................. 165
6.40. Possibility to edit the DAT-file ............................................................................. 166
6.41. Successful completion of the simulation ................................................................. 166
7.1. Example of resistance spot welding ......................................................................... 168
7.2. Overview of resistance welding processes [1] ............................................................ 169
7.3. Example model for a resistance welding process ........................................................ 169
7.4. Electrical resistances during a resistance welding process (welding and cooling) ............... 170
7.5. Definition of the electrical material resistivity in Simufact.material ................................ 171
7.6. Definition of the electrical contact conductivity ......................................................... 171
7.7. Analysis coupling in Simufact.welding ..................................................................... 172
7.8. Example of a model with closed electrical circuit ....................................................... 173
7.9. Spot gun kinematics in Simufact.welding ................................................................. 173
7.10. Electrode types according to ISO 5821 ................................................................... 174
7.11. Completely defined process .................................................................................. 176
7.12. Creation of a new project ..................................................................................... 176
7.13. Definition of process type and initial settings ........................................................... 177
7.14. Main screen - overview ....................................................................................... 178
7.15. Import the geometries for the components ............................................................... 179
7.16. Process tree after assigning the geometries to the components ..................................... 179
7.17. View tool bar .................................................................................................... 180
7.18. Object manipulation - Translation .......................................................................... 180
7.19. Object manipulation - Rotation ............................................................................. 180
7.20. Add a geometry object to a assembly ..................................................................... 181
7.21. Clipping plane - dialog window ............................................................................ 181
7.22. Assigning default material to the spot gun .............................................................. 182
7.23. Import of material from Simufact.material .............................................................. 182
7.24. Material selection in Simufact.material ................................................................... 183
7.25. Definition of initial phase fraction ......................................................................... 183
7.26. Modification of the temperature object ................................................................... 184
7.27. Object generation ............................................................................................... 185
7.28. Object generation - Tab Primitive ......................................................................... 186
7.29. Object generation - Tab Details ............................................................................ 186
7.30. Importing a geometry for the second fixing ............................................................. 187
7.31. Process and model view with components and fixings ............................................... 187
7.32. Creating a new point sequence trajectory ................................................................ 188
7.33. Point sequence trajectory ..................................................................................... 189
7.34. Model view with defined point sequence trajectory ................................................... 189
7.35. Point sequence trajectory dialog window opened from the process tree ......................... 190
x
7.36. Inverting the z-direction and rotation of the x-direction ............................................. 190
7.37. Creating a new resistance spot welding parameter .................................................... 191
7.38. Resistance spot welding parameter - Tab Electrical parameters .................................... 191
7.39. Clamp force table ............................................................................................... 192
7.40. Electrical current table ......................................................................................... 192
7.41. Process tree after assigning point sequence trajectory and welding parameter ................. 193
7.42. Configuration of spot weld gun ............................................................................. 194
7.43. Process tree and object catalog after the complete assigning of every object ................... 194
7.44. Preview of the electrode movement ....................................................................... 195
7.45. Solver - General settings ...................................................................................... 195
7.46. Solver: Parallelization ......................................................................................... 196
7.47. Solver: Time control ........................................................................................... 196
7.48. Solver: Refinement ............................................................................................. 197
7.49. Solver: Electrical contact conductivity .................................................................... 197
7.50. Starting the simulation ......................................................................................... 198
7.51. Status/control bar while the simulation is running ..................................................... 198
7.52. Status/control bar when the simulation is finished ..................................................... 199
7.53. Electrical potential for normal state of electrical contact conductivity ........................... 199
7.54. Electrical potential for conductor state of electrical contact conductivity ........................ 200
7.55. Electrical potential for isolator state of electrical contact conductivity ........................... 200
7.56. Example of electric current density ........................................................................ 201
7.57. Example of electric-thermal energy density ............................................................. 201
7.58. Example of electrical contact conductivity .............................................................. 202
8.1. Setting up the process ........................................................................................... 205
8.2. Heat treatment object ............................................................................................ 206
8.3. Setting of a heat treatment stage ............................................................................. 206
8.4. Overview over a properly set process ...................................................................... 207
8.5. Residual stress distribution before (top) and after (bottom) stress relief heat treatment ........ 208
9.1. Activating the shrinkage method for thermal joining ................................................... 210
9.2. Activating the single shot method for thermal joining ................................................. 212
9.3. Comparison of distortions and calculation times for different approaches ........................ 213
9.4. Activating the single shot solution for resistance spot welding processes ......................... 214
9.5. Additional electrode pairs for every spot weld ........................................................... 214
9.6. Comparison of full transient simulation (left side) and single shot solution (right side) ....... 215
9.7. Activating the mechanical solution for resistance spot welding processes ........................ 216
10.1. Example of LMD process .................................................................................... 218
10.2. Creating a new project ........................................................................................ 219
10.3. Defining a new process of process type Laser beam welding ...................................... 219
10.4. Import geometries ............................................................................................... 220
10.5. Select the import unit system ................................................................................ 220
10.6. Process tree after assigning the base plate ............................................................... 221
10.7. Select import unit system ..................................................................................... 221
10.8. Process tree after assigning the fixing geometry ....................................................... 222
10.9. Importing a material from Simufact.material ............................................................ 222
10.10. Selecting the desired material in the database ......................................................... 223
10.11. Process tree after assigning the material ................................................................ 223
10.12. Import the trajectories from CSV ......................................................................... 224
10.13. Select the unit system for trajectory import ............................................................ 224
10.14. Open configuration dialog of trajectory ................................................................. 225
10.15. Configure the trajectory ..................................................................................... 226
10.16. Open the parameter transfer for trajectories ........................................................... 227
10.17. Transfer the settings from first trajectory to remaining trajectories .............................. 227
10.18. Process after assigning the trajectories .................................................................. 228
10.19. Import of trajectory geometries ........................................................................... 228
10.20. Select the unit system for import ......................................................................... 229
10.21. Process tree after assigning all geometries to trajectories .......................................... 230
10.22. Creating a new heat source ................................................................................. 231
10.23. Heat source - welding parameters ........................................................................ 232
xi
10.24. Heat source - heat source parameters .................................................................... 233

10.25. Assigning the heat source to all trajectories ........................................................... 233
10.26. Process after assigning the heat source ................................................................. 234
10.27. Configure the trajectory timing ............................................................................ 234
10.28. Confirming new analysis end time ....................................................................... 235
10.29. Solver object - General settings ........................................................................... 235
10.30. Solver object - Parallelization ............................................................................. 236
10.31. Solver object - Time control ............................................................................... 236
10.32. Solver object - Refinement ................................................................................. 237
10.33. Temperature distribution of laser metal deposition process ........................................ 238
11.1. Status bar of a completed simulation ...................................................................... 240
11.2. Process tree with Results as entry .......................................................................... 240
11.3. Selecting result view by right mouse-click on Results ............................................... 241
11.4. Simufact.welding interface with Result view ........................................................... 241
11.5. Simufact.welding interface with Result view - divided into four areas ........................... 242
11.6. Change the point size and the line width of welding path ........................................... 243
11.7. Selecting Measuring tool by right mouse-click in model view (left) and the Measuring
dialog (right) ............................................................................................................. 244
11.8. Measuring mode: Distance ................................................................................... 244
11.9. Measuring mode: Angle ....................................................................................... 244
11.10. Measuring mode: Radii ...................................................................................... 245
11.11. Display delta values on and off while measuring a distance ...................................... 245
11.12. Activate and deactivate lock point on node ............................................................ 246
11.13. Selection mode in Simufact.welding ..................................................................... 246
11.14. The Clipping tool ............................................................................................. 247
11.15. Synchronize view - before .................................................................................. 249
11.16. Synchronize view - after .................................................................................... 249
11.17. Selecting result value over the Main tool bar ......................................................... 250
11.18. Selecting result value over the Color legend .......................................................... 250
11.19. Color legend settings ......................................................................................... 252
11.20. Defining an optional text to color legend .............................................................. 253
11.21. Display min/max nodes ...................................................................................... 254
11.22. Create animation video ...................................................................................... 255
11.23. Show active trajectory info text and active heat source ............................................. 256
11.24. Create new particles .......................................................................................... 257
11.25. Particle sidebar with entries of particles ................................................................ 258
11.26. Selecting New node set ...................................................................................... 258
11.27. Selecting nodes for particle tracking ..................................................................... 259
11.28. Selection of node set for particles ........................................................................ 259
11.29. The structure of a CSV file with particle information .............................................. 260
11.30. Particles displayed in model view ........................................................................ 260
11.31. Time History plot (THS plot) of particles .............................................................. 261
11.32. Selecting Welding monitor ................................................................................. 264
11.33. The Welding monitor ........................................................................................ 265
11.34. Result view, welding monitor and the clipping plane an different positions .................. 266
11.35. Selecting History plot ........................................................................................ 267
11.36. THS plot of BC's .............................................................................................. 267
11.37. Result management ........................................................................................... 268
11.38. Selection wizard ............................................................................................... 269
11.39. Step 1: Copy from results... ................................................................................ 269
11.40. Step 2: Export geometry .................................................................................... 270
11.41. Selecting UNV export ....................................................................................... 270
11.42. UNV export dialog ........................................................................................... 271
12.1. Selecting an appropriate area of application ............................................................. 274
12.2. Checking the defined material temperature range ...................................................... 275
12.3. Copying a selected material .................................................................................. 275
12.4. Tabular data for temperature dependent values ......................................................... 276
12.5. Graphic representation and editing functions ........................................................... 276
xii
12.6. Editing data ....................................................................................................... 277

12.7. Importing curves from scanned plots ...................................................................... 278
12.8. Flow curve scaling dialog .................................................................................... 278
12.9. Chemical composition of a material ....................................................................... 279
12.10. Sample diagram of a specific heat capacity over temperature .................................... 280
12.11. Sample diagram of a thermal expansion coefficient over temperature .......................... 281
12.12. Work hardening definition for deformable bodies ................................................... 283
13.1. Exporting a *.json-file ......................................................................................... 286
14.1. Selecting export of heat source and export in XML-file ............................................. 289
14.2. Selecting the general heat source properties to be exported ......................................... 290
14.3. General heat source properties: Welding positions .................................................... 290
14.4. Welding modes: Transient (indirect & direct Power) & Thermal cycle .......................... 291
14.5. Welding mode: Thermal cycle (table) ..................................................................... 292
14.6. Geometrical types: Goldak's (Conventional) and Laser heat source .............................. 293
xiii
List of Equations
7.1. Heat flux for a stationary electrical current ............................................................... 169
7.2. Calculation of the electrical contact resistivity according to [2] ..................................... 170
xiv
6.0 Simufact.welding Tutorial
Simufact.welding Tutorial
Simufact.welding is a high performance finite-element-based software with state-of-the-art solver

technology. As one of the most important tasks, the software succeeds in realistically predicting the
distortions and residual stresses that occur during welding and after unclamping, while considering
phase transformations and controlling these in the component. By considering the phase transforma-
tion in the heat-affected zone, Simufact.welding accurately estimate properties of the weld seam like
its strength. The user gains valuable clues to identify welding defects such as hot cracks in the simu-
lation and to avoid them in practice. The software assists in finding the optimal clamping devices for
the welding process and delivers results to determine the best welding sequence. Simufact.welding
predicts the final contour of the component and aims to the manufacturing of parts with precise, con-
trollable, tolerance.
xv
Structural Welding Simula-
tion
6.0
1 Welding simulation
6.0 Welding simulation About welding simulation
1.1. About welding simulation

Most manufacturing companies rely on empirical data and experience when designing and welding components. Goal-
oriented improvements and the adjustment of manufacturing processes often require a considerable amount of time
and effort. Typically, for example, welding distortions can only be found and corrected in downstream fabrication
steps. However, the process accompanying the use of welding simulation enables a detailed examination of the entire
manufacturing process and the design of improved welding processes by, for example, the goal-oriented development
of clamping concepts. Newly launched software now enables the reliable simulation of welding structures for compa-
nies applying industrial welding processes in (serial) production. Economical and high quality manufacturing of prod-
ucts in the metalworking industry is unthinkable without the use of modern joining processes. Globally competitive
high quality production nowadays calls for the professional and cost-effective application of different manufacturing
processes, utilising respective component properties when adjusting different production steps. Here, welding tech-
nology is crucial. In comparison to other joining processes, welding is beneficial for form and force closure. Allowing a
maximum force transmission with minimum weld thickness to reduce component weight and usability for repairs. The
disadvantages of welding include thermal distortion at the weld and in the welding assembly, structural changes in the
weld zone and (sometimes) quality assurance. Weld defects are only detectable using expensive and time-consuming
methods like X-ray or ultrasonic analysis. Thereupon, process reliability and robustness are extremely important.
Figure 1.1. Welding simulation setup of a simple structure
The goal of welding is to create a reproducible, reliable product with minimal distortions, while maintaining low
production costs without the need of expensive rework and quality control. Expertise and experience in the design
and application of welding are required. Until now, welding processes have been primarily designed using empirical
studies and relying on the experience of welding experts. Welding is a complex manufacturing process incorporating a
number of different factors such as the welding metallurgy, sequence, power source, energy, speed, filler materials as
well as the material combination and thickness (geometry), requiring all of them to be adjusted. The clamping concept;
the start and end of the clamping; the gripping points; their geometry and acting forces also have a significant effect
on the final result in terms of possible distortions.
2
Figure 1.2. Effective stress contour of a welding simulation for a ground vehicle component
For a long time, welding simulation has only been used by academics and in research facilities, because the modelling
and calculation required for experts were too complicated in application. Real-world production using simulation
software was out of the question. However, in 2005/2006, the German automotive industry initiated the development
of a new welding simulation program. The goal was to provide a production tool for welding experts, giving them a
better understanding of the processes and enabling the virtual design and improvement of the process. The development
contract was awarded to Simufact Engineering (based in Hamburg, Germany). Based on our long experience in metal
working Simufact.welding was developed over the past years as an easy-to-use industrial application, tailored to the
specific demands of the manufacturing industry without requiring additional simulation expertise. For all calculations,
a MSC Marc based solver is used (MSC Marc has been a commercial software for over fifty years). Welding-specific
extensions and adjustments were made in the solver.
The key to this production program is the graphical user interface (GUI). It was designed for welding experts so that the
input is consistent with production guidelines. Clamping concepts, weld paths, input energy and welding sequence with
its velocity and pause time are all taken into account, as well as adequate time management provision. No additional
abstractions or simplifications are required from the user; instead, the simulation process can be set up like the real
manufacturing process. For all processes except for resistance welding, a calibration of the heat source needs to be done
which leads to the weld pool. However, a calibration is always necessary because the simulation uses a heat source
model for heat input. Several models, depending upon welding principles and materials, are available for selection.
Process optimization, the weld sequence, paths and clamping concepts can be easily exchanged, calculated, analyzed
and compared. This allows targeted comparison with factors in influencing total distortion, temperature distribution,
residual stresses and structural changes.
With the aid of Simufact.welding simulation software, it is possible to design reliable welding processes based upon
manufacturing data. However, as each component has a previous history, the welded component group will be further
processed or is subject to specific loads. Because of the open data structure, it is now possible to use the simulated
joints in further stress analyses maintaining local structural changes, mechanical resistance and residual stresses as
well as distortions. Simufact.welding also enables users to carry over the data from previous manufacturing processes
as the basis of the welding simulation. The calculated distortion e.g. can change by a factor of three, depending on
whether or not the history was taken into account or just the CAD geometry was used.
Accurate assessments of the conditions after welding can be made in this way. The inclusion of data from up- and
downstream manufacturing steps contributes to process optimization and enables a correct adjustment of the process-
es. For example, temperature during a forming process can be used in a simultaneous welding process or to control
the introduced residual stress of the forming also to produce a weld with minimal distortion, or even to pre-compos-
ite the distortion in the pre-stage (namely pre-bending). The virtual linking and examination of welding processes
offers a wide range of benefits for economical and reliable design of the manufacturing steps. The newly developed
Simufact.welding simulation program is a sustainable solution to modernise welding simulation and apply it to re-
al-world production. The code is continually improving and tailored to the dynamic requirements of the industry.
3
Simufact.welding allows a deeper and more detailed understanding of the welding outcomes helping to design in ad-
vance more reliable, economic manufacturing processes with less distortion.
4
tion
6.0
2 Introducing Simufact.welding
6.0 Introducing Simufact.welding What is Simufact.welding
2.1. What is Simufact.welding

Simufact.welding is a finite element-based software for welding simulations. Finite element calculations are suitable
for modelling the elastic-plastic and hardening material behaviour and, thus, also for simulating welding structures.
Latest solver technology and a user-friendly overall concept allow to calculate welding sequences efficiently and to
predict distortions of the component realistically. In addition to that, phase transformation can also be considered.
The software assists in finding the optimal clamping devices for the welding process and aids manufacturing engineers
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.
Allowing the calibration of combined alternative heat sources in less than 15 minutes, it provides useful tools to that
end.
• Mathematical heat sources are state-of-the-art in simulation welded structures faster;
• The question Which welding process are compatible with your software? becomes secondary, since almost all
common fusion welding methods can be depicted by means of heat source geometry.
2.2. Understanding welding simulation

Over the last 35 years, the research field in the area of welding simulation has converged to three main areas with
different requirements to the computationally implemented mathematical and physical models.
Radaj has classified the approach in three interconnected domains:
Figure 2.1. Research fields of welding simulation according to Radaj (2002)
6
6.0 Introducing Simufact.welding Understanding welding simulation
The melt pool flow and the resulting seam configuration are not the outcome of welding structure simulations and
are considered as input parameters. The main objective of the process simulation is the prediction of parameters to
be adjusted at the welding equipment. For process simulations it is vital to have a higher resolution which results in
more complex and time consuming calculations. So, this kind of simulations except of resistance spot welding are
usually studied decoupled.
The welding structure simulation calculates the outcomes of heat effect from the welding process on the structure.
Thus the prior knowledge of production factors in different manufacturing processes (Laser type, focusing position,
submerged branch, and so on) is not critical. It is more important to model the heat flow out of the melt pool via
mathematical heat sources (e.g. 'equivalent heat sources'). Those will be ideally calibrated according to the weld
pool dimensions which can be observed in a micrography. If necessary, Simufact.welding is capable of working with
combined heat sources, which can be usually calibrated in less than 15 minutes.
Figure 2.2. Side-by-side view of a simple GMAW

model setup and resulting peak temperature
Simufact.welding is especially designed to predict the welding distortions. Through the standard implementation of
predefined materials and material models, the software can calculate structural components and material states and
the resulting local (property) conditions. Phase transformation models consider the transformation strains, plasticity
and martensitic and bainitic hardening.
Distortion itself is not a problem for manufacturing; after all, it is the natural material behavior. When distortions in
welding exert a negative influence on a specific characteristic of a component, then one might get problems. These
distortions have the potential to cause a costly drawback. The technical requirements related to dimensional accuracy
and tolerances for welded components are directly related to the function of the component (suspension arm, chassis,
subframes, wheels, etc.).
The following table gives an overview on these influenced characteristics which could deeply be investigated making
use of Simufact.welding.
7
6.0 Introducing Simufact.welding Structural welding simulation
Figure 2.3. Undesirable impacts caused by distortion
2.3. Structural welding simulation

Once the technical requirements are defined, the mesh quality and the adequate post-processing can be defined. The
major inconvenient caused by welding distortion is the challenge to assemble welded components. This task can be
found in all industry sectors. So, the distortion calculation has to focus on the distance of points or on the rotation of
the surfaces to be connected. When gap tolerances are in the focus of the welding simulation, the results have to be
transferable into the used reference positioning system (RPS). If buckles on the surface have a negative influence on
the reflected light of the coated component, then a high-resolution rendering can help.
The calculation of distortions is neither a solution nor an improvement. But it can help to find useful counteractions
in order to minimize the negative influence of welding distortion by a virtual try-out of clamping concepts, welding
sequence, etc.. Welding simulation can be used at all stages during and after the development process. In early de-
sign phase it can be used to compare different welding processes and strategies with regard to distortions before any
investments for welding equipment has been made. This approach saves a lot of money building correctly from the
beginning all necessary fixtures.
8
6.0 Introducing Simufact.welding Best welded strategy
Figure 2.4. Comparison of the distortion between single-layer

submerged arc welding and pre-heated 5-layer MAG welding
2.4. Best welded strategy

After going through the previous sections, it is clear that the purpose and advantages of Simufact.welding are:
• To calculate the global temperature field
• Show the structural behavior of components
• Present the distortion during and resulting from the welding process
• Visualize the residual stress due to structural changes
• Deliver in details the ongoing process to the user
With Simufact.welding the user is able to:
• Efficiently simulate the important aspects: using the most realistic representation of components and necessary
real fixture conditions
• Calculate precise results: Configure the optimal welding parameters, knowing in advance where the distortion
will occur and keep stress under control
• Obtain faster solutions: Unleash the power of parallel processing, making use of distributed calculation for rapid
achievements
• Ease of use and flexible changes: Starting from simple models, then highly complex processes considering a
chained analysis of previous results
• Immediate available tools: All features are readily at hand in a single interface, no command-line interaction is
necessary, just copy-paste and drag-n-drop
2.5. Overview of the power tools

Presenting the interface of Simufact.welding:
9
6.0 Introducing Simufact.welding Overview of the power tools
Figure 2.5. Simufact.welding main screen - user

friendly interface at the core of development
Here is what you can perform with Simufact.welding:
• All arc welding processes: MIG, MAG, TIG, Submerged arc etc. and combined methods like plasma-keyhole and
LASER-hybrid
• All beam processes: LASER, Electron etc.
• All brazing processes
• Resistance spot welding processes
• Stress relief heat treatment processes
• Simple cooling & clamping process
• Multi-layer welding: root pass and overlapped joints
• Cladding and deposition processes
• Tack welds with or without filler material
• Quick definition of welding paths using mouse clicks
• Quick definition of heat source orientation: customized torch angle
• Quick thermal-only calculation with all metallurgical phase transformation
• Decoupled mode for thermal-mechanical pass independence
• Weld monitor to look at the cross section along trajectories to see penetration depth
• Any combination of welding sequences, direction or time periods
10
6.0 Introducing Simufact.welding Overview of the power tools
• Easy copy-paste functions to analyse different scenarios, also based on previous calculation steps
• Multiple or single robots/operators simultaneously with time managed separately
• Easiest tool/fixture/clamp definition, simple geometry can be generated inside Simufact.welding
• All types of fixtures can be deactivated during the process to study their interference
• Fully automatic contact calculation between all bodies
• Virtual welding of components with adaptive local contact condition
• Gap formation is calculated intrinsically regarding fixture concept
• Non-conformal mesh is fully supported, there is no need to match or merge nodes
• Friction is automatically applied through included models
• Automatic mesh refinement according to specified criteria
• Filler material creation is fully parametrized and generated inside Simufact.welding
• Weight due to gravity can be part of the simulation
• Phase transformation is calculated using multiphase materials based on CCT and TTT diagrams
• Material database with more than 30 materials that could be expanded by the user
• Direct interface with JMatPro for customized material
• Distortion, effective stress, phase transformation and many other results are part of post-processing
• Particles over the structure to be welded serve as comparison with real process in MS Excel format compatible
• Possibility to export results and distorted geometries (STL) at every calculated step
• Universal file format available to export results to third-party applications
• Multithreading and multiprocessor distributed architecture available at a mouse click
• Flat learning curve, the interface is very user friendly
• and a lot more...
11
6.0 Introducing Simufact.welding GUI functions
Figure 2.6. Temperature, distortion and effective stress

are some of the available post-processing variables
2.6. GUI functions

2.6.1. User interface
The image below shows the main screen of a project in Simufact.welding.
12
6.0 Introducing Simufact.welding General settings
Figure 2.7. Main screen - overview of the available interaction areas
One can divide this window in six different areas of user interaction:
1. Main tool bar - This is the link for general and user preferences. The most used functions (Save/Open/Show model)
are available as icons;
2. Explorer - Here are all the definitions of the process. It shows in a tree-like definition all the configured processes
for the current project (more than 1 process normally coexist within the same process tree);
3. Catalog - All the data defined and imported is first stored here. Geometries, materials, weld paths, temperature and
selected node sets can be found in this part. Despite being stored with the project, the data available here is only
part of the process if it used in the Explorer (process tree), if not it will be represented in italic form.
4. Model visualization - Outstanding graphic view of the current model with shaded edges enables the user to pan,
zoom and rotation using the mouse. Many views can stay opened at the same time, showing models and results
side by side;
5. Process properties - A resumed version of the process represented using numbers and parameters. Shows the solver
configuration, simulation time and mesh properties like the number of nodes, elements and components in use;
6. Control and Status bar - Through this bar the user controls the simulation. Start/Stop buttons and further insights
are readily available calling log files and simulation monitor.
2.6.2. General settings

To call the Settings window, click Extras then Settings...
13
6.0 Introducing Simufact.welding General settings
Figure 2.8. Settings - The global settings are available through settings menu
A new window will open and there you can modify all the options to fit your project's needs
Figure 2.9. Settings window - Customize Simufact.welding to operate your way

• General settings- Here you have the option to change language, external text editor and some memory management.
• Intel MPI Library - The parallelization settings are configured in this section. It is necessary to install, run and
register the user to make Intel MPI routines available for parallelization during a simulation.
• Setup options - Under this section you can choose where all the Simufact.welding shortcuts shall be placed and
whether file extension can be assigned.
• Simufact.welding - This part of the settings is where you give directory's direction, locate documentation, examples;
set refresh time, execution priority (careful here) and specific solver settings.
• Display settings - In this section you change what information is displayed. Also, the movie capturing configuration
and standard views angle alignment can be customized.
14
6.0 Introducing Simufact.welding Units
• Results - Available color scales for result's legend, predefined legend colors and dimensions for determined results,
and the possibility to input your own calculation parameters and functions under User-defined results option.
• Space Navigator - This part of the settings can be used to adjust the space navigator mouse if present.
• Units/Unit system - Here lies the coherence of the entire project as Simufact.welding is able to handle different
unit systems regardless of input method. Make sure you read the next section to get acquaintance with Units before
working.
2.6.3. Units
The coherence and conciseness of a simulation project lies on the capability of handling different unit systems and
still make all them talk to each other. When using Simufact.welding the user does not have to worry about this as the
software can work with multiple unit systems simultaneously.
Figure 2.10. Unit system and Units - Simufact.welding is

capable of handling multiple unit systems simultaneously
There are four standard configurations and one customizable set available. Choose your preferable unit system or
change only the units you're used to:
• International System units (SI system)
• SI-mm unit system (using millimeters instead of meters)
• Imperial unit system
• United States customary system
15
6.0 Introducing Simufact.welding Object catalog
• User-defined unit system
At the top of the window, on the right, there is one check boxes:
• Activate units - When this box is checked, whenever the user changes the unit on a dialog box, an automatic
computation of the inputted value will happen. For instance, let's say the unit for temperature is configured as K
(Kelvin) and a value of 293.15 is inputted. If the user changes the unit on the drop-down menu for Celsius degrees,
than the software will automatically compute and change the temperature value to 20.0 (the conversion ratio between
concise units is within Simufact.welding). However, if the user does not want that value to be recalculated, just hold
Ctrl while using the drop-down units menu and the recalculation is suppressed.
Figure 2.11. Recalculation of units - Simufact.welding

can match all parameters to base system configuration
2.6.4. Object catalog

To define a process in Simufact.welding, the project can contain seven main catalogs which are listed as:
16
6.0 Introducing Simufact.welding Main objects
Figure 2.12. Object catalog window- Here is

where all data is made available for the project
• Geometries - All imported meshes for components, boundary conditions and geometries directly generated for
boundary conditions are placed here.
• Materials - Material data and model are stored under this catalog.
• Temperatures - Initial temperature for components, fillers, settings for contact heat transfer, radiation and emis-
sivity stays in this catalog.
• Trajectories - Definition of weld paths based on node sets or from an external file.
• Welding-parameter - Welding process information, parametrization and heat source specification.
• Stress-relief - Information about stress relief heat treatment processes.
• Sets - Sets of nodes either selected by the user or imported from an external file to compose weld paths or tracking
points.
It is possible to rename an object on a catalog either by using the F2 key or from inside the object's properties.
2.6.5. Main objects

In each project in Simufact.welding several objects have to be defined to setup a welding model. The main objects
are listed below:
17
6.0 Introducing Simufact.welding Main objects
Figure 2.13. Explorer window- All the objects participating

on a welding simulation are listed under the process name
• Process - Tree-like view describing and organizing the welding process for analysis. A single project may include
many processes.
• Symmetry plane - Mechanical and thermal boundary plane for symmetric process.
• Solver - Define the analysis methodology for resolving the model. Here the user have access to additional settings
like total analysis time, time step configuration, automatic mesh refinement, tracking points, friction model and
more.
• Component - Meshed geometry of the structure to be welded. A single process may include a number of components
as needed. Each component is treated as deformable bodies passive of heat transfer within themselves and with
each other. Every component has to have defined the geometry (mesh), temperature settings and material. Optional
is initial data of phase composition.
• Boundary Condition - These are bodies to constrain the structure to be welded. They can be bearings (with planar
movement allowed), fixing (all 6 DOF are restrained) and clamps (bearings that can apply a force). Every boundary
condition has to have defined the geometry (mesh) but they don't participate on heat transfer; in case the user wants
to calculate that also, the boundary conditions should be modeled and interpreted as components.
• Local-joint - This feature mimics the existence of tack welds and spot welds for holding specific areas without the
need of two boundary conditions. The user can either select these points from the Sets catalog or import external
reference files. These local joints behave like nodes connected between two (or more) different meshes.
• Robot - Welding robots (or welder) are represented here. A single process may include many robots as needed.
Each robot contains its weld paths, trajectory configuration, sequences and geometry (mesh) for filler. Weld paths
and torch angles can be adjusted here. Every robot has to have weld paths, initial temperature settings and material
for filler (if applicable). Optional is weld filler geometry (mesh), which can either be generated by Simufact.welding
or imported from external mesh.
• Results - This section appears as soon as the solution of a model begins. During the model calculation it is updated
accordingly to the actual progress. The user does not have to wait until the calculation is done to see the results.
In addition to this, the welding monitor is available to show the cross section normal to the weld seam. Optional
18
6.0 Introducing Simufact.welding Advanced functions
tracking points charts are available when configured before running the simulation. Starting from version 4.0.3
there is also an option for exporting results as universal file (SDRC) (.UNV), a format which contains all relevant
data (selectable).
• View - Load the available results onto the visualization workspace.
• History plot- Show the charts for configured tracking points.
• Measuring transformation - Change between different coordinate systems (Cartesian and Cylindrical).
• Welding monitor - Access temperature information at the cross section normal to the weld bead. Very useful
for checking the penetration depth on components according to melting temperature.
• Manage results- Manage results at time step level.
• UNV Export - Export results into a universal file format.
• Remove - Delete results.
Figure 2.14. Assessing results - Right-clicking on

Results object makes a new set of options available
For a more detailed explanation on each object or catalog, please visit the Help section
2.6.6. Advanced functions

• Model check: In Simufact.welding it is possible to perform a model check to see what errors or warnings are present
in the model. Simply click on the process name with the right mouse button and select Model check.
• Window management: In case there are many views open in Simufact.welding it is possible to close all views but
remain the active view open. This function can be found in the Window menu.
• File management: It is possible to save a project under a new name with or without results. This can be found in the
File menu. Furthermore it is possible to save a project under a new name without results but with _run_ directory.
This can be found when using Create project from current.
19
6.0 Introducing Simufact.welding Help section
2.7. Help section

2.7.1. Offline help
When installing Simufact.welding by choosing to install the accompanying documentation, you will be able to count
on a comprehensive set of help files. These files are the offline help you get instantly by accessing the Help section:
Figure 2.15. Offline help - Available documents for consulting
• What is new - This is related to the improvements since the last release.
• Release Notes - Listing all important features added to current version.
• Installation instruction - Gives an overview on how to install Simufact.welding and start it for the first time.
• InfoSheets folder - Here the user gets a more detailed explanation on important features of Simufact.welding.
• sfMarc folder - Extensive documentation of solver.
• Tutorial folder - Documentation and tutorial for different process types as well as model setup and post processing.
These files are stored under <installation path>\simufact\welding\<version>\docs
2.7.2. Online help

In case you cannot find a solution for the issue you are experiencing, need support or check for available training
courses, please contact by phone or email your local reseller or the MSC Software office. Local reselles can be found
on our website:
www.simufact.com
We are ready to help you within a small time frame!
20
tion
6.0
3 Arc Welding
6.0 Arc Welding Creating a new project
Keywords
Arc welding, 3D
Educational basics
This chapter will teach you the basic usage of the Simufact.welding GUI and especially the setup of arc welding
processes.
Prerequisites
Basic process knowledge, Basic knowledge of Simufact.welding.
3.1. Creating a new project

After launching Simufact.welding successfully, you will be able to create a new project by clicking Project - New -
New project or simply by using Ctrl+N shortcut.
Figure 3.1. Creating a new project - This is the

first step to follow with the Arc Welding tutorial
22
Give the new project the name ArcWelding, then choose a folder path to save and click OK . You need to have
sufficient rights (read & write) in this folder. Remember the location for future reference.
Figure 3.2. Name and location - Choose a name

for the project and locate the folder to save it.
The next screen allows you to initially configure the model. Here you can specify the number of components, bearings,
fixings, clamps, robots and meet some other settings.
At first select the proper process type for your welding process, in our case "Arc welding (1). Afterwards you can define
the ambient temperature, a global value applied to the whole model and governing heat losses to the surroundings (2).
You can additionally define the direction of gravity (3) and preselect the numbers of components, robots and boundary
conditions in your model (4). It might also be useful to add some meaningful description to the process (5). Please
note that all those settings can be changed afterwards, so it is not a problem if it turns out that you need some more
clamping tools or robots than defined here.
In the text field (6) at the bottom of the window you get additional information shown if you hover with the mouse
pointer over some input fields. This text field is present in most setting windows of the GUI.
23
Figure 3.3. Configuring the simulation- Choosing what will compose the simulation.
Please make sure you have the following configuration before clicking OK:
• Process type - Arc welding
• Ambient temperature - 20 Celsius degrees
• Gravity - Checked box, standard value, z=-1 direction
• Use symmetry plane - Not used, leave unmarked
• Components - 2 components
• Bearings - 1 bearing
• Fixings - 0 fixing
• Clamping - 2 clamps
• Local joints - 0 local joint
24
6.0 Arc Welding Importing components
• Robots - 1 robot
You may enter a description of this project inside the Description dialog. This however has no effect on simulations.
Then we get into the main screen of the project. All configured parameters will be loaded automatically to create the
process tree. Following, an overview of the GUI is presented.
Figure 3.4. Main screen - overview of available interaction areas

This screen is sub-divided into 6 areas:
1. Main menus/toolbar - Most of general actions (save/open/close) are available through this menu
2. Process tree - All participating objects in the current project (may contain more than one process)
3. Object catalog - All available data from different sources
4. Visualization - 3D-Model/results view window, you can pan, rotate, zoom, pick, etc.
5. Properties window - Display selected item's properties
6. Status/Control bar - See current status of the simulation and control using start/stop buttons
3.2. Importing components

Importing meshes of components is the next step after defining the initial configuration of the project. Components
are the basis of the simulation and serve as guidance for clamp positioning and trajectory generation.
25
To import any number of components, on the Catalog area, RMC (right-mouse-click) over Geometries, select Import
and navigate to the corresponding directory:
Figure 3.5. Importing components - How to

import geometries (mesh) for welding simulation
Currently the following formats are supported:
• *.arc - Simufact proprietary format for geometries
• *.spr - Simufact proprietary format for output results with geometry reference
• *.bdf - NASTRAN bulk data file (general)
• *.fem, *.feb, *.sfc - Mesh formats written by simufact.forming and simufact.mesh
• *.stl - general triangulated geometries that might be used for clamps
More information about the mesh requirements can be found under: <installation path>\simufact\welding\<ver-
sion>\docs\infosheets\Meshing_en.pdf
For this tutorial we will make use of Plate.bdf and Tube.bdf. Those files are located in the geometry library folder
<installation path>\simufact\welding\<version>\lib\geometries\tutorial\.
As an alternative to import of meshes via the import dialog of the GUI you can also just drag and drop the corresponding
files directly in to the catalog section of the GUI.
After the import the following window will appear:
26
Figure 3.6. Importing with correct length unit - The unit

system originally selected should be used with this option.
It is important to notice that the unit to be chosen should match the system in which the geometry was originally
created (i.e. on the CAD system or from the mesher software). If for some reason the wrong unit is selected, then
Simufact.welding will scale it wrongly and interpret incorrectly. Mark the check-box (3) when all selected geometries
use the same unit system. As the mesh is purely numbers, there will be no imported information regarding unit, material
or load type. For this tutorial the geometries were prepared in millimeters, please select Millimeter in the list (1) and
check the Use for all geometries box (3).
This window also has some additional functionalities. If you import surface meshes, the checkbox Import surface
meshes (4) is available. If the box is checked, all surface meshes you selected for the import are being imported as
they are and can be used for tools (clamps, fixings and bearings). If the box is not checked, it is possible to expand
2D-meshes into a 3D-structure. This works especially for sheets. In this case fields under Shell mesh options (2) are
activated. Enter there the thickness of the sheet in millimeters and the number of layers in the extrusion direction. Be
careful: even if the mesh is not suitable for the extrusion it is possible to activate this settings. However, the resulting
3D-mesh might be not useful in the simulation.
The imported components will appear under Geometries in the Object catalog area. To assign these geometries to a
process, drag and drop each one in a Component object type. Doing so, the Visualization area will update and show
the participating components.
27
6.0 Arc Welding Defining materials
Figure 3.7. Visualization window - Updated with just imported components
The following actions/gestures are available to manipulate the model:
• Left mouse button click - Select
• Left mouse button hold - Pan
• Right mouse button click - Context menu
• Right mouse button hold - Rotate
• Scroll wheel - Zoom in/out
It is important to understand all the mouse interactions, they will be needed when defining weld paths. It is advisable
to spend some time practicing the afore mentioned gestures.
3.3. Defining materials

The material library, and therefore material properties, is where all important mechanical, thermal and electrical prop-
erties of materials are loaded from. Simufact.welding has an extensive material library readily available. In case of a
need for special material type or a customized input by the user, there is fully graphical support for doing so.
More information about the materials can be found in the tutorial chapter Material as well as in further material
documentation in the corresponding infosheets.
To access the material library, right mouse click on Materials on the Catalog area, then select Library:
28
Figure 3.8. Material library - Simufact.welding has an extensive material library available
In the Simufact.material GUI you can at first select the material Group (Area 1), additionally or alternatively you
might want to use more powerful filters (2) or start to type the material name directly (3). Then you can select the
material in the resulting filtered list (4). Please note: it is not recommended to use any material in a welding simulation
that does not belong to the Welding area of application.
For this tutorial, we will use STKM13A for the components and G2Si1 for filler material (weld bead). Please, select
both and click OK (5). After importing all required data, both materials will appear under Materials on the Catalog
area.
29
Figure 3.9. Available materials - The material library

contains the most diverse and commonly employed materials
Drag and drop STKM13A on each component (Tube and Plate). Do the same for G2Si1 and the Robot.
At this point, make sure your Process tree and Object catalog look exactly the same as the image below:
Figure 3.10. Assigning the material - Components and Robots require

to have an assigned material data for mechanical/thermal calculation
30
6.0 Arc Welding Defining temperature objects
Alternatively the assignment can be done via right mouse click on Process -> New components -> Creation and
assignment wizard. The wizard checks for 3D-meshes in the object catalog and helps you to create components in
a particular process out of them.
In the wizard you can at first select if you want to create new components or assign some properties to already existing
ones (1). Additionally, you can choose what happens, if some properties already exist. With the filter (2) you can
choose which meshes are to be seen, you can filter for meshes not assigned in the current process (but may be used
in other processes in the same project) or for meshes not used in the project at all. If there are materials present in the
project you can assign the materials to created components (3). Additionally, you can assign temperature objects (4).
In the list (5) you can select components you want meshes and properties to be assigned to.
Figure 3.11. Creation and assignment wizard for components
3.4. Defining temperature objects

You might have noticed during the definition of components that they already have a temperature object assigned. A
temperature object in Simufact.welding described thermal initial and boundary conditions. There is a default object
present but you also might want to change settings or to create new objects.
With this object you can set the initial temperature of a component or robot the object is assigned to (1). Furthermore,
you can define the convective heat transfer coefficient to the environment (2) via a constant value or via predefined
table. Same can be done to contact heat transfer between different bodies in the model (3). In this case it is also possible
to use automatic calculation of contact heat transfer coefficient. The emission coefficient (4) is to be set as a constant
value, governing the radiation heat losses.
Figure 3.12. Temperature object
31
6.0 Arc Welding Defining the mechanical boundary
conditions (tools)
3.5. Defining the mechanical boundary condi-

tions (tools)
Every model needs mechanical boundary conditions to be considered to be set up properly. On the one hand, a boundary
condition of any kind is needed to prevent rigid body motion of components, so to make sure that those stay in place
during simulation. On the other hand, during welding the single components are usually lying on tables, fixed at some
positions or are clamped with tools.
In Simufact.welding we consider three main types of boundary conditions: bearings, fixings and clamps. Additionally
we consider local joints which are not really a boundary condition but connect components with each other.
Figure 3.13. Types of boundary conditions - There are four

types available: Bearing, Fixing, Clamping and Local joints
• Bearings - When using this type of fixture, the bodies in contact with it are able to move on the same plane of
contact. It does not restrain movement within the same plane/face of contact. If the component tries to detach (move
away) from it there is a minimum threshold of 200kPa (configurable) that it should overcome to separate. This
parameter has some impact on the computational time as contact is dynamically checked and calculated every time
step by the solver. Bearings are usually utilized as counterparts for Clamps or are used as tables. A bearing can be
defined as a geometrical body and can be deactivated at some point during the process.
• Fixings - Bodies in contact with this type of fixture have all 6 degrees of freedom restrained. This boundary condition
does not allow any type of movement and the separation threshold is infinite. As it restrains all movements, it might
likely cause some increase in stress within the contact area (strain is zero). A fixing as described above can be
defined as a geometrical body and can be deactivated at some point during the process. Additionally, one can define
a fixing by means of fixed nodes, selecting a node set and adding it to a fixing. In this case it is possible to constrain
the nodes in question for each spatial direction separately. It is also possible not only to define the deactivation time
but also an activation time.
• Clamping - This type of fixture is used when there is a need for applying force on the component. It can have
a defined stiffness and can prevent dislocation during the simulation as it dynamically responds to the welded
structure distortions. Additionally a force vector can be defined working on a clamp. Usually it appears in pairs with
Bearings. It is also possible to handle a clamping as a rigid body with movement by definition of a start and end
time of movement as well as start and end position relative to where the clamp is defined initially (moving clamp).
It is also possible to define a clamp to be glued to the component in contact, so, combined with the moving clamp,
32
conditions (tools)
it gives a possibility to model displacement controlled tensile tests, while in combination with forces it makes force
controlled tensile tests possible.
• Local joints - When there is a need for local connection of components, local joints will act to keep the referred
nodes and defined sphere of influence neighborhood tied. With prior knowledge of the assembly state, the user
can select nodes on the component's mesh to have this behavior. Intentionally, tack welds or spot welds can be
simplified as local joints when the resistance welding itself is not the aim of the current welding process.
Except by Local joints, all other types of boundary conditions can be imported from previously meshed structures
or created inside Simufact.welding. To create them using Simufact.welding tools, RMC on the fixture name in the
Process tree and select Generate geometry:
Figure 3.14. Creating fixtures - Fixtures can be created

inside Simufact.welding or imported from external meshes
After doing so, the following window will appear and you may choose between two types of predefined geometry:
cuboid or cylinder. Each one has its properties to be configured in order to best match the purpose. Use the Select
location button to pick a region on the model over which the geometry should be placed (click and drag).
33
conditions (tools)
Figure 3.15. Generating geometry - Creating

simple geometries to act as boundary condition
For this tutorial purpose, we will create three boundary conditions: one bearing-type acting as a table and two clamp-
ing-type to act as holders. Following the steps bellow will create the necessary geometries for defining the model.
Figure 3.16. View tool bar - Changing views to display selected areas
• Bearing - Change the current view to Bottom view by using the View tool bar and zoom out a bit to see the entire
bottom plate. Then RMC on Bearing in the Process tree and select Generate geometry. Make sure Cuboid type
is selected, then click on Select location button. Go back to the Visualization area and click and drag on the center
of the plate to create the geometry.
34
conditions (tools)
Figure 3.17. Selecting reference faces - It is important to

have a clean view of the location to place the geometry
After creating the cuboid, going to the Details tab, change the Height value to 5 mm . Change Width and Depth to
150 mm each. Position the bearing in the middle of the component. If needed, you cab also adjust the surface mesh
going back to the Primitive page of geometry creation dialog. Click OK and the new geometry will be created.
Besides being assigned to the Bearing boundary condition, the newly created geometry also appears under the
Geometries section on the Catalog area.
Figure 3.18. Configuring the geometry
35
conditions (tools)
If by any reason the geometry is not on the right position, you can move it around using the built-in arrangement tool.
To access it, RMC on the component to be moved directly on the Visualization area, point to Object manipulation
on the menu, then select Translation or Rotation.
Figure 3.19. Moving components - Using the Translation/

Rotation tool to move components on the visualization area
On either Translation or Rotation tool the user has the option to move at a given direction using increments or by
dragging the axis system that will show up.
In the translation dialog you can either set the direction and increment of translation manually or directly drag the
model by touching the coordinate system with the mouse, holding the left mouse button and moving the mouse
along the axis direction. For more control you can also enter the translation increment and check the "Enable grid"
checkbox.
36
conditions (tools)
Figure 3.20. Translating position - Moving components using

an increment-driven mode or click-n-drag using the axis system
Rotation works similar to translation. The center of rotation can be picked with the selection button at the bottom of
the window, positioned automatically to the geometry center or entered manually. The rotation can be either done
incrementally or by rotating the geometry directly in the view.
37
conditions (tools)
Figure 3.21. Rotating position - Rotating components using an

increment-driven mode or click-n-drag using the axis system
Please note: the context menu of a geometry in the model also contains menu items concerning assemblies. You
can add components or boundary conditions to assemblies. If done so you can manipulate (translate or rotate) the
complete assembly (all geometries belonging to it) at once.
• Clamping - To create the missing two clamps, follow the same procedure but using cylinders and set Radius and
Height to 5 mm each. Change to Top view before picking the region. After doing it properly the result should be
very similar to the following picture.
Figure 3.22. Placing fixtures - Reference for positioning the just created geometries
38
6.0 Arc Welding Using node-sets
The clamps will exert a force on the rounded component against the bearing so to keep the two components together
during the welding. To configure the force, double-click on the Clamping in the Process tree and the configuration
window will appear. Change the behavior to Stiffness & Force, then set the holding force to 100.0N and click OK.
The stiffness can also be entered as a table as a function of elongation.
Figure 3.23. Clamping force - Configuring clamps to use holding force
Please do the same for the second boundary condition, Clamping-2 and the clamp setup for this project is completed.
At this point, you should notice that in the Process tree the name of the process is in red, and the Robot as well as
Solver are also written in red. This indicates that some missing definition in order to get the process running. The
next steps we will cover the elements for defining robots actions.
3.6. Using node-sets

Within Simufact.welding terminology, a node-set is a group of points with all X/Y/Z coordinate well defined regarding
the global coordinate system. The node position is predefined by the FE mesh. The group order matters as the node-
set can be used as welding path by the trajectory object. To define a group of points, the user has two options: picking
them directly from the model using the Visualization area or importing from a CSV file. Keep in mind that when
picking on the screen, the procedure is limited by the mesh resolution (element size) and might lead to a distorted path
when the mesh is too coarse. Between two points Simufact.welding will linearly interpolate the path, so make sure
enough points are selected to create a smooth transition. If a node set was used to generate a weld path, the coordinates
of the weld path can be manipulated independent from the node position.
To create a node set RMC on Sets (Catalog area), select New node set . From here the user can pick nodes on the
models on the screen to build the set.
39
6.0 Arc Welding Using node-sets
Figure 3.24. Node-set creation - Creating a group

of points from directly selection on the screen
In order to make the node selectable, use the left mouse click to select the desired points. For this tutorial, pick 20
points on the base of the cylinder to build the first node set that will be used as welding path later. After selecting all
20 points click Apply changes to node set.
If other geometries in the model are interfering so you are not able to select the desired nodes, you can deactivate them
in view by a RMC on a geometry in question and selecting "Hide".
Figure 3.25. Node-set creation - Picking of points
On the node-set description window there is detailed information regarding the selected points:
• Sequence - The order is important as it will dictate the welding path for next steps;
• Geometry - Shows what geometry the points were picked from, provides helpful insights when having a great
number of components close to each other;
• ID - The number of the node selected at the geometry;
40
6.0 Arc Welding Creating weld paths and heat sources
• Coordinates - Location of selected nodes with respect the absolute axis system.
Double check if all selected nodes belong to the geometry named Tube so to avoid mismatch.
3.7. Creating weld paths and heat sources

Trajectories are paths with additional information to become weld lines. Regardless of welding process to be simulated,
the steps up to this point are the same.
For this arc welding tutorial we will fill-up the information as to be concise with a real arc welding process. To create
and define a trajectory, RMC on Trajectories and a context menu will show the options.
Figure 3.26. Creating trajectories - A trajectory can be created

from scratch or imported from previously determined coordinates
3.7.1. Defining the welding path

There are many options to create a trajectory path:
• New weld line - A new, blank trajectory configuration dialog without any information of path;
• New point sequence - A new, blank point sequence configuration dialog without any information of path (this is
used for resistance spot welding);
• Import - This option will create a trajectory and import the path from a CSV file;
• Weld line from node set - Instead of importing from an external file, a node-set from the same project will provide
the coordinates;
• Point sequence from node set - A node-set from the same project will provide the coordinates for each point;
• Library - This option will point to a directory configured as the project's library. Works very similar to importing
from a CSV file;
• Export all - This will export the trajectory into a CSV file format;
As we created a node-set on previous step this is the way the trajectory will be initialized. Please RMC on Trajectories
and select Weld line from node set on the context menu. Then select the node set by name and click OK . The
41
6.0 Arc Welding The welding parameters and heat
source
trajectory will inherit the name from the chosen node set; this saves a good amount of time when dealing with bigger
projects.
Additionally you can drag and drop the node-set on the Trajectories catalog entry. Then you have to select if the
Node-set is to be used for a trajectory for a thermal joining process or as point sequence for a resistance spot welding
process. Furthermore, you can just drag and drop the Node-set on a robot.
Figure 3.27. Trajectory from node set - Creating

trajectories with path information from node sets
3.7.2. The welding parameters and heat source

Starting from version 5.0, welding parameters and heat source geometries are configured in a separate object. This
object is later assigned to any number of trajectories so to reflect any changes by modifying the father object on the
catalog. This can be understand as the user is making use of the same welding process for different trajectories.
To create a new welding parameter object, RMC over Welding-parameter section on the Catalog then select New
welding parameter.
Additionally you can import already existing welding parameters or access the Welding parameter library, if you
previously added any welding parameters to it.
Figure 3.28. Welding parameter - Creating a new welding parameter

A new window will open with for the user to input the necessary data.
• General properties - This section is used for describing the process from which the welding parameters are origi-
nated; this is for information only and has no influence on simulations. You can give a process description in (1),
add some images in (2) and add a comment in (3). Some of this information is then usable as filter in the Welding
parameter library.
42
source
Figure 3.29. General properties - Textual description of the welding process
• Welding parameters - This tab is used for defining the welding parameters and calculation method. The user has
the option to choose between Transient (Indirect power) , Transient (Direct power) and Thermal cycle . For
this tutorial we will use the indirect power method and for that one should provide Current and Voltage values.
Input the following:
• Velocity: 30cm/min
• Current: 100A
• Voltage: 17V
• Efficiency: 0.9
43
source
Figure 3.30. Welding parameters - Configuring

the welding parameters for a given process
Make sure you have entered the correct parameters as described above or the heat input might differ and alter the
results.
• Heat source - This tab is the connection to the real process. The user has the option to choose between a conven-
tional heat source (arc welding) or a highly focused laser heat source. For the purpose of this tutorial we select
Conventional , which is a Goldak's double ellipsoid model, a good approach for most arc welding processes.
44
source
Figure 3.31. Conventional heat source - Goldak's model for arc welding processes
The parameters (dimension) of the heat source are configured so to match the real heat source geometry of a
welding process which can be obtained from a macrographic test of a weld bead cross-section. Nonetheless,
Simufact.welding provides approximation formulas for designing new welding processes based on expected weld
bead formation. These formulas are to be found under: <installation path>\simufact\welding\<version\docs\infos-
heets\HeatSourceGeometry_en.pdf.
For this tutorial these are the values to be inputted:
• Front length af : 1.96 mm
• Rear length ar: 7.20 mm
• Width b: 2.77 mm
• Depth d: 3.77 mm
• Gaussian parameter M: 3
45
6.0 Arc Welding Configuring robots and weld beads
Figure 3.32. Heat source geometry - The heat source geometry has to be
configured correctly or the power density will produce incorrect or no results at all
After configuring the welding parameter object as described above, just click OK and the new object will appear
under Welding-parameter on the Catalog area.
3.8. Configuring robots and weld beads

Robots are objects that will in fact perform the welding process simulation. They should have four kind of objects
assigned: temperature, material, trajectory and welding parameter. It is inside the robot configuration window that
weld beads are generated or assigned from externally imported meshes.
To start with, drag and drop the trajectory created into the Robot object on the Process tree, then drag and drop
the welding parameter on the trajectory. After doing so, notice how the Visualization area will update showing the
trajectory and heat source.
If you have more than one trajectory assigned to a robot you can also drag and drop the welding parameter to a robot
itself. In this case you can choose if you want to assign the welding parameter to all trajectories besides those that
already have a welding parameter assigned or completely overwrite all assignments and assign the welding parameter
to all of trajectories.
46
Figure 3.33. Assigning trajectories - Trajectories are objects

that define the weld path and carry the welding parameters
Double click on the Robot object and its configuration window will appear:
Figure 3.34. Robot configuration - All robot configurations are performed on this window
In the first tab the user will see all trajectories assigned to the robot and their order. In this case, there is only one
trajectory. The Welding order area shows all the trajectories assigned, the user can change the order by drag and drop
them or reverse them by clicking on the buttons on the right.
This tab has also three sections with some configurable parameters:
47
Figure 3.35. Robot general configuration - Many

parameters for configuring the robot are available
• Robot settings - Start time manually defined for the robot, this has direct impact on delaying all trajectories (1);
• Selected trajectory (2)
• Pause (start): Within this time interval, there is no heat input despite already initiated the trajectory (similar to
pre-gas timing);
• Lead time: During the lead time, the robot has arc opened, heat input starts but there is no movement (similar
to keyhole opening procedure);
• Follow-up time: During the follow-up time, the robot has still an open arc but ceases the movement (similar to
crater-filling);
• Pause (end): Within this time frame there is no heat input and no movement and is the last step of a welding
trajectory (similar to post-gas timing).
• Welding parameter (3)
• Specification - Calculation method
• Velocity - Welding speed
• Current - Welding current
• Voltage - Welding voltage
• Efficiency - Process estimated efficiency
All non-open arc time frames will mainly act like as a small 'cooling phase' and depending on the number of trajectories
can have a major impact on the final result.
For this tutorial please configure the parameters as:
• Start time: 0s
• Pause (start): 0.2s
48
• Lead time: 0.1s
• Welding time: grayed out (not directly configurable)
• Follow-up time: 0.1s
• Pause (end): 0.2s
In the second tab is where 'torch' alignment is configured and trajectory reversal can be performed by using the icons
on the right side. All angular position is done on this area and heavily rely on the quality of underlying meshed com-
ponents. If by any reason the normal vector of a given component is misaligned, then it will impact on the orientation
of the trajectory. For this tutorial the meshes were carefully generated and quality was then double checked.
Please note the "Connect trajectory to surface nodes" option. This is useful if you expect a lot of deformation in the
model so that the heat source (which is defined in global coordinates) might miss the defined path. However, in order to
use it, you should define the trajectory directly on nodes in question, otherwise the GUI maps the trajectory as defined
on nearest surface nodes, which might result in wrong path. The mode sampling points you have, the better, in this case.
Figure 3.36. Trajectory orientation - Configuring angular

alignment of the trajectory path regarding local axis
For this tutorial it is enough to check Projection on surface and Orientation . Simufact.welding has a robust engine and
will try to find the best suitable configuration as soon as the orientation check box is marked. However, for the reasons
mentioned above, there will be cases that a manual configuration of the orientation will take place for individual nodes.
In such case, use the Repair single points option.
The Schematic view - Trajectory window provides helpful insight for the currently selected data point regarding
its orientation with respect to other components. Use this window as a local reference when aligning or correcting
the orientation.
49
Figure 3.37. Schematic view - This window shows a

preview of the alignment with current parameters
Now the third tab is where fillet geometry creation for processes with filler metal (non-autogenous processes) can
be done. The weld bead can be either imported and assigned to a given trajectory via drag&drop on the trajectory or
generated on this tab following the components mesh. In this tab there is a set of parameters that should be throughly
understood to have good results of welding simulation. Again, the weld bead generation is affected by the underlying
geometry/mesh of the components. For this tutorial we will generate the weld bead instead of importing it.
Figure 3.38. Fillet geometry assignment - The user has the option to
import an existing mesh or generate the fillet inside Simufact.welding
When generating fillets inside Simufact.welding the dimensioning parameters are:
50
Figure 3.39. Fillet description - Parameters for fillet generation
• Throat a: The 'height' of the cross-section;
• Bow b: The concavity of the fillet;
• Leg z1: Leg of the fillet;
• Toe z2: Toe of the fillet;
To generate a fillet for the trajectory, select >Generate fillet< from the Fillet geometry menu and change Quality to
medium , then input the other values:
• a: (automatic)
• b: -0.3mm
• z1: 2.5mm
• z2: 2.5mm
Then click Preview and you should get the following:
51
6.0 Arc Welding Simulation settings
Figure 3.40. Resulting fillet - The user can preview the

resulting fillet on the model before accepting the configuration
Please note: in some cases you might need to go back to the trajectories setting page after the fillet is generated and
to readjust the settings with respect to the generated fillet.
Very well! At this point we have all parameters and objects set for starting the simulation.
3.9. Simulation settings

There are some settings the user can configure in order to change the way the simulation will be handled. To access
these parameters, double click on Solver object on the Process tree.
Figure 3.41. Solver settings- It is possible to configure

the solver to run specific tasks according to user needs
52
6.0 Arc Welding Simulation settings
The user has the option to turn on multiprocessing capabilities and a technology called Domain Decomposition Method
(DDM). These options will help to speed-up the simulation therefore reducing wall-time getting results faster. For all
this to work, it requires that Intel™ MPI Library to be installed and running properly. Besides that, each core has to
have a license to run the solver thread.
Mark the Parallelization check-box and configure as:
• Number of domains: 4
• Method: Recursive coordinate bisection
• Rotation axis: none
• Number of cores: 2
The number of cores is per domain and each core has to have a license to run. For instance, here we are using 4 domains
and each domain has 2 core associated, 8 licenses are therefore needed. The licensing is per core. More information
about the activation of the Intel (TM) MPI library can be found in the installation booklet.
Figure 3.42. Configuring parallelization- Simufact.welding comes with

two flavors of parallelization: domain decomposition and shared memory
Next tab is Time control, where the user configures the amount of time the simulation will run.
53
6.0 Arc Welding Running the model
Figure 3.43. Configuring run time - Set enough run time in

order to capture also the cool down of the welded structures
Set End time to 30s and result output frequency to 1 and click OK. Leave the rest of the parameters untouched, for
a more detailed explanation please visit the advanced section.
3.10. Running the model

Now we have all settings to run the welding simulation. Click on the scope icon to bring on the Simufact.monitor to
the screen in order to follow-up with the execution.
Then click on the green arrow on the analysis control tool bar to start the simulation.
After pressing the green arrow you get the possibility to edit the input file before running the simulation. In our case
just press OK. You can turn this window off in the Simufact settings.
54
6.0 Arc Welding Running the model
Figure 3.44. Simulation start - Running a process
After some time the simulation will finish and reach the following state:
Figure 3.45. Successful completion - After a successful completion of calculation, the

control tool bar shows 100% done and the message 'job is finished based on time'
The next step is to do post-processing, please go to the post-processing section to learn more about reading, analyzing
and exporting results.
Congratulations, you have built and ran your first arc welding simulation!
55
tion
6.0
4 Beam welding
6.0 Beam welding Preface
Keywords
Laser beam welding, electron beam welding, tack weld, autogenous, 3D
Educational basics
This chapter will teach you the basic usage of the Simufact.welding GUI and especially the setup of beam welding
processes.
Prerequisites
4.1. Preface
The model setup for the process type Electron beam welding is very similar to Laser beam welding. The main difference
is that Electron beam welding is usually done in a vacuum chamber which is why the convective heat transfer from
the workpiece to the surroundings is disabled for a specified time. This time can be defined in the Solver settings >
Time Control as the Vacuum chamber opening time. Another important difference is, that you cannot assign fillet
geometries to the robot as Electron beam welding processes are usually autogenous. This tutorial chapter will show
the setup of a Laser beam welding process but most of it applies to Electron beam welding processes as well. The
demo will show two sheets being joined. Two initial tack welds will be done before the final seam will be welded.
You can find the finished model in Simufact.demos > Tutorial > Laser beam welding. The following figure shows
the model view in its final state:
Figure 4.1. Model view of the Laser beam welding tutorial model

After launching Simufact.welding successfully, you will be able to create a new project by clicking File > New project,
selecting the -Icon in the tool bar or simply by using the Ctrl+N keyboard shortcut.
Give the new project the name LaserWelding, then choose a folder path to save and click OK . Remember the
location for future reference.
57
6.0 Beam welding Creating a new project
Figure 4.2. Name and location - Choose a name

for the project and locate the folder to save it
The next screen is where you initially configure your simulation. There you can specify the number of components,
bearings, fixings, clampings, robots and other settings.
All this can be modified when getting into the main screen of the project. In addition to this, it is advisable to give the
project a description for future understanding of what the aim of the project is. At the bottom of the process settings
window you will find the interactive help: whenever the mouse pointer hovers over some command or parameter, the
text inside this box will change to help the user get more information about it.
Figure 4.3. Configuring the simulation- Choosing what will compose the simulation
• Process type - Laser beam welding
• Ambient temperature - 20°C
• Gravity - Unchecked box, standard value
58
6.0 Beam welding Creating a new project
• Bearings - 2 bearings
• Clamping - 2 clampings
Then we get into the main screen of the project (Figure 3.4). All configured parameters will be loaded automatically
to create the process tree. Following, an overview of the GUI is presented.
1. Main menus/toolbar - Most of the general actions (save/open/close) are available through this menu
2. Explorer - All participating objects in the current project (may contain more than one process)
3. Catalog - All available data from different sources
4. Visualization - Model/results view window, you can pan, rotate, zoom, pick, etc.
5. Properties window - Display selected item's properties
59
6.0 Beam welding Importing components
6. Status/Control bar - See current status of the simulation and control using start/stop buttons

Importing meshes of components is the next step after defining the initial configuration of the project. Components
are the basis of the simulation and serve as guidance for clamp positioning and trajectory generation.
To import any number of components, on the Catalog area, do a over Geometries, select Library and navigate
to the corresponding directory:
Figure 4.5. Importing components - How to

import geometries (mesh) for welding simulation
• *.stl - general triangulated geometries that might be used for clamps
• *.fem, *.feb, *.sfc - Mesh formats written by simufact.forming and simufact.mesh
More information about the mesh requirements can be found in the respective infosheet which is linked in the Solver
properties > Refinement tab.
For this tutorial we will make use of UpperPlate.bdf and LowerPlate.bdf. Those files are located in the geometry
library folder <installation path>\simufact\welding\<version>\lib\geometries\tutorial\.
As an alternative to importing meshes via the import dialog of the GUI you can also just drag and drop the correspond-
ing files directly into the catalog section of the GUI.
Selecting a correct file type, after doing some initial fast preprocessing the following window will appear:
60
Figure 4.6. Importing with correct length unit- The unit

system originally selected should be used with this option
Simufact.welding will scale it wrongly and interpret incorrectly. Mark the relevant check-box when all selected geome-
tries use the same unit system. As the mesh is purely numbers, there will be no imported information regarding unit,
material or load type. For this tutorial the geometries were prepared in meters, please select Meter from the Length
(unit) list and check the Use units for all meshes box.
This window also has some additional functionalities. If you import surface meshes, the checkbox Import surface
meshes is available. If the box is checked, all surface meshes you selected for the import are being imported as they are
and can be used for tools (clamps, fixings and bearings). If the box is not checked, it is possible to expand 2D-meshes
into a 3D-structure. This works especially for sheets. In this case fields under Shell mesh options are activated. Enter
there the thickness of the sheet in millimeters and the number of layers in the extrusion direction. Be careful: even
if the mesh is not suitable for the extrusion it is possible to activate this settings. However, the resulting 3D-mesh
might be not useful in the simulation.
The imported components will appear under Geometries in the Catalog area. To assign these geometries to a process,
drag and drop each one in a Component object type. Doing so, the Visualization area will update and show the
participating components:
61
Figure 4.7. Visualization window - Updated with just imported components
to spend some time practicing the aforementioned gestures.
A Clipping plane can be used to cut through the model in the model view as well as in the results view if results are
present. The dialog window can be opened by clicking on in the tool bar or by doing a in the model view or in the
results view and selecting Clipping tool in the context menu. The dialog window is shown in the figure below:
Figure 4.8. Clipping plane - dialog window
62
6.0 Beam welding Defining materials

The material library, and therefore material properties, is where all important mechanical and thermal properties of
materials are loaded from. Simufact.welding has an extensive material library, Simufact.material, readily available. In
case of need for a special material type or a customized input by the user, there is fully graphical support for doing so.
More information about the materials can be found in the tutorial chapter Material as well as in further material docu-
mentation in the corresponding infosheets. For the usage of Simufact.materials please refer to the relevant documen-
tation which is linked directly in Simufact.materials.
To access the material library, do a over Materials on the Catalog area, then select Library:
Figure 4.9. Material library - Opening Simufact.materials
In the Simufact.material GUI you can at first select the material Group (Area 1), additionally or alternatively you
might want to use more powerful filters (2) or start to type the material name directly (3). Then you can select the
material in the resulting filtered list (4). Please note: it is not recommended to use any material in a welding simulation
that does not belong to the Welding area of application (easily recognizable by the _sw suffix).
For this tutorial, we will use S355J2G3-MPM for the components. This tutorial is for an autogenous laser welding,
therefore no filler material is needed. For the definition of fillets for Laser beam welding see ???. The definition of
fillets is independent from the heat source. Please, select the correct material and click OK (5). After importing all
required data, the material will appear under Materials on the Catalog area.
63
Figure 4.10. Available materials - The material library

contains the most diverse and commonly employed materials
Drag and drop S355J2G3-MPM onto each component (Lower and Upper Plate). Do the same and assign it to the
Robot. The robot will use the assigned material for any assigned or automatically generated fillets and to calculate
the temperature which is needed to establish a "glue" contact.
Simufact.welding allows you to use single-phase and multi-phase material models for phase transforma-
tion calculations of steels. All materials having the MPM suffix are multi-phase models, their counterpart
are SPM which are single-phase models.
It is important to know the process you are going to simulate well. Phase transformations can have
significant impacts on the results. Be aware that selecting a multi-phase material model will reflect on the
calculation during and after the welding process (cooling), it is not just a final output result. More details
can be found in the respective infosheet which is linked in the Solver properties > General settings
right next to the Phase transformation checkbox.
Alternatively the assignment can be done via right mouse click on Process -> New components -> Creation and
assignment wizard. The wizard checks for 3D-meshes in the object catalog and helps you to create components in
a particular process out of them. Compare the figure below.
64
Figure 4.11. Creation and assignment wizard for components
In the wizard you can at first select if you want to create new components or assign some properties to already existing
ones (1). Additionally, you can choose what happens, if some properties already exist. With the filter (2) you can
choose which meshes are to be seen, you can filter for meshes not assigned in the current process (but may be used
in other processes in the same project) or for meshes not used in the project at all. If there are materials present in the
project you can assign the materials to created components (3). Additionally, you can assign temperature objects (4).
In the list (5) you can select components you want meshes and properties to be assigned to.
Because we want to calculate phase transformations for this simulation you will need to define an initial phase fraction
for the start of the simulation. Please do a on the UpperPlate component and select Configure. A dialog will
show which offers the possibility to do some advanced settings. Please check the box Use phase fraction and make
sure that a phase fraction of 100% ferrite is defined (default setting). Repeat this step for the LowerPlate component.
65
Figure 4.12. Defining the initial phase fraction
At this point, make sure your Process tree looks exactly the same as the image below:
Figure 4.13. Current state of the process tree
Don't rush, if you miss something up to here, please take a breath and follow the steps again. It is important to under-
stand and get used to this workflow in order to avoid rework.
66
6.0 Beam welding Defining temperature objects
4.5. Defining temperature objects

You might have noticed during the definition of components that they already have a temperature object assigned. A
temperature object in Simufact.welding describes thermal initial and boundary conditions. There is a default object
present but you also might want to change settings or to create new objects.
Within this object you can set the initial temperature of a component or robot the object is assigned to (1). Furthermore,
you can define the convective heat transfer coefficient to the environment (2) via a constant value or via predefined
table. Same can be done to the contact heat transfer coefficient (3). In this case it is also possible to use an automatic
calculation of the contact heat transfer coefficient. The emission coefficient (4) is to be set as a constant value, gov-
erning the radiation heat losses.
For this tutorial we won't need to make any changes to the default temperature objects.
Figure 4.14. Temperature object

A material can optionally be assigned to bearings, fixings and clampings. The properties of the assigned
material will be used to determine the contact heat transfer coefficient for the fixation if you use the
automatic calculation. For resistance spot welding processes it will influence the stiffness of the elec-
trodes as well. If no material is assigned to the fixations the material H-13 will be used by default. This
material is a tool steel with a simplified data set of constant thermal and mechanical properties.
4.6. Defining the mechanical boundary condi-

tions (tools or fixtures)
Every model needs mechanical boundary conditions to be considered to be set up properly. On the one hand, a boundary
condition of any kind is needed to prevent rigid body motion of components, so to make sure that those stay in place
during simulation. On the other hand, during welding the single components are usually lying on tables, fixed at some
positions or are clamped with tools.
67
6.0 Beam welding Defining the mechanical boundary
conditions (tools or fixtures)
In Simufact.welding we consider three main types of boundary conditions: bearings, fixings and clamps. Additionally
we consider local joints which are not really a boundary condition but connect components with each other. The place-
ment and parameters of these boundary conditions are important optimization parameters for real welding processes.
Figure 4.15. Types of fixtures - There are four types of

fixture available: Bearing, Fixing, Clamping and Local joints
away) from it there is a minimum threshold of 200kPa (configurable) that it should overcome to separate. This
step by the solver. Bearings are usually utilized as counterparts for Clamps or are used as tables. A bearing can be
defined as a geometrical body and can be deactivated at some point during the process.
• Fixings - Bodies in contact with this type of fixture have all 6 degrees of freedom restrained in a localized area. This
boundary condition does not allow any type of movement and the separation threshold is infinite. As it restrains
all movements, it might likely cause some increase in stress within the contact area (strain is zero). A fixing as
described above can be defined as a geometrical body and can be deactivated at some point during the process.
Additionally, one can define a fixing by means of fixed nodes, selecting a node set and adding it to a fixing. In this
case it is possible to constrain the nodes in question for each spatial direction separately. It is also possible not only
to define the deactivation time but also an activation time.
• Clamping -This type of fixture is used when there is a need for applying force on the component. It can have a
defined stiffness and can prevent dislocation during the simulation as it dynamically responds to the welded structure
distortions. Additionally a force vector can be defined working on a clamp. Usually it appears in pairs with Bearings.
It is also possible to handle a clamping as a rigid body with movement by definition of a start and end time of
movement as well as start and end position relative to where the clamp is defined initially (moving clamp). It is
also possible to define a clamp to be glued to the component in contact, so, combined with the moving clamp, it
gives a possibility to model displacement controlled tensile tests, while in combination with forces it makes force
controlled tensile tests possible.
68
• Local joints - When there is a need for local 'gluing' of components, local joints will act to keep the referred nodes
and defined sphere of influence neighborhood tied. With prior knowledge of the assembly state, the user can select
nodes on the component's mesh to have this behavior. Intentionally, spot or tack welds can be simplified as local
joints when the spot welding itself is not the aim of the current welding process.
Except for local joints, all other types of fixture can be imported from previously meshed structures or created inside
Simufact.welding.
For this tutorial purpose, we will create four fixtures: two bearings and two clampings to act as holders. Following the
steps below will create the necessary geometries for defining the model.
Figure 4.16. View tool bar - Changing views to display selected areas
• Change the current view to Top view by using the View tool bar and zoom out a bit to see the entire bottom plate.
Then do a on Bearing in the Process tree and select Generate geometry.
Figure 4.17. Generate a geometry for the first bearing
69
Make sure Cylinder type is selected, then click on Select location button. Go back to the Visualization area and
click and drag on the center of the plate to create the geometry.
Figure 4.18. Selecting reference faces - It is important to

have a clean view of the location to place the geometry
After creating the Cylinder, going to the Details tab, change the Radius to 8mm and the Height value to 3mm .
Click OK and the new geometry will be created. Besides being assigned to the Bearing boundary condition, the
newly created geometry also appears under the Geometries section on the Catalog area.
70
Figure 4.19. Configuring the geometry - Many

parameters are available to build the geometry
71
Figure 4.20. Moving components- Using the Translation/

Rotation tool to move components on the visualization area
In the translation dialog you can either set the direction and increment of translation manually or directly drag the
model by touching the coordinate system with the mouse, holding the left mouse button and moving the mouse
along the axis direction. For more control you can also enter the translation increment and check the "Enable grid"
checkbox.
72
Figure 4.21. Translating position - Moving components using

an increment-driven mode or click-n-drag using the axis system
Rotation works similar to translation. The center of rotation can be picked with the selection button at the bottom of
the window, positioned automatically to the geometry center or entered manually. The rotation can be either done
incrementally or by rotating the geometry directly in the view.
73
Figure 4.22. Rotating position - Rotating components using an

increment-driven mode or click-n-drag using the axis system
Please note: the context menu of a geometry in the model also contains menu items concerning assemblies. You
can add components or boundary conditions to assemblies. If done so you can manipulate (translate or rotate) the
complete assembly (all geometries belonging to it) at once.
Perform the same steps and create the second bearing touching the second plate (purple).
After that, you should have a similar view:
74
Figure 4.23. Generating geometries - Creating the two bearings
• Clamping - To create the missing two clamps, follow the same procedure but using Cuboids. First, change to Bottom
view, then create the geometries for the clampings the same way you created them for the bearings. Position them
opposite to the bearings and define the following measurements:
• Width: 10.0 mm
• Height: 5.0 mm
• Depth: 10.0 mm
75
Figure 4.24. Placing fixtures - Reference for positioning the just created geometries
The clamps will exert some force on the component against the bearing so to prevent it from moving during the
welding. To configure the force, double-click on the Clamping in the Process tree and the configuration window
will appear. Change the behavior to Stiffness & Force, then set the holding force to 100.0N and click OK.
76
6.0 Beam welding Creating welding trajectories
Figure 4.25. Clamping force - Configuring clamps to use holding force

Please do the same for the second boundary condition, Clamping-2 and the clamp setup for this project is completed.
At this point, you should notice that in the Process tree the name of the process is in red, and the Robot is also
written in red. This indicates that there are some missing definitions in order to get the process running. The next
steps we will cover the elements for defining the robots actions.
4.7. Creating welding trajectories

In this tutorial we will define multiple node sets which, in turn, will be used to define the trajectories for the laser beam.
4.7.1. Using node-sets

Within Simufact.welding terminology, a node-set is a group of points with all X/Y/Z coordinates well defined re-
garding the global coordinate system. The node position is pre-defined by the FE mesh. The group order matters as
the node-set can be used as a welding path by the trajectory object. To define a group of points, the user has two
options: picking them directly from the model using the Visualization area or importing from a CSV file. Keep in
mind that when picking on the screen, the procedure is limited by the mesh resolution (element size) and might lead
to a distorted path when the mesh is too coarse. Between two points Simufact.welding will linearly interpolate the
path, so make sure enough points are selected to create a smooth transition. If a node set was used to generate a weld
path, the coordinates of the weld path can be manipulated independent from the node position.
To create a node set do a on Sets (Catalog area) and select New node set . From here the user can pick nodes on
the models on the screen to build the set.
77
6.0 Beam welding Using node-sets
Figure 4.26. Node-set creation - Creating a

group of points via direct selection on the screen
For this tutorial it is necessary to create three node sets.
When building node sets, it is important to observe the selection order. To later create the trajectory,
Simufact.welding will linearly interpolate between two points on the node set. This will provide the
welding direction and has direct influence on the results.
Change to Top view and select the following:
• Node-set 01 - Two nodes at one end of the superimposed region, spaced by two nodes. Confirm your choice by
clicking on Apply changes to node set. This node set will be the trajectory for the first tack weld
78
Figure 4.27. Node-set 01 - Selecting node sets for the first tack weld
To save some time, right after clicking on Apply changes to node set you can use the button Create
new node set to continue to work without leaving the same area.
• Node-set 02 - Another two nodes but at the other end, spaced by two nodes. This set will be the second tack weld.
79
Figure 4.28. Node-set 02 - Selecting another node set

• Node-set 03 - Three nodes covering the welding perimeter of the two plates. This set will define the final weld
path of the laser beam.
Figure 4.29. Node-set 03 - Node set sequence to the welding path

80
6.0 Beam welding Creating the trajectories
• Coordinates - Location of selected nodes with respect to the global coordinate system.
After creating all three node sets, you may close the helping window on the right and rename each node set as their
purpose (Tack01 / Tack02 / Trajectory) by doing a on them and selecting Rename.
Figure 4.30. Giving the node sets meaningful names
4.7.2. Creating the trajectories

Trajectories are paths with additional information to become weldments. Regardless of the welding process to be
simulated, the steps up to this point are the same.
For this Laser beam welding tutorial we will fill-up the information as to be concise with a real laser welding process.
To create and define a trajectory, do a on Trajectories and a context menu will show the following options:
81
Figure 4.31. Creating trajectories - A trajectory can be created

from scratch or imported from previously determined coordinates
4.7.2.1. Defining the welding path

• Weld line from node set - Instead of importing from an external file, a node set from the same project will provide
the coordinates;
from a CSV file;
As we created a node-set on previous step this is the way the trajectory will be initialized. Please RMC on Trajectories
and select Weld line from node set on the context menu. Then select the node set by name and click OK. The trajectory
will inherit the name from the chosen node set; this saves a good amount of time when dealing with bigger projects.
82
Additionally you can drag and drop the node-set on the Trajectories catalog entry. Then you have to select if the
node set is to be used for a trajectory for a thermal joining process or as point sequence for a resistance spot welding
process. Furthermore, you can just drag and drop the node set on a robot.
Figure 4.32. Trajectory from node set - Creating

trajectories with path information from node sets
Please import all three node sets (one by one) and then three trajectories should be shown:
Figure 4.33. Trajectories from node set - Generating trajectories from node sets
83
4.7.2.2. Welding parameters and heat source

Welding parameters and heat source geometry are configured in a separate object. This object is later assigned to any
number of trajectories so to reflect any changes by modifying the father object on the catalog. This can be understood
as if the user is making use of the same welding process for different trajectories.
To create a new welding parameter object, RMC over Welding-parameters section on the Catalog then select New
heat source parameter.
Additionally you can import already existing welding parameters or access the Welding parameter library, if you
previously added any welding parameters to it.
Figure 4.34. Welding parameter - Creating a new welding parameter
A new window will open showing the available information for the heat source.
nated; this is for information only and has no influence on simulations. You can give a process description in (1),
add some images in (2) and add a comment in (3). Some of this information is then usable as filter in the Welding
parameter library.
84
Figure 4.35. General properties - Textual description of the welding process
• Welding parameters - This tab is used for defining the welding parameters and calculation method. The user
has the option to choose between Transient (Indirect power) , Transient (Direct power) and Thermal cycle.
Transient means that we have an instationary heat source which moves along its defined weld paths. The difference
between indirect and direct power is the definition of the electrical values. For Indirect Power you will have to
provide values for the electrical current as well as the electrical voltage. For this tutorial we will use the direct power
method and for that we should provide a Power value. For information about the Thermal cycle mode please refer
to the linked infosheet in the Heat-source - Settings > Welding parameters dialog and ??? of this tutorial. As we
have two different processes, tacking and welding, two different welding conditions shall be created:
• Tacking - Welding parameters
• Velocity: 320 cm/min
• Power value: 5000 W
• Uncheck Use upramping
• Uncheck Use downramping
• Efficiency: 1.0
The up- and downramping can be used to configure your heat source more detailed and is only available for
the Transient (Direct power) mode. We will not use it for this tutorial however.
85
Figure 4.36. Tack weld parameters - Configuring tacking parameters
• Heat source - This tab is the connection to the real process. The user has the option to choose between a con-
ventional heat source (for arc welding) or a highly focused beam for a laser heat source. For the purpose of this
tutorial please select Laser, which is a double cylinder model, a good approach for most beam welding processes.
86
Figure 4.37. Laser heat source - Double cylinder model for beam welding processes
welding process. These can be obtained from a macrographic test of a weldment cross-section. Nonetheless,
formation. These formulas are to be found in the InfoSheet (accompanying documentation).
• Tacking - Heat source
Volumetrical heat source
• Geometrical type: Laser
• Conical heat source upper radius: 1.0 mm
• Conical heat source lower radius: 0.8 mm
• Conical heat source depth: 2.0 mm
• Gaussian parameter: 3
• Volume heat fraction: 0.9
Surface heat source
• Disc radius: 2.0 mm
• Surface depth: 0.1 mm
87
Figure 4.38. Heat source for tacking - Configuring

the heat source dimension for tack welds
After configuring the welding parameter object as described above, just click OK. Rename the newly generated
heat source to Tacking. Create another heat source for the laser beam welding. Define the welding parameters
as follows:
• Welding - Welding parameters
• Velocity: 200 cm/min
• Uncheck Use upramping
• Uncheck Use downramping
• Efficiency: 1.0
88
Figure 4.39. Welding parameters - Configuring the welding parameters
• Welding - Heat source
Volumetrical heat source
• Geometrical type: Laser
• Conical heat source upper radius: 1.0 mm
• Conical heat source lower radius: 0.8 mm
• Conical heat source depth: 0.6 mm
Surface heat source
• Disc radius: 2.5 mm
• Surface depth:0.1 mm
89
Figure 4.40. Heat source for welding - The heat source geometry has to be
configured correctly or the power density will produce incorrect or no results at all
After configuring the welding parameter object as described above, just click OK. Rename this heat source to
Welding.
90
6.0 Beam welding Configuring the robot and defining the
weld beads
Figure 4.41. Configured weld parameters - The

two welding parameters are now configured
results.
4.8. Configuring the robot and defining the

weld beads
Robots are objects that will perform the welding process. They should have at least four kinds of objects assigned:
temperature, material, trajectory and welding parameter. It is inside the robot configuration window that weld beads
(filler material) are generated or assigned from externally imported meshes if needed.
To start with, drag and drop the trajectories into the Robot object on the Process tree, then drag and drop the Welding
parameters on the appropriate Trajectory. After doing so, notice how the Visualization area will update showing the
trajectory.
If you have more than one trajectory assigned to a robot you can also drag and drop the welding parameter to a robot
itself. In this case you can choose if you want to assign the welding parameter to all trajectories besides those that
already have a welding parameter assigned or completely overwrite all assignments and assign the welding parameter
to all of trajectories.
91
weld beads
Figure 4.42. Assigning trajectories - Trajectories are objects

that define the weld path and carry the welding parameters
Figure 4.43. Robot configuration - All robot configurations are performed on this window
In the first tab called Times the user will see all trajectories assigned to the robot and their order. In this case, there
should be three trajectories. The Welding order area shows all the trajectories assigned, the user can change the order
by dragging and dropping them or reverse all at once by clicking on the buttons on the right.
• Robot settings - Start time manually defined for the robot, this has direct impact on delaying all trajectories;
• Selected trajectory
92
weld beads
• Pause (start): Within this time interval, there is no heat input despite already having initiated the trajectory
(similar to pre-gas timing);
• Lead time: During the lead time, the robot has the arc opened, heat input starts but there is no movement (similar
crater-filling);
• Welding parameter
• Specification: Calculation method
• Velocity: Welding speed
• Power: Input power
• Efficiency: Process estimated efficiency
All non-welding time will mainly act as a small 'cooling phase' and depending on the number of trajectories can have
a major impact on the final result.
For this tutorial please leave the parameters on their default values as shown in the figure above (everything on 0s):
In the second tab called Trajectories is where the 'beam' alignment is configured and trajectory reversal can be per-
formed by using the icons on the right side. All angular positioning is done on this area and heavily relies on the quality
of the underlying meshed components. If by any reason the normal vector of a given component is misaligned, then
it will impact on the orientation of the trajectory. For this tutorial the meshes were carefully generated and quality
was then double checked.
Please note the "Connect trajectory to surface nodes" option. This is useful if you expect a lot of deformation in the
model so that the heat source (which is defined in global coordinates) might miss the defined path. However, in order to
use it, you should define the trajectory directly on nodes in question, otherwise the GUI maps the trajectory as defined
on nearest surface nodes, which might result in wrong path. The more sampling points you have, the better, in this case.
Figure 4.44. Trajectory orientation - Configuring angular

alignment of the trajectory path regarding local axis
93
weld beads
For this tutorial it is enough to check Projection on surface and Orientation for each trajectory. Simufact.welding
has a robust engine and will try to find the best suitable configuration as soon as the orientation check box is marked.
However, for the reasons mentioned above, there will be cases that a manual configuration of the orientation will take
place for individual nodes. In such case, use the Repair single points option.
the orientation.
Figure 4.45. Schematic view - This window shows a

preview of the alignment with current parameters
Now the third tab Fillet generation is where the fillet geometry assignment occurs for processes with filler metal
(non-autogenous processes). The weld bead can be either imported and assigned to a given trajectory or generated on
this tab following the components mesh. In this tab there is a set of parameters that should be thoroughly understood
to achieve good results with a welding simulation. Again, the weld bead generation is affected by the underlying
geometry/mesh of the components. For this tutorial we will not need to generate any weld bead as the process is
autogenous. Therefore you do not have to do any settings in this dialog. For an example of an automatic weld bead
generation please see ??? of this tutorial.
Figure 4.46. Fillet geometry assignment - The user has the option to
import an existing mesh or generate the fillet inside Simufact.welding
94
6.0 Beam welding Simulation settings
Close the dialog with a click on the OK button and answer the following question if the end time of the robot should
be used as the new process end time with No, as we will manually define a different process end time.
Figure 4.47. Automatic check if the end time of

the robot should be used as the process end time

There are some settings the user should configure in order to change the way the simulation will be handled. To access
these parameters, double click on the Solver object on the Process tree.
Figure 4.48. Solver settings - It is possible to configure

the solver to run specific tasks according to user needs
For Laser welding we will consider the material phase transformation that occurs during the process. To activate phase
transformations, check the Phase transformation box in the General settings dialog. For further information about
the phase transformation please refer to the linked infosheet in the dialog.
Make sure that if you want to use phase transformation calculations, your material model contains the
necessary information.
The user has the option to turn on multiprocessing capabilities and a technology called Domain Decomposition Method
(DDM). These options will help to speed-up the simulation therefore reducing wall-time getting results faster. For all
this to work, it requires that the Intel™ MPI Library is installed and running properly. Besides that, each core has to
95
Figure 4.49. Configuring parallelization - Simufact.welding comes with

two flavors of parallelization: domain decomposition and shared memory
Mark the Parallelization checkbox and configure as follows:
The number of cores is per domain and each core has to have a license to run. For instance, here we are using 4 domains
and each domain has 2 cores associated, therefore 8 licenses are needed. The licensing is per core. More information
about the activation of the Intel™ MPI Library can be found in the installation booklet. If you do not have enough
licenses available please adjust these settings accordingly.
The next tab is the Time control, where the user configures the time settings for the simulation.
96
Figure 4.50. Configuring run time - Set enough run time in

order to capture also the cool down of the welded structures
Set the End time to 15 s to have a small cooldown phase after the robot has finished the welding. Change the con-
figuration of the Time steps during welding to the Method Adaptive. This will ensure an automatic adaptation
of the time steps to achieve the best possible results. Furthermore you can change the frequencies with which the
mechanical solution will be calculated and with which the results will be written. For this example we will keep the
default settings. For further information on this topic please refer to the linked infosheet in the dialog.
Simufact.welding comes with an advanced feature called Refinement. It is capable of remeshing localized portions
of the mesh to better capture the physics happening there.
As Laser welding is usually an extremely fast process due to the power density being high, we will activate the
refinement option to have smoother gradients.
Figure 4.51. Auto refinement - Enabling cutting-edge technology to better solve the physics
97
6.0 Beam welding Running the model
In the Refinement tab, change the Global refinement level to 1, then click OK. There are quite some more advanced
settings available which are described in the linked infosheet in the dialog.

Now we have everything set to run our first laser beam welding simulation. Please save the project and then click on
the green arrow on the analysis control tool bar to start the simulation.
Figure 4.52. Save and start the simulation!
98
6.0 Beam welding Running the model
Figure 4.53. Successful completion - After a successful completion of calculation, the

control tool bar shows 100% done and the message 'job is finished based on time'
You can double-click on Results in the process tree to open the post-processing mode. Usually in welding simulations
you want to do a purely thermal simulation first just for the calibration of your heat source. You can use view cuts or
the welding monitor to analyze the geometry of it. You should configure your heat source so that its geometry is as
close as possible to the real one which should be obtained from experiments.
For more information about post-processing and the calibration of your heat source, please go to the post-processing
chapter of this tutorial to learn more about reading, analyzing and exporting results.
Congratulations, you have built and ran your first beam welding simulation!
99
tion
6.0
Thermal cycle method (Meta-tran-

5 sient)
6.0 Thermal cycle method Theory
(Meta-transient)
Keywords
Thermal cycle, 3D
Educational basics
This chapter will teach you the basic usage of the Simufact.welding GUI and especially the setup of processes using
the thermal cycle method.
Prerequisites
5.1. Theory
The main goal of the thermal cycle method is to reduce the simulation time using a meta transient simulation. This
means that a temperature boundary condition is applied to (in the simplest case) the entire length of the weld seam.
Thus the local effects of heat over time and their consequences for the total structure are calculated. The model setup
of thermal cycle simulations is according to full transient simulation. But instead of defining an energy input a time-
temperature table is defined.
Figure 5.1. Default thermal cycle table

The origin of the time axis (X) is the time when the heat source reaches the mid position of the weld path in a transient
process. Therefore also negative values have to be defined. The temperature axis (Y) describes a relative temperature
and does not have a unit. The value 0 defines room temperature and 1 is the melting temperature of the robot. Values
up to 2 can be defined. The thermal cycle table should always start at room temperature, this means by a relative
temperature of 0.
The option Use full thermal cycle adds an additional point at the end of the welding time with room temperature.
Without this option a free colling will be calculated.
The option Subdivision can be used to divide a single weld seam into a defined number of thermal cycles that will
be calculated one by one. A very high subdivision will increase the simulation time rapidly as a transient simulation
will be approximated.
101
6.0 Thermal cycle method Creating a new project
(Meta-transient)

After launching Simufact.welding successfully, you will be able to create a new project by clicking File - New project
or simply by using Ctrl+N shortcut.
Figure 5.2. Creating a new project

Give the new project the name TC-Tutorial, then choose a folder path to save and click OK . Remember the location
for future reference.
Figure 5.3. Choose a name for the project and locate the folder to save it
102
6.0 Thermal cycle method Creating a new project
(Meta-transient)
bearings, fixings, clamps, robots and other settings.
All this can be modified when getting into the main screen of the project. In addition to this, it is advisable to give the
project a description for future understanding of what is the aim of the project. The bottom part of the process settings
window you will find the interactive help: whenever the mouse pointer goes over some command or parameter, the
text inside this box will change to help the user get more information about it.
Figure 5.4. Configuring the simulation

• Process type - Arc welding
• Ambient temperature - 20 Celsius degrees
• Gravity - Unchecked box
103
6.0 Thermal cycle method Importing components
(Meta-transient)
• Bearings - 1 bearing
• Clamping - 1 clamp

Importing components is the next step after defining the initial configuration of the project. Components are the basis
of the simulation and serve as guidance for clamp positioning and trajectory generation.
To import any number of components, on the Catalog area, RMC (right-mouse-click) over Geometries, select Library
and navigate to the corresponding directory:
Figure 5.5. Importing components
• *.stl - Standard Tesselation Language
• *.fem, *.feb, *.sfc - Simufact mesh files
For this tutorial we will make use of T-vert.bdf and T-hor.bdf. Please locate and select both files inside the geometry
library folder <installation path>\simufact\welding\<version>\lib\geometries\tutorial\.
Selecting a correct file type, after doing some initial fast preprocessing the following window will appear:
104
6.0 Thermal cycle method Importing components
(Meta-transient)
Figure 5.6. Importing with correct length unit - The unit

system originally selected should be used with this option
Simufact.welding will scale it wrongly and interpret incorrectly. Mark the check-box when all selected geometries use
the same unit system. As the mesh is purely numbers, there will be no imported information regarding unit, material
or load type. For this tutorial the geometries were prepared in millimeters, please select Millimeter and check the
Use units for all meshes box.
The imported components will appear under Geometries in the Catalog area. To assign these geometries to a process,
drag and drop each one in a Component object type. Doing so, the Visualization area will update and show the
participating components.
105
6.0 Thermal cycle method Defining materials
(Meta-transient)
Figure 5.7. Visualization window
to spend some time practicing the afore mentioned gestures.

The material library, and therefore material properties, is where all important mechanical, thermal and electromagnet-
ical properties of materials are loaded from. Simufact.welding has an extensive material library readily available. In
case of a need for special material type or a customized input by the user, there is fully graphical support for doing so.
To access the material library, RMC over Materials on the Catalog area, then select Library:
106
6.0 Thermal cycle method Defining materials
(Meta-transient)
Figure 5.8. Open the material library
For this tutorial, we will use S235 for the components and G2Si1 for filler material (weld bead). Please, select both
and click OK . After importing all required data, both materials will appear under Materials on the Catalog area.
Figure 5.9. Available materials
Drag and drop S235 on each component (T-vert and T-hor). Do the same for G2Si1 and the Robot (yes, the robot).
At this point, make sure your Process tree and Catalogs look exactly the same as the image below:
107
6.0 Thermal cycle method Defining the fixtures
(Meta-transient)
Figure 5.10. Assigning the material
stand and get used to this work ow in order to avoid rework.
All materials with the MPM suffix have multiphase models available. This means, all phase transfor-
mation that occurs during the process will be taken into account.
5.5. Defining the fixtures

Clamps are assumed to be the boundary conditions of any welding simulation. From start to the end of a simulation
at least one boundary condition should remain active. They represent the constraints on which movement is locked at
specific directions. They can be either defined when starting a new project or added later into the Process tree. Four
types of fixtures can be imported or generated inside Simufact.welding:
away) from it there is a minimum threshold of 200kPa (configurable)6 that it should overcome to separate. This
step by the solver. Bearings are usually utilized as counterparts for Clamping (see below) following the behavior
of real fixture devices.
likely cause some increase in stress within the contact area (strain is zero).
• Clamping - This type of fixture is used when there is a need for applying force on the component. It has a defined
stiffness and can present dislocation during the simulation as it dynamically responds to the welded structure dis-
tortions. Usually it appears in pairs with Bearings.
108
(Meta-transient)
nodes on the component's mesh to have this behavior. Intentionally, spot welds can be simplified as local joints
when the resistance welding itself is not the aim of the current welding process.
Except by Local joints, all other types of fixture can be imported from previously meshed structures or created inside
Simufact.welding. To create them using Simufact.welding tools, RMC on the fixture name in the Process tree and
select Generate geometry:
Figure 5.11. Creating fixtures
After doing so, the following window will appear and you may choose between two types of predefined geometry:
cuboid or cylinder. Each one has its properties to be configured in order to best match the purpose. Use the Select
location button to pick a region on the model over which the geometry should be placed (click and drag).
109
(Meta-transient)
Figure 5.12. Creating simple geometries to act as fixtures
For this tutorial purpose, we will create three fixtures: one bearing-type acting as a table, one clamping-type to act
as holder and one local joint being the tacks. Following the steps bellow will create the necessary geometries for
defining the model.
• Bearing - Change the current view to Bottom view by using the View tool bar and zoom out a bit to see the entire
bottom plate. Then RMC on Bearing in the Process tree and select Generate geometry. Make sure Cuboid type
is selected, then click on Select location button. Go back to the Visualization area and click and drag on the center
of the plate to create the geometry.
110
(Meta-transient)
Figure 5.13. Selecting reference faces
After creating the cuboid, going to the Details tab, change the Width to 200mm, Height value to 5mm and Depth
to 150mm.
Click OK and the new geometry will be created. Besides being assigned to the Bearing boundary condition, the
newly created geometry also appears under the Geometries section on the Catalog area.
111
(Meta-transient)
Figure 5.15. Moving components
Figure 5.16. Moving components using an increment-

driven mode or click-n-drag using the axis system
112
(Meta-transient)
Figure 5.17. Rotating components using an increment-

driven mode or click-n-drag using the axis system
• Clamping - To create the clamp, follow the same procedure but using cylinder and set Radius to 15mm and Height
to 5mm respectively. Change to Top view before picking the region. After doing it properly the result should be
very similar to the following picture.
Figure 5.18. Placing clamping
The clamps will exert a force on the rounded component against the bearing so to keep the two components together
during the welding. To configure the force, double-click on the Clamping in the Process tree and the configuration
window will appear. Change the behavior to Stiffness & Force, then set the holding force to 1000.0N and click OK.
113
(Meta-transient)
Figure 5.19. Configuring clamps to use holding force
• Local Joints - As the name speaks for itself, this type of boundary conditions affects the nodes around the specified
joints. The joints can be either defined by a node set or externally imported from a CSV file.
In this tutorial we will create a node set for specifying the local nodes to be tied together. Within Simufact.welding
terminology, a node-set is a group of points with all X/Y/Z coordinate well defined regarding the absolute axis
system. The group order matters as the node-set can be used as welding path by the trajectory object. To define
a group of points, the user has two options: picking them directly from the model using the Visualization area or
importing from a CSV file. Keep in mind that when picking on the screen, the procedure is limited by the mesh
resolution (element size).
114
(Meta-transient)
Figure 5.20. Using node sets as local joints reference
To select nodes on the screen, whilst still inside the Node set dialog, click directly on the visualization area to pick
the desired nodes. Please select four nodes around the touching corners of the vertical structure.
Figure 5.21. Picking nodes for the local joints
To assign the node set to the local joint, just drag and drop the node set object over the local joint in the process tree.
115
(Meta-transient)
As soon as they are assigned, some small spheres will take place on each designed local joint.
Figure 5.22. Small spheres will indicate the presence of local joints
Double click on the Local joint object to open its configuration window. It is possible to change the contact tolerance
by which the local joint will have effect.
116
6.0 Thermal cycle method Using node-sets
(Meta-transient)
Figure 5.23. Defining the contact tolerance for local joints
At this point, you should notice that in the Process tree the name of the process is in red, and the Robot is also
written in red. This indicates there are some missing definition in order to get the process running. The next steps
we will cover the necessary data for defining robots actions.
5.6. Using node-sets

Within Simufact.welding terminology, a node-set is a group of points with all X/Y/Z coordinate well defined regarding
the absolute axis system. The node position is pre-defined by the FE mesh. The group order matters as the node-set can
be used as welding path by the trajectory object. To define a group of points, the user has two options: picking them
directly from the model using the Visualization area or importing from a CSV file. Keep in mind that when picking
on the screen, the procedure is limited by the mesh resolution (element size) and might lead to a distorted path when
the mesh is too coarse. Between two points Simufact.welding will linearly interpolate the path, so make sure enough
points are selected to create a smooth transition. If a node set was used to generate a weld path, the coordinates of the
weld path can be manipulated independent from the node position.
To create a node set RMC on Sets (Catalogs area), select New node set . From here the user can pick nodes on the
models on the screen to build the set.
In order to make the node selectable use LMC to select the desired points.
For this tutorial, pick points on the internal edge of the intersection between the two structures.
117
6.0 Thermal cycle method Using node-sets
(Meta-transient)
Figure 5.24. Defining the internal trajectory path
Then create another node set and pick some other points on the outer region. Please remember that the order of selection
is crucial to the correct path definition.
Figure 5.25. Defining the external trajectory path
118
6.0 Thermal cycle method Creating trajectories
(Meta-transient)
• Coordinates - Location of selected nodes with respect the absolute axis system.
Double check if all selected nodes belong to the geometry named T-vert so to avoid mismatch.
After all nodes have been selected, rename the node sets to Joints, Internal and External as shown below:
Figure 5.26. Node set name
5.7. Creating trajectories

Trajectories are paths with additional information to become weld beads. Regardless of welding process to be simu-
lated, the steps up to this point are the same.
For this thermal cycle welding tutorial we will fill-up the information as to be concise with a meta-transient welding
process. To create and define a trajectory, RMC on Trajectories and a context menu will show the options.
119
6.0 Thermal cycle method Defining the welding path
(Meta-transient)
Figure 5.27. Creating trajectories
5.7.1. Defining the welding path

the coordinates;
from a CSV file;
As we created two node-sets on the previous step this is the way the trajectory will be initialized. Please RMC on
Trajectories and select Weld line from node set on the context menu. Then select the node set by name and click
120
6.0 Thermal cycle method The welding parameters and heat
(Meta-transient) source
OK . The trajectory will inherit the name from the chosen node set; this saves a good amount of time when dealing
with bigger projects.
You can also drag the Node-set object to the Trajectories section or directly in the Robot, it will then be
asked what type of trajectory is to be originated from the dropped node-set.
Figure 5.28. Drag and drop node sets to create trajectories
5.7.2. The welding parameters and heat source

Welding parameters and heat source geometry are configured in a separate object. This object is later assigned to any
number of trajectories so to reflect any changes by modifying the father object on the catalog. This can be understand
as the user is making use of the same welding process for different trajectories.
To create a new welding parameter object, RMC over Welding-parameter section on the Catalog then select New
heat source parameter.
121
Figure 5.29. Creating a new welding parameter
A new window will open with for the user to input the necessary data.
nated; this is for information only and has no influence on simulations.
122
Figure 5.30. Textual description of the welding process
• Welding parameters - This tab is used for defining the welding parameters and calculation method. The user has
the option to choose between Transient (Indirect power) , Transient (Direct power) and Thermal cycle. In this
tutorial we will use the thermal cycle method and for that one should provide a temperature table input. For most
arc welding processes, the default values for this table are suitable for thermal cycle simulation.
• Velocity: 30cm/min
• Mode: Thermal cycle
• Table: default
• Leave 'Use full thermal cycle' unchecked
• Subdivision: No subdivision
123
Figure 5.31. Configuring the welding parameters for a given process
To load a table simply select the table in the drop down menu and click on Import data table from user library
. Now the selected table is loaded and can be changed if wanted. If the changes should be saved in the user
database, simply click on Add data table to user library . A new table will be created which can be selected
in the drop down menu. If a user table should be deleted because it is not needed anymore, simply click on Remove
data table from user library .
When using the thermal cycle method, the entire weld bead will be heated at once and according to the temperature
table provided. If by any reason you want to split the weld bead into smaller segments, please use the Subdivision
option. It is worth to notice that the more subdivision on a given weld bead, the more the thermal cycle simulation
will be similar to a full-transient method.
results.
• Heat source - This tab is the connection to the real process. The user has the option to choose between a conven-
tional heat source (arc welding) or a highly focused LASER heat source. For the purpose of this tutorial we select
Conventional , which is a Goldak's double ellipsoid model, a good approach for most arc welding processes.
124
Figure 5.32. Goldak's model for arc welding processes
welding process, which can be obtained from a macrographic test of a weld bead cross-section. Nonetheless,
bead formation. These formulas are to be found in the infosheet (accompanying documentation).
• Front length af : 3.12 mm
• Rear length ar: 11.44 mm
• Width b: 4.70 mm
• Depth d: 5.70 mm
125
6.0 Thermal cycle method Configuring robots and weld beads
(Meta-transient)
Figure 5.33. Defining the heat source geometry
under Welding-parameter on the Catalog area.

assigned: temperature, material, trajectory and welding parameter. It is inside the robot configuration window that
weld beads are generated or assigned from externally imported meshes.
To start with, drag and drop the trajectories created into the Robot object on the Process tree, then drag and drop the
welding parameter on each of the trajectories. After doing so, notice how the Visualization area will update showing
the trajectory and heat source.
126
(Meta-transient)
Figure 5.34. Assigning trajectories
Figure 5.35. Robot configuration
127
(Meta-transient)
In the first tab the user will see all trajectories assigned to the robot and their order. The Welding order area shows
all the trajectories assigned, the user can change the order by drag and drop them or reverse them by clicking on the
buttons on the right.
Figure 5.36. Robot general configuration
• Robot settings - Start time manually defined for the robot, this has direct impact on delaying all trajectories;
• Selected trajectory
pre-gas timing);
crater-filling);
• Welding parameter
• Specification - Calculation method
• Velocity - Welding speed
• Table - Thermal cycle table
• Subdivision - Information about subdivision
128
(Meta-transient)
All non-open arc time frames will mainly act like as a small 'cooling phase' and depending on the number of trajectories
can have a major impact on the final result.
For this tutorial we will not change anything in this section.
In the second tab is where 'torch' alignment is configured and trajectory reversal can be performed by using the icons
on the right side. All angular position is done on this area and heavily rely on the quality of underlying meshed com-
ponents. If by any reason the normal vector of a given component is misaligned, then it will impact on the orientation
of the trajectory. For this tutorial the meshes were carefully generated and quality was then double checked.
Figure 5.37. Trajectory orientation
For this tutorial it is enough to check Projection on surface and Orientation for each trajectory and enter an offset
of -0.5 mm. Simufact.welding has a robust engine and will try to find the best suitable configuration as soon as
the orientation check box is marked. However, for the reasons mentioned above, there will be cases that a manual
configuration of the orientation will take place for individual nodes. In such case, use the Repair single points option.
the orientation.
129
(Meta-transient)
Figure 5.38. Schematic view of the trajectory
Now the third tab is where fillet geometry assignment occurs for processes with filler metal (non-autogenous process-
es). The weld bead can be either imported and assigned to a given trajectory or generated on this tab following the
components mesh. In this tab there is a set of parameters that should be throughly understood to have good results of
welding simulation. Again, the weld bead generation is affected by the underlying geometry/mesh of the components.
For this tutorial we will generate the weld bead instead of importing it.
Figure 5.39. Fillet geometry assignment
When generating fillets inside Simufact.welding the dimensioning parameters are:
130
(Meta-transient)
Figure 5.40. Parameters for fillet generation
• Throat a: The 'height' of the cross-section;
• Bow b: The concavity of the fillet;
• Leg z1: Leg of the fillet;
• Toe z2: Toe of the fillet;
To generate a fillet for the selected trajectory, select >Generate fillet< from the Fillet geometry menu and change
Quality to medium, then input the other values:
• a: (automatic)
• b: -1.0mm
• z1: 5.0mm
• z2: 5.0mm
Then click Preview and you should get the following:
131
(Meta-transient)
Figure 5.41. Resulting fillet

Even though the robot window is open, the visualization area is still accessible so you can pan, zoom and rotate your
model. When previewing the weld bead, it is advisable to be looking at that area to see what kind of weld bead is
being generated before clicking OK.
Repeat the same procedure for the External trajectory to generate its weld bead and click OK.
Figure 5.42. Generated weld beads
132
6.0 Thermal cycle method Simulation settings
(Meta-transient)
Very well! At this point we have all parameters and objects set for starting the simulation.

these parameters, double click on Solver object on the Process tree.
Figure 5.43. General solver settings
In this first tab, the user can choose to run a thermal-only simulation (Thermal solution) or a full coupled thermo-me-
chanical simulation (Thermomechanical solution). For the latter case, it is advisable to keep the High-end contact
separation and Prevent chattering options checked for a more stable solution.
The second tab provides the option to turn on multiprocessing capabilities and a technology called Domain Decom-
position Method (DDM).
These options will help to speed-up the simulation therefore reducing simulation time getting results faster. For all
this to work, it requires that Intel™ MPI Library to be installed and running properly. Besides that, each core has to
Check the Parallelization checkbox and configure as:
The number of cores is per domain and each core has to have a license to run. For instance, here we
are using 3 domains and each domain has 1 core associated, three licenses are therefore needed. The
licensing is per core.
133
6.0 Thermal cycle method Simulation settings
(Meta-transient)
Figure 5.44. Configuring parallelization
Next tab is Time control, where the user configures the amount of time the simulation will run.
Figure 5.45. Configuring run time
Set End time to 90s and click OK. Leave the rest of the parameters untouched, for a more detailed explanation please
visit the advanced section.
134
6.0 Thermal cycle method Running the model
(Meta-transient)

Now we have all set to run the first thermal cycle simulation. Click on the green arrow on the analysis control tool
bar to start the simulation. Before the actual simulation will be started, a model check is performed and informs the
user about warnings and errors in the model. The model check also be called from the context menu of the process.
Figure 5.46. Calling the model check
In this tutorial the model check shows two warnings that the initial phase fraction is not set. But in this case it is not
important to define the phase fraction.
135
(Meta-transient)
Figure 5.47. Model check results in two warnings
136
(Meta-transient)
Figure 5.48. Simulation start and monitor
Figure 5.49. Successful completion of the simulation
137
(Meta-transient)
The next step is to do post-processing, please go to the post-processing section to learn more about reading, analyzing
and exporting results.
Figure 5.50. Evaluation of peak Temperature

Congratulations, you have built and ran your first thermal cycle welding simulation!
138
tion
6.0
6 Brazing
6.0 Brazing Creating a new project
Keywords
Brazing, 3D
Educational basics
This chapter will teach you the basic usage of the Simufact.welding GUI and especially the setup of brazing processes.
Prerequisites

After launching Simufact.welding successfully, you will be able to create a new project by clicking on and
selecting New project or simply by using the shortcut Ctrl+N.

Give the new project the name Brazing-Tutorial, then choose a folder path to save and click OK . You need
to have the according rights (read and write) in this folder. Remember the location for future reference.
Figure 6.2. Choose a name and location for the project
140
6.0 Brazing Creating a new project
bearings, fixings, clampings, robots and other settings.
All this first configurations can be modified when getting into the main screen of the project. In addition to this, it is
advisable to give the project a description for future understanding of what is the aim of the project. At the bottom
part of the process settings window you will find the interactive help: whenever the mouse pointer goes over some
command or parameter, the text inside this box will change to help the user to get more information about it.
Figure 6.3. Configuring the simulation

Please make sure you have the following configuration before clicking OK :
• Process type - Brazing
• Apply heat source only to filler material - Checked box
• Ambient temperature: - 20 °C
• Gravity - Unchecked box
• Use symmetry plane - Unchecked box
• Components: 2
• Bearings: 2
• Fixings: 1
• Clampings: 2
• Local joints: 0
• Robots: 1
You may enter a description of this project inside the Description dialog. This however has no effect on the simulation.
Then we get into the main screen of the project. All configured parameters will be loaded automatically to create the
process tree. Following, an overview of the GUI is presented.
141
6.0 Brazing Importing components
1. Main menus/toolbar: Most of general actions (save/open/close) are available through this menu
2. Explorer: All participating objects in the current project (may contain more than one process)
3. Catalog: All available data from different sources
4. Visualization: Model/results view window. You can pan, rotate, zoom, pick, etc.
5. Properties window: Display properties of the selected item
6. Status/Control bar: See current status of the simulation and control using start/stop buttons

The import of components is the next step after defining the initial configuration of the project. Components are the
basis of the simulation and serve as guidance for clamp positioning and trajectory generation.
To import any number of components, on the Catalog area, (right-mouse-click) over Geometries in the object
catalog, select Library and navigate to the corresponding directory:
142
Figure 6.5. Importing components
More information about the mesh requirements can be found under: <installation path>\simufact\welding\<ver-
sion>\docs\infosheets\Meshing_en.pdf
For this tutorial we will make use of Sheet_straight.bdf and Sheet_curved.bdf. Those files are located
in the geometry library folder <installation path>\simufact\welding\<version>\lib\geometries\tutorial\.
After selecting this two files the following window will appear:
143
Figure 6.6. Importing with correct length unit

It is important to select the correct unit. It must be the unit in which the geometries were created in (i.e. on the CAD
system or from the mesher software). If for some reason the wrong unit is selected, Simufact.welding will scale it
wrongly and interpret incorrectly. In this example all geometries were created in millimeter.
Select the Length (unit) Millimeter, check box Use units for all meshes and click OK .
The imported components will appear under Geometries in the object catalog. To assign these geometries to the
process, drag and drop Sheet-straight to Component and Sheet-curved to Component-2 in the process
tree. Doing so, the visualization area will update and show the participating components.
Figure 6.7. Updated visualization window

144
6.0 Brazing Defining materials
• Click : Context menu
• Hold : Rotate
• Click : Select
• Hold : Pan
• Scroll : Zoom in/out
to spend some time practicing these gestures.

The material library, and therefore material properties, is where all important mechanical, thermal and electrical prop-
erties of materials are loaded from. Simufact.welding has an extensive material library readily available. In case of a
need for special material type or a customized input by the user, there is fully graphical support for doing so.
More information about the materials can be found under: <installation path>\simufact\welding\<version>\docs\in-
fosheets\Material_en.pdf
To access the material library on Materials in the object catalog, then select Library:
Figure 6.8. Open the material library
For this tutorial, we will use S235-SPM-sw for the components and Cu-sw as the filler material (weld bead). Please
select both and click OK . After importing all required data, both materials will appear under Materials in the object
catalog.
145
6.0 Brazing Defining materials
Figure 6.9. Select materials of the material library
Drag and drop S23-SPM-sw on each component (sheet-straight and sheet-curved) and Cu-sw on the Robot.
At this point, make sure your process tree and object catalog look exactly the same as the image below:
Figure 6.10. Assigning the materials to the components and the robot
stand and get used to this work flow in order to avoid rework.
Alternatively the assignment can be done via on Process > New components > Creation and assignment wizard.
146
6.0 Brazing Defining the fixtures
6.4. Defining the fixtures

Clamps are assumed to be the boundary conditions of any welding simulation. From start to the end of a simulation
at least one boundary condition should remain active. They represent the constraints on which movement is locked
at specific directions. They can be either defined when starting a new project or added later to the process tree. Four
types of fixtures can be imported or generated inside Simufact.welding:
Figure 6.11. Select the types of fixtures

• Bearings - When using this type of fixture, the bodies in contact with it are able to move on the same plane of contact.
It does not restrain the movement within the same plane/face of contact. If the component tries to detach (move
away) from it there is a minimum threshold of 200 kPa (configurable) that it should overcome to separate. This
step by the solver. Bearings are usually utilized as counterparts for clampings (see below) following the behavior
of real fixture devices.
likely cause some increase in stress within the contact area (strain is zero).
• Clampings - This type of fixture is used when there is a need for applying force on the component. It has a defined
stiffness and can present dislocation during the simulation as it dynamically responds to the welded structure dis-
tortions. Usually it appears in pairs with bearings.
nodes on the component's mesh to have this behavior. Intentionally, spot welds can be simplified as local joints
when the resistance welding itself is not the aim of the current welding process.
Except by local joints, all other types of fixture can be imported from previously meshed structures or created inside
Simufact.welding. In this example we have to create two bearings, two clampings and one fixing.
6.4.1. Defining the bearings

To create the first bearing change the current view to bottom view by clicking on and create the first bearing by
on Bearing in the process tree and select Generate geometry:
147
6.0 Brazing Defining the bearings
Figure 6.12. Creating fixtures

After doing so, the following window will appear and you may choose between two types of predefined geometry
types: cuboid or cylinder. Each one has its properties to be configured in order to best match the purpose.
Select Type Cuboid and click on Select location to pick a region on the model over which the geometry should be
placed. Therefore go to the visualization area and click and drag on the center of the plate to create the geometry.
Configure the mesh size with the following parameters:
Slices x: 10
Slices y: 1
Slices z: 15
Figure 6.13. Generating simple geometry for the fixture
148
6.0 Brazing Defining the bearings
After creating the cuboid, going to the Details tab, and change the entries for shape and position to:
Width: 35 mm
Height: 3 mm
Depth: 70 mm
x: 100 mm
y: 90 mm
z: -35 mm
Click OK and the new geometry will be created. Besides being assigned to the bearing boundary condition, the newly
created geometry also appears under the geometries section on the catalog area.
If by any reason the geometry is not on the right position, you can move it around by on the component to be moved
in the visualization area, select Object manipulation on the menu, then select Translation or Rotation.
149
6.0 Brazing Defining the clampings
Figure 6.15. Moving components

On either translation or rotation tool the user has the option to move at a given direction using increments or by
Change the view to right view by clicking and create the second bearing in the same way as the first one. Configure
the size and position of the second bearing as follows:
Slices x: 10
Slices y: 1
Slices z: 10
Width: 35 mm
Height: 3 mm
Depth: 30 mm
x: 100 mm
y: 10 mm
z: -95 mm
6.4.2. Defining the clampings

The two missing clamps are created in the same way as the two bearings have been. The input values for the first
one are:
Slices x: 10
Slices y: 5
Slices z: 10
Width: 15 mm
150
6.0 Brazing Defining the clampings
Height: 10 mm
Depth: 15 mm
x: 100 mm
y: 95 mm
z: -35 mm
Create the second clamping with the following parameter:
Slices x: 10
Slices y: 5
Slices z: 10
Width: 15 mm
Height: 10 mm
Depth: 15 mm
x: 100 mm
y: 8 mm
z: -92 mm
The following picture shows the created bearings and clampings.
Figure 6.16. Generated bearings and clampings
The clamps will exert a force on the attached component against the bearing so to keep the two components together
during the brazing process. To configure the force, double-click on the Clamping in the process tree and the config-
uration window will appear. Change the behavior to Stiffness & force and set
151
6.0 Brazing Defining the fixing
Stiffness: Constant, 1000.0 N/mm
Force: 100.0 N
Make sure that the Direction is set to Manual with the direction set to: x: 0, y: 0, z: -1 for the first clamping. The
direction of the second clamping is: x: 0, y: 1, z: 0. Click OK to confirm the settings.
Figure 6.17. Settings for the first clamping
Figure 6.18. Settings for the second clamping
6.4.3. Defining the fixing

The last fixture to be defined is the fixing. Change the view to bottom view and on Fixing and type in the following
parameters:
Slices x: 10
152
6.0 Brazing Configuring robots and weld beads
Slices y: 1
Slices z: 3
Width: 35 mm
Height: 3 mm
Depth: 6 mm
x: 100 mm
y: 9 mm
z: -105 mm
Now, all fixtures for this example are created. The model view and the process tree should be like in the following
picture:
Figure 6.19. Model view and process tree after defining all fixings
At this point, you should notice that in the process tree the name of the process is in red, and the robot is also written
in red. This indicates that there are some missing definitions in order to get the process running.

assigned: temperature, material, trajectory and welding parameter. The weld beads for the robot can be generated or
assigned from externally imported meshes. The temperature and the material have already been defined for the robot,
so the next steps are to define the trajectory and welding parameters.
6.5.1. Importing the geometry of the filler

The geometry and mesh of the filler has been generated and can be imported by on Geometries in the object catalog,
select Import and select the file Filler.bdf. In the next window choose the Length (Unit) Millimeter and
click OK .
153
6.0 Brazing Defining the trajectory
Figure 6.20. Import geometry of the filler
6.5.2. Defining the trajectory

Trajectories are paths with additional information to become weld beads. Regardless of the welding process to be
simulated, the steps up to this point are the same.
Node-sets can be used to define a welding path by the trajectory object. Within Simufact.welding terminology, a node-
set is a group of points with all X-, Y- and Z-coordinate well defined regarding the global axis system. The node
position is pre-defined by the FE-mesh. The group order matters as the node-set can be used as a welding path by the
trajectory object. To define a group of points, the user has two options: picking them directly from the model using the
visualization area or importing them from a CSV-file. Keep in mind that when picking on the screen, the procedure is
limited by the mesh resolution (element size) and might lead to a distorted path when the mesh is too coarse. Between
two points Simufact.welding will linearly interpolate the path, so make sure enough points are selected to create a
smooth transition. If a node-set was used to generate a weld path, the coordinates of the weld path can be manipulated
independent from the node position.
To create a node set on Sets in the object catalog and select New node set. From here the user can pick nodes of
the model on the screen to build the set.
154
Figure 6.21. Node-set creation

We have to define the node-set for the trajectory on the filler. Therefore double-click on filler in the object catalog to
open the model legend of the filler geometry. Select 2 points by picking on two nodes, then click on Apply changes
to node set .
Figure 6.22. Picking points for the node-set

• Sequence - The order is important as it will dictate the welding path for next steps
number of components close to each other
• ID - The number of the node selected at the geometry
155
• Coordinates - Location of selected nodes with respect to the global axis system
Double check if all selected nodes belong to the geometry named filler so to avoid mismatch.
Figure 6.23. Creating trajectories
• New weld line - A new, blank trajectory configuration dialog without any information of path
used for resistance spot welding)
• Import - This option will create a trajectory and import the path from a CSV-file
the coordinates
• Point sequence from node set - A node-set from the same project will provide the coordinates for each point
from a CSV-file
• Export all - This will export the trajectory into a CSV-file format
As we created a node-set on previous step this is the way the trajectory will be initialized. Please on Trajectories
and select Weld line from node set on the context menu. Then select the node set by name and click OK . From
version 5.0 the trajectory will inherit the name from the chosen node set; this saves a good amount of time when
dealing with bigger projects.
You can also drag the Node-set object to the Trajectories section, it will then be asked what type of
trajectory to be originated from the dropped node-set. Or you can drop it on the robot in the process tree.
The corresponding trajectory will be created automatically.
156
6.0 Brazing Defining the welding parameters and
heat source
Figure 6.24. Creating the trajectory from a node-set
6.5.3. Defining the welding parameters and heat source

Starting from version 5.0, welding parameters and heat source geometries are configured in a separate object. This
object is later assigned to any number of trajectories so to reflect any changes by modifying the father object on the
catalog. This can be understand as the user is making use of the same welding process for different trajectories.
To create a new welding parameter object, on Welding-parameters on the object catalog, then select New heat-
source parameter.
Figure 6.25. Creating a new welding-parameter

A new window will open where the user can input the necessary data.
157
heat source
nated. This is for information only and has no influence on the simulations.
Figure 6.26. Heat source - General properties
• Welding parameters - This tab is used for defining the welding parameters. The user can choose between Transient
(indirect power) , Transient (direct power) and Thermal cycle . For this tutorial please select Transient
(direct power) and input the following values:
• Velocity: 0.05 m/s
• Efficiency: 1 -
The two boxes Use upramping and Use downramping shall be unchecked.
158
heat source
Figure 6.27. Heat source - Configuring the welding parameters
results.
• Heat source - This tab is the connection to the real process. The user has the option to choose between a conventional
heat source or a highly focused laser heat source. For the purpose of this tutorial please select Laser.
welding process which can be obtained from a macrographic test of a weld bead cross-section. Nonetheless,
bead formation. These formulas are to be found under: <installation path>\simufact\welding\<version\docs\infos-
heets\HeatSourceGeometry_en.pdf.
For this tutorial please put in the following values:
• Conical heat source upper radius ru: 2 mm
• Conical heat source lower radius rl: 0.0 mm
• Conical heat source depth d: 2.1 mm
• Disc radius r: 2.7 mm
• Surface depth: 0.1 mm
159
6.0 Brazing Configuring the robot
Figure 6.28. Configuring the heat source geometry

under welding-parameters on the object catalog.
6.5.4. Configuring the robot

Now the missing trajectory and welding parameters have been defined and can be assigned to the robot. Therefore
drag and drop the Trajectory in the object catalog to the Robot in the process tree, then drag and drop the Heat-
source and the Filler in the object catalog to the Trajectory of the robot in the process tree. After doing so, notice
how the visualization area will update showing the trajectory, heat source and the filler.
Figure 6.29. Assigning the trajectory to the robot

Double-click on the Robot and its configuration window will appear:
160
Figure 6.30. Configuring the robot
In the first tab Times the user will see all trajectories assigned to the robot and their order. In this case, there is only
one trajectory. The Welding order area shows all the trajectories assigned, the user can change the order by drag and
drop them or reverse them by clicking on the buttons on the right.
Figure 6.31. Configuration of the robot - Times
• Robot settings: Start time manually defined for the robot, this has direct impact on delaying all trajectories
• Selected trajectory:
pre-gas timing)
to keyhole opening procedure)
• Follow-up time: During the follow-up time the robot has still an open arc but ceases the movement (similar to
crater-filling)
• Pause (end): Within this time frame there is no heat input and no movement. It is the last step of a welding
trajectory (similar to post-gas timing)
• Welding-parameter:
161
• Specification: Calculation method
• Velocity: Welding speed
• Power: Welding power
• Efficiency: Process estimated efficiency
All time frames with no heat input will mainly act like as a small cooling phase and depending on the number of
trajectories can have a major impact on the final result.
For this tutorial we do not have to configure the given values.
The second tab Trajectories is where 'torch' alignment is configured and trajectory reversal can be performed by
using the icons on the right side. All angular position is done on this area and heavily rely on the quality of underlying
meshed components. If by any reason the normal vector of a given component is misaligned, then it will impact the
orientation of the trajectory. For this tutorial the meshes were carefully generated and quality was then double checked.
Figure 6.32. Configuration of the robot - Trajectories

In this tutorial we have to configure the given orientation of the trajectory. Therefore select the Trajectory, check
the box Orientation and select Global (z-axis).
Simufact.welding has a robust engine and will try to find the best suitable configuration as soon as the orientation
check box is marked. However, for the reasons mentioned above, there will be cases that a manual configuration of
the orientation will take place for individual nodes. In such case, use the Repair single points option.
The Schematic view - Trajectory window provides helpful insight for the currently selected data point regarding its
orientation with respect to other components. Use this window as a local reference when aligning or correcting the
orientation.
Figure 6.33. Schematic view of the trajectory alignment
162
6.0 Brazing Simulation settings
The third tab is where fillet geometry creation for processes with filler metal (non-autogenous processes) can be
done. The weld bead can be either imported and assigned to a given trajectory via drag and drop on the trajectory or
generated on this tab following the components mesh. In this tab there is a set of parameters that should be throughly
understood to have good results of welding simulation. Again, the weld bead generation is affected by the underlying
geometry/mesh of the components. In this tutorial we already have imported a geometry for the fillet. So, we do not
have to change anything on this tab and just click OK .
Figure 6.34. Configuration of the robot - Fillet geometries

Very well! At this point we have all parameters and objects set to adapt the simulation settings and afterwards to start
the simulation.

these parameters, double click on Solver in the process tree.
Figure 6.35. Solver settings - General settings

In the second tab Parallelization the user has the option to turn on multiprocessing capabilities and a technology called
Domain Decomposition Method (DDM). These options will help to speed-up the simulation therefore reducing wall-
time getting results faster. For all this to work, it is requires that Intel™ MPI library is installed and running properly.
Besides that, each core has to have a license to run the solver thread.
163
6.0 Brazing Simulation settings
Check the box Parallelization and configure as:
• Method: Vector
• Axis: X
The number of cores is per domain and each core has to have a license to run. For instance, here we
are using 4 domains and each domain has 1 core associated, four licenses are therefore needed. The
licensing is per core. More information about the activation of the Intel™ MPI library can be found in
the installation booklet.
Figure 6.36. Solver settings - Parallelization
The next tab is Time control, where the user configures the amount of time the simulation will run.
Figure 6.37. Solver settings - Time control
Set End time to 30 s and go to the next tab Refinement. This is the last tab where we have to configure the settings.
164
6.0 Brazing Running the model
Figure 6.38. Solver settings - Refinement

Set the Global refinement Level to 1 and check the box Components refinement level and set it to 1. In this
example, we also set the Global unrefinement Level to 1.
Leave the rest of the parameters untouched. Click OK to accept the changes of the settings and close the window.

Now we have set all settings to run the brazing simulation. Click on to open the Simufact.monitor in order to
follow-up with the execution.
Then click on on the analysis control tool bar to start the simulation.
Figure 6.39. Open the Simufact.monitor and start the simulation
165
6.0 Brazing Running the model
A window will pop up, where you have the chance to edit the DAT-file before starting the simulation. In this tutorial
we will leave the DAT-file unchanged and just click OK .
Figure 6.40. Possibility to edit the DAT-file

After approximately 20 minutes (depends on your machine) the simulation will finish. After successful completion of
the simulation the control bar shows 100% and the message job is finished based on time is printed.
Figure 6.41. Successful completion of the simulation

The next step is to do postprocessing, this will not be shown in this section.
Congratulations, you have built and ran your first brazing simulation!
166
tion
6.0
7 Resistance spot welding

6.0 Resistance spot welding Introduction and basics
Figure 7.1. Example of resistance spot welding

Keywords
Resistance spot welding, 3D, adaptive refinement
Educational basics
This chapter will teach you the basics and theoretical backgrounds of resistance spot welding processes as well as how
to set them up in Simufact.welding. Furthermore the electrical post values and their evaluation will be explained. At
the end modeling hints will be given.
Prerequisites
7.1. Introduction and basics

Resistance welding processes are mainly used in the automotive industry and supplier industry. The main reason for
that is the wide range of applications for resistance welding. Resistance welding processes influence the material very
localized. The process monitoring and quality assurance can be done easily during the process. Furthermore, a high
process automatization is possible and the labor and educational effort is low.
Resistance spot welding can be simulated using Simufact.forming and Simufact.welding. The objective
of the process simulation in Simufact.forming is the melt pool flow and the resulting seam configuration.
The welding structure simulation in Simufact.welding predicts the influence of heat input and boundary
conditions (fixings, bearings, clampings, local joints) on the structure, as mainly distortions.
One can differ between many process types of resistance welding processes. They are all based on the joule heat
generation. The figure below shows the following resistance welding processes from left to right:
• Resistance spot welding
• Projection welding
• Seam welding
168
6.0 Resistance spot welding Electrical resistance
• Capacitor discharge welding
Figure 7.2. Overview of resistance welding processes [1]

Resistance welding is a joining process where two electric conducting components are molten up in the joining area
using joule heating. The firmly bonded joint is generated due to the solidification of both materials. This process is
supported by external forces and diffusion processes. Resistance welding processes can be seen as a series circuit of
electrical resistors. The largest resistor is essential for the conversion from electrical energy into heat energy. The
following figure shows an example of a series circuit with different resistors:
Figure 7.3. Example model for a resistance welding process

The joule heating effect converts the electrical energy (kinetic energy of electrons) into heat energy (kinetic energy of
conductor atoms). For a stationary electrical current the heat flux is calculated as shown below:
Equation 7.1. Heat flux for a stationary electrical current

Where is the heat flux, is the Voltage , is the current and is the electrical resistance .
7.2. Electrical resistance

As described above, resistance welding processes are a series circuit with different resistors. One has to differ between
the electrical material resistance and the electrical contact resistance.
• Electrical material resistance:
• Describes the ability of a material to interfere on electrical currents
• Is a specific value of a specific component, that is dependent on the geometry and the material of the component
• Independent description using the electrical material resistivity with the unit
169
• Electrical contact resistance:
• Describes the ability of a contact to interfere on electrical currents
• Is a specific value of a specific contact, that is dependent on contact pressure, contact area, surface roughness,
coating, materials of the contact partners etc.
• Independent description using the electrical contact resistivity with the unit
•
The electrical contact resistance is calculated by:
Where is the electrical contact resistance, is the electrical contact resistivity, is the film thickness
of the contact area and is the contact area.
Simufact.welding is using the product of the electrical contact conductivity times film thickness of the contact area
with the unit . The electrical conductance is the reciprocal of the electrical resistance.
In Simufact.welding the electrical contact conductivity can be entered as a constant value, as a table depending on
the temperature or it can be calculated automatically. For the automatic calculation the formula according to Bay and
Wanheim [2] is used:
Equation 7.2. Calculation of the electrical contact resistivity according to [2]

The formula has the following input parameters:
• : Flow stress of the softer material (temperature dependent)
• : Contact normal stress
• , : Resistivity of the contact partners (temperature and phase dependent)
• : Resistivity of coatings (optional)
In most cases the electrical contact resistance is 30 times larger than the electrical material resistance. The electrical
material resistance and the electrical contact resistance are strongly temperature dependent. The electrical contact
resistance is also contact pressure dependent. During the welding process the electrical contact resistance decreases
rapidly due to the compression of the sheets whereas the electrical material resistance increases due to the increasing
temperature. After welding, during the cooling, the material resistance decreases. The figure below shows the electrical
contact resistance, the electrical material resistance and the complete resistance of the system during a welding process
inclusive subsequent cooling:
Figure 7.4. Electrical resistances during a resistance welding process (welding and cooling)
170
In Simufact.material the electrical material resistance can be entered depending on temperature and material phase.
Additionally Simufact.material offers the opportunity to define the electrical material conductivity. Due to the fact
that the electrical resistivity is the reciprocal of the electrical conductivity an automatic conversion from one to the
other is done. The electrical material parameters are provided for all materials of the material library that have the
suffix *_sw. The figure below shows the electrical material resistivity of a typical steel:
Figure 7.5. Definition of the electrical material resistivity in Simufact.material

The definition of the electrical contact conductivity can be done in the solver dialog which is shown in the picture
below.
Figure 7.6. Definition of the electrical contact conductivity

The electrical contact conductivity between electrode and component has to be considered. As
the automatic calculation requires the input of a material resistivity even for the rigid electrodes,
171
6.0 Resistance spot welding Model description and model set up
Simufact.welding automatically assigns a copper material with a temperature dependent material resis-
tivity to the electrodes. The material assigned to the electrodes can be changed by the user.
Simufact.welding uses per default the so called "Glue on peak temperature contact" for the contact between the com-
ponents. This contact type will activate a nodal based glue contact when the glue temperature is reached. The glue
temperature is the lower melting temperature of the material of the components. Furthermore the thermal and electrical
contact conductivity are set to a very high level (user input multiplied with 1E+6) to simulate the "welded" parts.
7.3. Model description and model set up

Resistance welding processes are simulated using a electrical-thermal-metallurgical-mechanical coupling. At first the
electrical pass calculates the heat flux depending on the defined electrical current and the electrical resistances. The
calculated heat flux is then applied as a boundary condition to the thermal pass which then calculates the temperature
distribution. Depending on the local temperatures and temperature changes the metallurgical pass calculates the phase
fractions. The mechanical pass calculates stresses and displacements based on the phase depending mechanical prop-
erties such as thermal strains and flow stresses. All results are then used as initial conditions for the next time step.
The coupling is described in the picture below:
Figure 7.7. Analysis coupling in Simufact.welding
The calculation of the phase fraction (metallurgical pass) is optional and can be switched on/off in Simufact.welding
in the solver settings.
In the set up of the model two types of bodies are used: The deformable bodies (components) which are electrical
conductors per default and the rigid bodies that are electrical non conducting (fixings, clamps, etc.). The rigid bodies
can have an electrical potential of 0 V or a defined electrical current (electrode). For a complete definition of a resis-
tance welding process a closed electrical circuit has to be constructed. The electrical circuit is closed if a rigid body
with a defined electrical current and a rigid body with a defined electrical potentials of 0 V have electrical contact to
the remaining electrical circuit. The rigid body with the electrical potential of 0 V acts like ground and the other rigid
body acts like a electrode.The figure below shows an example model with the electrical current of 2 kA defined on
the upper electrode and the potential of 0 V defined on the lower electrode:
172
6.0 Resistance spot welding Spot gun kinematics and electrode li-
brary
Figure 7.8. Example of a model with closed electrical circuit
7.4. Spot gun kinematics and electrode library

Simufact.welding offers two different types of spot gun kinematics, the C-gun and the X-gun. The C-gun uses a linear
movement, the X-gun uses a rotational movement to close and open the gun. It is possible to use multiple spot guns
in one process. Also both gun types can be used in one process. Though multiple spot guns can only act in sequence,
they can not act simultaneously. The following figure shows an overview of the two spot gun kinematics.
Figure 7.9. Spot gun kinematics in Simufact.welding

For every spot gun two electrodes have to be defined. Simufact.welding ships a large electrode library according to
ISO 5821. In Simufact.welding dots can not be used in names, so electrode names like "F0-13-18-6.5" are replaced
to "F0-13-18-6c5" in the electrode library. The electrode library supports eight different electrode types and for each
electrode type several electrodes with different dimensions are provided. The used electrodes will be imported to the
geometries in the catalog and will automatically be assigned to the spot weld gun. Furthermore, electrodes from the
electrode library will automatically be flipped to have the correct orientation when closing the spot gun dialog by
clicking OK .
The electrode library can also be extended using user defined electrodes. The user defined electrodes will be stored
in a different folder and will not be flipped when assigning them to a spot gun. For further information please have
173
6.0 Resistance spot welding Sequences of a resistance spot weld-
ing process
a look at the infosheet which is linked in the spot gun dialog. The figure below shows the different electrode types
according to ISO 5821.
Figure 7.10. Electrode types according to ISO 5821
7.5. Sequences of a resistance spot welding

process
A resistance spot welding process in Simufact.welding is divided in a sequence of six automatically calculated phases.
All six phases are calculated in every predefined welding point. The phases are:
1. Approach of the lower electrode to the join partner/reference point.
2. Approach of the upper electrode to the join partner (closing of the spot gun).
3. Activation of the electrode force of the upper electrode. The lower electrode is fixed or rather has a defined stiffness.
174
6.0 Resistance spot welding Process definition in Simufact.welding
4. Activation of the welding current with a constant clamping force of the electrodes. The lower electrode is still fixed
and can have a stiffness.
5. Deactivation of the welding current with a constant clamping force of the electrodes. The lower electrode is still
fixed and can have a stiffness.
6. Removal of the spot gun.
7.6. Process definition in Simufact.welding

This chapter will show the model set up of a resistance spot welding process in Simufact.welding. The example process
is a 3D process where two angled sheets will be spot welded together. In this example the fixings are used to avoid
full contact between the two sheets. Full faced contact is a special case which should not occur when using formed
sheets. The picture below shows the completely defined process:
175
6.0 Resistance spot welding Creation of a new project
Figure 7.11. Completely defined process
7.6.1. Creation of a new project

Please open Simufact.welding, create a new project, give a name for the project, e.g. SpotWelding and select a
folder, where the project will be saved, as shown in the picture below.
Figure 7.12. Creation of a new project
The next window is where you initially configure the simulation. There you can specify the process type, the number
of components, bearings, fixings, spot guns and other setting.
All this settings can be modified in the main screen of the project during the whole model set up. In the bottom part of
the process settings window you can find the interactive help, called "Brief description": Whenever the mouse pointer
goes over some command or parameter, the text inside this box will change and give the user more information about
it. Brief descriptions are available in most dialog windows in Simufact.welding.
176
6.0 Resistance spot welding Creation of a new project
Please change the following settings to:
• Process type: Resistance spot welding
• Components: 2
• Fixings: 2
• C spot gun: 1
Before clicking OK , please make sure the selected settings look like in the figure below.
Figure 7.13. Definition of process type and initial settings
Then we get into the main screen of the project. Following, an overview of the GUI is presented.
177
6.0 Resistance spot welding Importing geometries
Figure 7.14. Main screen - overview
The GUI is sub-divided into six areas:
1. Main menu/toolbar: Most general actions (save, open, …) and settings
2. Process tree: Contains all processes and its objects of one project
3. Object catalog: Contains all used/available objects of the project
4. Model/Results view: View and manipulate the model and view the results
5. Properties window: Display properties of the selected item
6. Status/Control bar: Observe current simulation and control results view
As one can see the process is created according to the defined number of components, fixings and spot weld guns.
Components and fixings will automatically be renamed when attaching a geometry. The spot weld gun name does not
change automatically but it can be renamed like every other object in the process by on the object and selecting
Rename. This tutorial uses the suggested names.
7.6.2. Importing geometries

Now the FE-meshs of the two sheets will be imported. This tutorial uses positioned and meshed geometries in *.bdf
format. The *.bdf-files are shipped with this tutorial and are located in <installation path>\simufact\welding\<ver-
sion>\lib\geometries\tutorial\. To import the geometries please on Geometries in the object catalog, choose Li-
brary and select the geometries Sheet-1.bdf and Sheet-2.bdf. In the next window select the Length (unit) Meter and
check the box Use for all geometries and click OK:
178
Figure 7.15. Import the geometries for the components

• *.bdf - Nastran file format
• *.stl - 3D systems file format (surface mesh)
• *.arc - Simufact archive format
• *.spr - Simufact results file format
• *.fem - Simufact mesh format
• *.feb - Simufact mesh format
• *.sfc - Simufact mesh format
Simufact.welding will scale the component wrongly and interpret incorrectly. Mark the box Use for all geometries
when all selected geometries use the same unit system. As the mesh is purely numbers, there will be no imported
information regarding unit, material or load type.
Assign the geometries Sheet01 to Component and Sheet02 to Component-2 in the process tree by drag and drop.
The process should now look like shown below:
Figure 7.16. Process tree after assigning the geometries to the components
A red highlighted object in the explorer indicates that the user has to provide some information like
electrical current, clamp force or electrode type. It can also indicate that an object or a parameter is
missing.
179
• Pan - Hold
• Rotate - Hold
• Zoom in/out - Scroll
• Select a component - Click on the component
• Open context menu - Click in the model view
• Open context menu for a component - Click on a component
It is important to understand all these mouse interactions, they will be needed when defining weld points. So it is
advisable to spend some time practicing these gestures.
The view can be changed using the following buttons of the view tool bar:
Figure 7.17. View tool bar

Components can be moved in the model view by either translation or rotation. The user has the option to move at a
given direction using increments or by dragging the axis system that will show up. To open the dialog window for
translation or rotation on the component that shall be moved and select Object manipulation. The dialog windows
for translation and rotation are shown in the figures below:
Figure 7.18. Object manipulation - Translation
Figure 7.19. Object manipulation - Rotation
Drag the component by holding over a arrow or circle in the model view and moving the mouse.
180
6.0 Resistance spot welding Defining materials
Multiple geometry objects can be moved simultaneously using the assembly manipulation. Therefore click on a
component (that is in a assembly), select Assembly manipulation and then choose Translation or Rotation. A dialog
window will appear, that is exactly the same as for a single geometry object. All geometries of the assembly will
be moved together, also the hidden ones and it is not possible to move just a part of the assembly. So if one locked
geometry is in the assembly, the whole assembly can not be moved.
Geometry objects can be added to an assembly by on a geometry in the object catalog or in the model view and
selecting Move to assembly (shown in the picture below).
Figure 7.20. Add a geometry object to a assembly

A clipping plane can be used to cut through the model in the model view as well as in the results view if results are
present. The dialog window can be opened by clicking on in the tool bar or by in the model view or in the results
view and selecting Clipping tool. The dialog window is shown in the picture below:
Figure 7.21. Clipping plane - dialog window
7.6.3. Defining materials

The next step is to import and assign a material to the components. Please note, that there is a copper material Cu_sw
automatically assigned to the C-spot-gun. This will be needed for the electrical contact conductivity of the electrodes
and the automatic calculation of the heat transfer coefficient. Furthermore the electrical and the thermal conductivity
are needed for the automatic calculation of the heat transfer coefficient. The material assigned to the electrodes can
be changed by the user. If the material has been deleted and there is no material assigned to the spot gun, the default
copper material can be assigned automatically to the spot gun by on it and selecting Assign default material as
shown in the picture below:
181
Figure 7.22. Assigning default material to the spot gun
Now please import a material from the material library Simufact.material that comes with Simufact.welding. Therefore
on Materials in the object catalog and select Library.
Figure 7.23. Import of material from Simufact.material
Select the material 22MnB5-JMP-MPM_sw and click OK .
Please check if the material data contain the electrical material properties. All materials with the suffix
_sw have the same standardized electrical material properties defined. The characters MPM in the ma-
terial name indicate that it is a multi-phase material, SPM indicates a single-phase material.
The material library Simufact.material includes approximately 670 materials. Approximately 30 of them can be used
for welding simulations (with the suffix _sw). It includes steels, aluminium alloys, nickel-, titanium-, cobalt- and
copper-based alloys. Materials for forming are not feasible for welding simulations, because of missing properties and
a too narrow temperature range. So please make sure, that you are using a material with the suffix _sw.
182
Figure 7.24. Material selection in Simufact.material
Assign the material to both components via drag and drop.
As the used material is a multi-phase material an initial phase fraction has to be defined. Open the settings for Sheet-1
by double-clicking on Sheet-1 in the process tree. A new dialog window will appear. Check the box Use phase
fraction and enter an initial phase fraction of 100% Bainite:
Figure 7.25. Definition of initial phase fraction
183
6.0 Resistance spot welding Initial and boundary conditions
The initial phase fraction can be confirmed by clicking OK . Set the same settings for Sheet-2.
A material can optionally be assigned to bearings, fixings and clampings. The properties of the assigned
material will be used to determine the contact heat transfer coefficient between workpiece and the bound-
ary condition if you use the automatic calculation. If no material is assigned to the boundary condition
the material H-13 will be used by default. This material is a tool steel with a simplified data set of con-
stant thermal properties.
7.6.4. Initial and boundary conditions

Now the initial and boundary conditions will be defined. Therefore the temperature object has to be modified. Dou-
ble-click on the temperature object 20C in the object catalog and set the Contact heat transfer coefficient α to Au-
tomatic:
Figure 7.26. Modification of the temperature object

There are four different types of mechanical boundary conditions available in Simufact.welding. These are:
• Fixings
• Bearings
• Clampings
• Local joints
Fixings, bearings and clampings are rigid bodies that have contact to components. For these boundary conditions a
geometry has to be defined, either by importing a mesh, that at least is a surface mesh or by generating a simple geom-
etry (cuboid or cylinder) in the GUI that automatically has a meshed surface. Deformable bodies that are in contact
with these boundary conditions have some degrees of freedom constrained. Furthermore these boundary conditions
can be deactivated during the simulation. The characteristics of these boundary conditions are:
• Fixing: Bodies in contact with this type of fixture have all 6 degrees of freedom constrained. This boundary condition
likely cause some increase in stress within the contact area (strain is zero). It also is possible to restrict degrees of
freedom of nodes in the settings dialog of a fixing.
• Bearing: Bodies in contact with this type of fixture have the degree of freedom normal to the contact surface con-
strained. The movement within the same plane/face of contact is not restrained. Bodies in contact can separate with
184
a predefined separation stress value and sliding with friction is possible. Usually bearings are used as counterparts
for clampings. The separation stress can be configured by the user, but it has some impact on the computational
time as contact is dynamically checked and calculated every time step by the solver.
• Clamping: Bodies in contact with this type of fixture have the degree of freedom normal to the contact surface
constrained by a spring stiffness. So it can present dislocation during the simulation as it dynamically responds to
the components distortions. Additionally, it is possible to define a force from a clamping towards the component.
Usually clampings appear in pairs with bearings. Furthermore a moving clamp can be defined, where the initial and
the final position are provided relative to the defined position with respect to the process time and after approach
a contact is established. Moving clamps can be used to simulate tensile tests, for example. For clampings sliding
with friction is possible, too.
• Local joints: Local joints can be used to glue two components locally together (i.e. tack welds). The meshes of the
glued components will be changed to establish local contact.
Please see the infosheet that is linked in the dialog windows of the boundary conditions to get more detailed infor-
mation.
For the first fixing a simple geometry will be defined. Therefore on Fixing in the process tree and select Generate
geometry.
Figure 7.27. Object generation
Change the view to bottom view by clicking on . Click on Select location and select a location for the first fixing
at the bottom side of Sheet-2 in the model view. Afterwards modify the settings in the tab Primitive to:
• Type: Cuboid
• Slices x: 10
• Slices y: 1
• Slices z: 1
185
Figure 7.28. Object generation - Tab Primitive

Go to the tab Details and modify the settings to:
• x: 0 mm
• y: 38.5 mm
• z: 24.5445 mm
• Width: 50 mm
• Height: 3 mm
• Depth: 3 mm
Figure 7.29. Object generation - Tab Details

Click OK to apply these settings and to close the object generation dialog window. Now the first fixing has been
created.
The geometry of the second fixing will be imported. Therefore on Geometries in the object catalog and select
Library and select the file Fixing-2.bdf. In the next window choose Length (unit): Meter and check the box
Import surface meshes. Click OK to close the window and import the geometry with the selected settings.
186
6.0 Resistance spot welding Spot weld gun
Figure 7.30. Importing a geometry for the second fixing
Assign the geometry Fixing-2 in the object catalog to Fixing-2 in the process tree by drag and drop. The process and
the model view should now look like in the picture below.
Figure 7.31. Process and model view with components and fixings
7.6.5. Spot weld gun

The spot weld gun performs the welding process simulation, it contains the definition of the weld points and the
definition of the resistance spot welding parameters, that are the clamp force and the electrical current.
It is possible to have multiple spot weld guns in one process, but every single spot gun needs the following objects
defined:
• Two electrodes with a geometry and a orientation
• Material object for the electrical and thermal conductivity
187
• Welding parameters
• Point sequence
The first object we will define for the spot gun is the point sequence. A point sequence is the trajectory for a resis-
tance spot welding process. The weld line trajectory is used for all continuous welding processes. The point sequence
trajectory is used for resistance spot welding processes. Both trajectories can be created by entering the coordinates
directly, importing a *.csv-file or by selecting a node set.
Beginning with version 5.0 a trajectory can be created by drag and drop a node set on Trajectories in
the catalog or by drag and drop a node set directly on the robot. A trajectory object will automatically
be created and assigned.
In this tutorial the weld point coordinates are entered directly in the trajectory. on Trajectories in the object catalog
and select New point sequence:
Figure 7.32. Creating a new point sequence trajectory
Make sure that Length (unit) is set to mm and set Orientation to Local vector. The orientation of the weld point
is used to position the orientation of the spot weld gun according to the weld point. When selecting Local vector an
orientation vector has to be entered for each weld point. When selecting Local second point a point has to be entered
that creates a vector with the weld point.
Add four points to the trajectory by clicking on the green plus sign at the right bar of the window and define the
following coordinates (x, y, z):
• Point 1: 18 / 41.25 / 34
• Point 2: -18 / 41.25 / 34
• Point 3: 14 / 32.5 / 65.5
• Point 4: -14 / 32.5 / 65.5
Define the orientation as shown below (x / y / z):
• Orientation point 1: 0 / -1 / 0
188
• Orientation point 2: 0 / -1 / 0
• Orientation point 3: 0 / -0.866 / -0.5
• Orientation point 4: 0 / -0.866 / -0.5
The Pause time should be set to 1s for all weld points. The pause time can be set for each weld point individually or
for all selected weld points. The pause time simulates the movement of the robot from one weld point to another weld
point. After entering all values, the point sequence trajectory should be completely defined:
Figure 7.33. Point sequence trajectory
It is important to have the weld points defined in the correct order, because this defines the sequence in
that the weld points will be welded.
The point sequence trajectory name can be edited by on it and selecting Rename. In this tutorial the suggested name
is used. Assign the point sequence trajectory to the C-spot-gun via drag and drop. After assigning the point sequence
trajectory the defined weld points and their orientation are shown in the model view:
Figure 7.34. Model view with defined point sequence trajectory
The point sequence is shown in the model view by colored bullets and arrows. A rose bullet marks the
first point of the trajectory, all other weld points have red bullets. Yellow arrows show the welding
direction respectively the weld point order. The orientation of the weld points (X' and Z' in the trajectory
dialog) is shown by black arrows. When the mouse pointer goes over a bullet the label (order) of the
weld point is shown.
189
When the point sequence trajectory has been assigned to a spot gun and the trajectory dialog window
is opened from the process tree, the orientation of the weld points can be calculated automatically for
all weld points of the trajectory by clicking the button Calculate all or for all selected weld points of
the trajectory by selecting some data points and clicking the button Calculate selected. By clicking on
the search radius can be adapted, that influences the automatic orientation calculation for curved
components. The trajectory dialog window is shown in the picture below:
Figure 7.35. Point sequence trajectory dialog window opened from the process tree
Additionally it is possible to invert the z-direction and to rotate the x-direction by an angle about the
z-axis. This two options can be selected by clicking on a data point in the point sequence trajectory
dialog as shown in the picture below:
Figure 7.36. Inverting the z-direction and rotation of the x-direction

We already defined the orientation for the weld points manually, so we do not have to change it in this example.
Trajectories can be created in different ways. The available options are:
• New weld line - A new, blank trajectory configuration dialog without any information of path
used for resistance spot welding)
• Import - A a trajectory will be created using the imported path from a *.csv-file
• Weld line from node set - A node set from the same project will provide the coordinates
• Point sequence from node set - A node set from the same project will provide the coordinates for each point
190
from a *.csv-file
• Export all - The trajectory will be exported to a *.csv-file
The options Weld line from node set and Point sequence from node set are only available if a node set is present in
the project. So if one wants to use one of this options, a node set must be created first.
After defining the coordinates of the weld points, the welding parameters have to be entered. Please on Weld-
ing-parameter and select New resistance spot welding parameter:
Figure 7.37. Creating a new resistance spot welding parameter

A new dialog appears containing two tabs. The first tab is used to enter general properties for each welding parameter.
Additionally microstructure images and comments can be added. This tab is just for information and the entries will
have no effect on the simulation. On the second tab the Clamp force table and the Electrical current table can be
entered. Both tables are time dependent and a user defined name can be chosen. The tables can be saved in a library
to use them in other processes and projects. Both tables have to be defined for the same time range, so the ending
time should be the same.
Rename the clamp force table to Tutorial force and the electrical current table to Tutorial current.
Figure 7.38. Resistance spot welding parameter - Tab Electrical parameters

By clicking Edit a dialog window appears where the tables can be edited.
The welding time in this tutorial should be 0.25 s. In this time the clamp force should stay constant at 5000 N.
The maximum electrical current in this tutorial is 3500 A and should be activated shortly after the clamp force is
active. Please create the clamp force table and electrical current table according to the following shown figures:
191
Figure 7.39. Clamp force table
Figure 7.40. Electrical current table
The electrical current should not be designed as a step function where the energy is applied in one single
time step. This would introduce to much energy in a single time step which makes the simulation instable.
The maximum electrical current should be reached in more than one time step. Time duration of clamp
force table and electrical current table have to be equal.
Assign the welding parameter to the spot weld gun via drag and drop. The process should now look like shown below:
192
Figure 7.41. Process tree after assigning point sequence trajectory and welding parameter
One of the last steps is the configuration of the spot weld gun. Please open the spot weld gun settings by double
clicking on C-spot-gun in the process tree. The spot weld gun settings dialog has two tabs. The first tab shows an
overview of all trajectories assigned to this gun as well as a time management. No settings have to be changed here.
The first page of the spot weld gun settings dialog is similar to the robot dialog of arc and laser welding
processes.
The second tab describes the electrode configuration and the weld gun kinematic. Every weld gun has two electrodes.
Simufact.welding offers a large library of electrode geometries according to ISO 5821. These can be selected using
the drop down menus. As soon as the dialog is closed, the selected electrodes are imported to the geometries in the
catalog and will automatically be assigned to the spot weld gun. Additionally the electrodes will automatically be
flipped to have the correct orientation.
User defined electrodes can be imported and assigned as every other geometry. The user has to ensure that the elec-
trodes have the correct orientation. Furthermore user defined electrodes can be added to the library using the "+" button
in the spot weld gun settings dialog. User defined electrodes are stored in a special directory to avoid the replacement
of internal library electrodes. Information about orientation, spot weld gun type and requested input can be found in
the corresponding infosheet which is linked in the dialog.
Please select the electrode type F0-13-18-6c5 for both electrodes. For Reference point, Second point for orien-
tation, Third point for orientation, Approach distance to reference point and Initial weld gun opening distance
the suggested values are used. This is possible due to the fact that the default values are automatically adjusted to
the electrodes from the electrode library. In this dialog window a optional spring stiffness for the lower electrode can
be defined. In this example we do not define a lower electrode stiffness and leave the box to activate the stiffness
unchecked. The dialog should be as shown in the following figure:
193
Figure 7.42. Configuration of spot weld gun
The electrodes will be transparent per default in the result view. The local coordinate system of the spot
gun will be shown in the model view window when opening the dialog window of the robot. The initial
position of the electrodes will be outside of the model and not in their imported position (that is the
origin of the global coordinate system). The reason for this is, that if the electrodes would initially be
positioned in the origin and if they would penetrate a mesh there would be some problems at the start of
the simulation. The positioning far away from the components should avoid this problem.
After closing the dialog by clicking OK , the explorer and catalog should look like shown below:
Figure 7.43. Process tree and object catalog after the complete assigning of every object
The movement of the electrodes can be animated in the model view before starting the simulation. This
can be very helpful to control the movement and the defined sequence of the weld points. This preview
animation can be controlled with the buttons of the animation control bar. The information box in the
194
6.0 Resistance spot welding Solver settings
model view shows the process time, the active spot gun with the current activity (moving, welding,
cooling), the active trajectory and the current weld point.
Please have a look on the preview of the electrode movement by clicking on the animation control buttons and observe
the changing text in the information box.
Figure 7.44. Preview of the electrode movement
7.6.6. Solver settings

Now the solver is the only object that is still written in red color, so there are some missing entries or settings. The
last step is to check and edit the solver settings such as refinement and the electrical contact conductivity. Open the
solver settings by double-clicking on Solver in the process tree. Check if your process settings are according to the
following figures and change them if needed:
Check the box Phase transformation in the tab General settings to take the changing material properties due
to phase transformation during heating and cooling into account.
Figure 7.45. Solver - General settings
195
The expert mode for resistance spot welding processes allows to enter the number of increments which
should be used for the Fixed (automatically) time stepping method in the spot welding loadcase and the
number of times to cut time which is applied for the spot welding loadcase and the approach loadcase
of the lower electrode.
Check the box Parallelization and set the Number of domains to 1 and the Number of cores to 4 in the
tab Parallelization.
Figure 7.46. Solver: Parallelization
In the tab Time control the Analysis end time should be set to 10.0 s. Change the result output for Welding and
Cooling to 5, so result output will be written every fifth increment, this will decrease the memory requirements.
Figure 7.47. Solver: Time control
For Fixed (automatically) mode 25 time steps will be used for the spot welding loadcase.
Go to the tab Refinement and set the Refinement level to 1 and the Radius r to 3.0 mm.
196
Figure 7.48. Solver: Refinement
This option will refine the mesh of all components between both electrodes. To refine the mesh a cylindrical refinement
box is used which is connected to the lower electrode and performs every movement and rotation of the electrode.
A refinement level of 1 will split one hexahedral element into 8 hexahedral elements. With increasing refinement
level the number of elements will increase rapidly. Please be careful with high refinement levels. It is also possible to
unrefine the refined area when the spot weld gun is moved to the next spot weld point. For this option check the box
Activate unrefinement. Please note that the glue status of the refined nodes may get lost due to unrefinement.
The last tab where we will set some settings is Electrical contact conductivity.
On this tab the electrical contact properties can be defined. They can be set global for Electrode-Component and
Component-Component contact. For the detailed description of all settings please have a look at the corresponding
infosheet which is linked on the dialog. In this tutorial a coating resistivity is not set. After setting all parameters the
solver dialog can be closed by clicking .
Make sure that the Conductivity type for both combinations (Electrode/Component and Component/Component) is
set to Automatic and change the Film thickness to 0.01 mm. In this tutorial a coating resistivity is not set. After
setting all parameters the solver dialog can be closed by clicking OK .
Figure 7.49. Solver: Electrical contact conductivity
197
6.0 Resistance spot welding Running the model
The Film thickness is the main parameter which has to be adjusted when calibrating the generated heat
in the spot welding process. The Film thickness is a value which describes the thickness of the contact
area and is used to calculate the contact conductance internally.
The heat transfer coefficient is determined using an equation for both contacts. The equation considers
the flow stress, the contact stress, the temperature and the thermal conductivity of both contacting bodies.
7.6.7. Running the model

Now the simulation can be saved and started by clicking on the green arrow in the status/control bar. A window will
pop up, where you get the possibility to edit the *.dat-file before starting the simulation. In this example we do not
have to edit it, so just click Start simulation to start the simulation.
Figure 7.50. Starting the simulation
While the simulation is running, the progress is shown in the status/control bar and the results can be shown by
double-clicking on Results in the process tree.
Figure 7.51. Status/control bar while the simulation is running
The simulation should be finished after 20 min (Intel Xeon E5-2640 v3 2.6 GHz). The progress then shows 100% and
the text "job is finished based on time".
198
6.0 Resistance spot welding Post processing
Figure 7.52. Status/control bar when the simulation is finished
7.7. Post processing

Resistance welding processes can be post processed like every other process in Simufact.welding. Additionally the
electrical result values can be evaluated which is explained below.
The visibility of the electrodes can be activated or deactivated using this button:
The visibility of the active trajectory can be activated/deactivated in the results view by clicking on
at the right border of the results view window.
7.7.1. Electrical potential

The electrical potential describes the distribution of the electrical voltage in each body respectively. As resistance
welding processes are series circuits the electrical current is the same everywhere but not the electrical voltage. The
electrical potential can be used to verify the electrical contact conductivity. If the electrical potential is nearly equal
in all bodies, the electrical contact conductivity is too high ("Conductor"). This means the electrical current can flow
without generating any heat. If the electrical potential is nearly 0 (1e-12 V) in one body, the electrical contact conduc-
tivity is too low ("Isolator"). This means the electrical current is not able to flow as the contact acts like an isolator.
The following figures show the mentioned states:
Figure 7.53. Electrical potential for normal state of electrical contact conductivity
199
6.0 Resistance spot welding Electric current density
Figure 7.54. Electrical potential for conductor state of electrical contact conductivity
Figure 7.55. Electrical potential for isolator state of electrical contact conductivity
7.7.2. Electric current density

The electric current density identifies areas where the electrical current is concentrated. Usually these are the contact
areas or areas of changing cross section. An increasing electrical current density leads mainly to an increasing heat
flux and temperature. The lower figure shows the electric current density of two contacting bodies:
200
6.0 Resistance spot welding Electric-thermal energy density
Figure 7.56. Example of electric current density
7.7.3. Electric-thermal energy density

The electric-thermal energy density identifies areas where the electric energy is converted into thermal energy. Usually
these are the contact areas where the conversion takes place due to the contact resistance and a drop in the electrical
voltage. The following figure shows the electric-thermal energy density of two contact bodies:
Figure 7.57. Example of electric-thermal energy density
201
6.0 Resistance spot welding Electrical contact conductivity
7.7.4. Electrical contact conductivity

The electrical contact conductivity outputs the contact conductivity entered by the user for the contacting surfaces. If
the user has entered a constant value, this value will be shown where the two bodies have contact. If the user has entered
a table depending on temperature, the corresponding electrical contact conductivity to the current local temperature
will be displayed at the contact surface. If the automatic mode is active, the calculated electrical contact conductivity
based on the formula will be displayed for the contact surface.
Simufact.welding uses the Glue on peak temperature contact type as a default contact between com-
ponents. If the glue temperature is reached, a glue contact based on nodes will be activated. This contact
type will also set a very high thermal and electrical contact conductivity. This phenomenon can be seen
using the result value Electrical contact conductivity. In the expert settings this default contact can be
changed to Advanced glue on peak temperature, that sets the glue contact for a node after the melting
temperature was reached and the node has cooled down to solidus temperature again.
If the electrical contact conductivity for electrode/componente contact is much higher then compo-
nent/component contact, the color legend has to be scaled to see both contact surfaces.
The figure below shows an example of the electrical contact conductivity result value for electrode/component contact:
Figure 7.58. Example of electrical contact conductivity
7.8. Modeling hints

• Segment to segment contact is fully supported from version v6.0 on.
• The ratio of element sizes of the mesh of contacting bodies should not be larger than 1:3.
• The used mesh should have a high quality to avoid high refinement levels and bad convergence. For more informa-
tion please see the chapter about mesh requirements.
•
The electrical contact conductivity should not be larger than 1e20 .
202
6.0 Resistance spot welding Known limitations
• The time step should be small enough to cover the time behavior of the process.
• If the heat is only generated at the edge areas of the contact area between two bodies, the electrical contact conduc-
tivity should be checked as they might be incorrect.
• When using alternating current, the time step should not be larger than 1/8 of the periodic time.
Especially the correct time step is very important. Otherwise the contact calculation might be instable. These instabil-
ities can have a high influence on the electrical calculation in the following time step which may create unrealistic
results.
7.9. Known limitations

Two spot weld guns cannot act at the same time. If a process contains two spot weld guns please make sure that the
time schedule avoids any interference.
7.10. Exercise
Create simple processes and vary the parameters to get to know to each parameter and their dimension.
7.11. Further reading and information

[1]: according to: N.N.: Theoretische Grundlagen der Schweißtechnik, Schweißkurs; Universität Bayreuth, Bayreuth,
2010.
[2]: Bay, N.; Wanheim, T.: Real area of contact between a rough tool and a smooth workpiece at high normal pressure,
Wear, 38, 225-234, 1976.
[3]: Zhang, H.; Senkara, J.: Resistance Welding. Fundamentals and Applications; Second Edition, 2012.
203
tion
6.0
8 Stress relief heat treatment

6.0 Stress relief heat treatment Creation of a stress relief process
Process type "Stress relief heat treatment" allows the calculation of stress relaxation due to heat treatment.
The idea behind the process type is to have a possibility to define a temperature history over time. The temperature
is defined for surroundings of a welded assembly, so the heating of the assembly is also simulated. Due to elevated
temperature the yield stress of materials decreases. This triggers a change in the residual stress field.
Please note: at the moment it is not possible to calculate effects of creep with this process type.
Especially the heating and cooling of an assembly due to changing temperature of surroundings takes its time. Real
stress relief processes are happening on a time scale of several hours to some days. Besides the heating and cooling
rates that are important for material behavior there is no real need to model the holding phase with the same duration
as in the real process due to neglection of creep effects. However, the number of time steps needed for the holding
phase is rather small and the duration shouldn't influence the calculation time largely.
8.1. Creation of a stress relief process

For the stress relief process we need input data that already have some non-zero stress fields, usually an assembly
after welding and cooling. For data import from an already existing and calculated welding process you can use our
prestate functionality and import meshes with results (*,spr files) into the Simufact.welding GUI or directly use "Copy
from results" on a finished welding calculation.
Most of the boundary conditions transferred with "Copy from results" are not needed. Usually the welded part is just
lying in the oven, so you might want to remove all boundary conditions and define one bearing (the bottom of the
oven). In this case it is recommended also to define gravity.
Figure 8.1. Setting up the process
8.2. Configuring the process

This process type requires a heat treatment oven defined. This oven can be found in the process tree. Before a heat
treatment object containing the temperature curve is assigned to the oven, the process cannot be started.
A heat treatment process is defined by a temperature curve over time. In order to define such a curve open the con-
text menu of the "Stress relief" group in Object catalog (right mouse click on "Stress relief") and select "New heat
treatment".
205
6.0 Stress relief heat treatment Configuring the process
Figure 8.2. Heat treatment object

The first window, "Overview" allows you to select the stages you are going to calculate (usually a heat treatment
process needs all three of them) and also gives an overview over the time-temperature plot. Parameters of each stage
can be edited by selecting it in the menu window on the left. All three stages have similar parameters to be set.
Figure 8.3. Setting of a heat treatment stage

For each stage it is possible to define the stage duration. The ambient temperature can be defined as a constant value
or as a time depending table. The heat transfer coefficient describes heat losses to environment but also the heat
transfer from environment into the assembly. Thus, setting ambient temperature to a constant value does not mean
that the temperature of the assembly will remain constant, it will heat up or cool down due to heat transfer from or to
surroundings and heat conduction inside the assembly. Definition of heat transfer coefficient provides the possibility
to simulate quenching, choosing values matching heat transfer to a quenching media.
Please note: the stage duration should match the duration of the temperature table. Otherwise the temperature table is
changed to match the given duration. If the duration is higher than the table, the table is extended to the given duration
with constant temperature values. Otherwise the table is cut, this might lead to erroneous definition of the table.
206
6.0 Stress relief heat treatment Defining missing process settings
8.3. Defining missing process settings

The heat treatment object has an overall duration resulting from its stages. The temperature curve can be controlled
in the overview window. The object can be now added per drag and drop to the oven in the process tree. You should
also set the process time in the solver dialog to the overall time of the heat treatment object.
Additionally, you should reconsider the heat transfer coefficient from components to boundary conditions (in the
temperature object assigned to components). They are acting as heat sinks and a too high coefficient might remove
a lot of heat energy from the assembly.
Figure 8.4. Overview over a properly set process
For the calculation you can either set the time stepping scheme to manual, defining the time steps or use adaptive time
stepping. In latter case the preset is to let the solver try to make 10 increment per stage, meaning, 30 increments overall.
207
6.0 Stress relief heat treatment Defining missing process settings
Figure 8.5. Residual stress distribution before (top)

and after (bottom) stress relief heat treatment
208
tion
6.0
9 Simplified approaches
6.0 Simplified approaches Shrinkage method for thermal joining
(Arc, Laser beam welding and Braz-
ing)
All simplified approaches are used to decrease the simulation time. But be aware that this also decreases the result
accuracy. For different process types, Simufact.welding offers different types or approaches to reduce the simulation
time, like e.g. neglection of welding sequence, decoupling of the model or linear material models.
For arc welding, laser beam welding, electron beam welding and brazing the following approaches can be used:
• Shrinkage method (Linear material model, only shrinkage of weld seams is simulated.)
• Single shot solution for thermal cycle (Neglection of welding sequence.)
For resistance spot welding the following approaches can be used:
• Single shot solution (Neglection of welding sequence.)
• Mechanical solution only (Decoupling as no electrical or thermal simulation will be performed.)
• Thermal cycle (Decoupling as no electrical simulation will be performed. Can be used in combination with single
shot solution to neglect the welding sequence.)
9.1. Shrinkage method for thermal joining (Arc,

Laser beam welding and Brazing)
The shrinkage method is applied for very large structures as common in shipbuilding and aerospace industries. This
method gives a brief idea about direction and order of magnitude of distortions of the complete assembly as a result
of shrinkage of weld seams due to cooling from melting temperature to room temperature.
As soon as the model including weld seams is prepared, the shrinkage method can be activated in the solver dialog by
using the checkbox "Simplified approaches" and activating the radio button "Shrinkage".
Heat sources for this approach are acting on fillets. This means, all trajectories assigned to robots need fillets assigned
to them.
Figure 9.1. Activating the shrinkage method for thermal joining
210
6.0 Simplified approaches Single shot solution for thermal join-
ing (Arc, Laser, electron beam weld-
ing and Brazing)
After the activation the model is changed and simplified in following ways:
• All heat input happens at once.
• All weld lines are experiencing the same heating period, where the temperature rises fro room temperature to melting
temperature of fillet material during the time period of the welding duration of the longest weld line.
• Afterwards the temperature stays constant until the end of the process.
• Boundary conditions that are deactivated during the process are deactivated at once shortly after the heating period
ends. Boundary conditions without deactivation time are active until the end of the process.
• Material data is linearized (no temperature dependencies) except for thermal expansion coefficient. The material is
modeled to behave in the ideal elasto-plasitc way, thus no work hardening appears.
• The thermal expansion coefficient changes its sign, thus, the heating leads to shrinkage of material. This is equivalent
to applying negative temperature change to the structure.
• Only fillets are experiencing the heat input, there is no heat transfer between fillets and components. Thus, a steady
state situation is achieved after heating and unclamping is complete.
Due to the steady state situation it is possible to perform the complete calculation with a vary low number of increments.
However, several effects of welding are neglected here. In order to get useful results and significantly reduce the
calculation time the model has to fulfill some conditions. The model should have a high number of relatively long
weld lines (thus the calculation time of the transient simulation would be very long). It is preferable if the weld seams
have a certain distance from each other so they do not interfere with each other in the real process.
This approach allows a quick prediction of general assembly behavior but cannot replace a more complex approach
if more precise results are needed.
9.2. Single shot solution for thermal joining

(Arc, Laser, electron beam welding and Braz-
ing)
The single shot method is also applicable to large structures, delivering in cases similar to cases that are well-suited
for shrinkage approach better approximation of expected assembly behavior, needing more calculation time.
The approach is activated on a complete model by checking "Simplified approaches" and activating "Single shot
solution"
211
6.0 Simplified approaches Single shot solution for thermal join-
ing (Arc, Laser, electron beam weld-
ing and Brazing)
Figure 9.2. Activating the single shot method for thermal joining
The single shot approach applies a thermal cycle to all weld lines at once, so a thermal cycle table (one for all weld
lines) has to be defined here. All boundary conditions that are deactivated during the simulation are deactivated shortly
after the heating period is over. Afterwards the model cools down.
For well-suited models this approach delivers a fast approximation of distortions, stresses and material state. The
material data is not changed, but the welding sequence is ignored. On the other hand, the stability of single shot solution
usually gives a hint if the model is well-set. Poor model setup (like bad meshes, penetrations) will be visible very
quickly with this approach while the calculation with respect to welding sequence might take days until the problem
region will get visible in the model.
Depending on the model size the speed up is very significant, getting higher if the number of weld lines is growing.
212
6.0 Simplified approaches Single shot solution (RSW)
Figure 9.3. Comparison of distortions and calculation times for different approaches
9.3. Single shot solution (RSW)

The single shot solution for resistance spot welding processes neglects the effect of the welding sequence. This means,
that all spot welds of the complete model are welded at the same time. The model is adjusted in terms on pause times
etc. The activation of the single shot solution can be done by simply activating the checkbox in the solver dialog. The
process has not to be changed or anything else.
213
6.0 Simplified approaches Single shot solution (RSW)
Figure 9.4. Activating the single shot solution for resistance spot welding processes
When the single shot solution is active and the simulation is started, Simufact.welding will automatically create addi-
tional pairs of electrodes and do all needed to perform all spot welds at the same time. This can also be seen in the
result view where now one electrode pair for every spot weld is present.
Figure 9.5. Additional electrode pairs for every spot weld
214
6.0 Simplified approaches Mechanical solution only
The result accuracy differs slightly in the below shown comparison. But this can change in other models. So please be
careful when post processing the results and be aware of decreasing result accuracy when using simplified approaches.
Figure 9.6. Comparison of full transient simulation

(left side) and single shot solution (right side)
The speed up of this simplified approach depends strongly on the model and model size. The more spot welds are
used in the model, the higher is the speed up of the single shot solution. In the above shown model the speed up was
about 4x. For larger models a speed up of even 6 - 8x can be observed. For a detailed process setup lease have a look
at the Simufact.welding demos&examples.
9.4. Mechanical solution only

The mechanical solution for resistance spot welding processes neglects the coupling effect as only the mechanical
simulation will be performed, no electrical or thermal simulation. This type of simplified approach can be used if the
resistance spot welding process is only of secondary importance, e.g. if the stiffness of the joint is only important to
analyze the clamping concept or to use the results in further processes. The activation of the mechanical solution can
be done by simply switching the radio button in the solve dialog. The mechanical solution is not compatible with the
single shot solution and supports only one robot. Therefore adjustments on the process might be needed to perform
the mechanical solution.
215
6.0 Simplified approaches Mechanical solution only
Figure 9.7. Activating the mechanical solution for resistance spot welding processes
When starting the mechanical solution the spot weld gun will behave like before but no electrical current is activated.
To establish the glue contact between the components, a sphere shaped box is attached to the lower electrode. If the
clamping force of the spot weld gun is activated, then all elements that get in contact and are inside this sphere shaped
box will be glued and stay glued. The radius of the sphere is controlled by the radius of the refinement box in the
solver dialog. The joining is performed in one single time step. Therefore the clamp force table should not have a
starting ramp.
As no thermal simulation will be performed, no pause or cooling loadcases will be simulated. This decreases the
simulation time as well as the welding loadcase is simulated in one single time step. For a detailed process setup lease
have a look at the Simufact.welding demos&examples.
216
tion
6.0
10 Laser Metal Deposition

6.0 Laser Metal Deposition Process definition in Simufact.welding
Figure 10.1. Example of LMD process
Keywords
Laser Metal Deposition, LMD, 3D, adaptive refinement
Educational basics
This chapter will teach you the model setup of a laser metal deposition process. A laser heat source will be used to
melt up a metallic material and to deposit it in layers on a metal sheet. In total 11 layers will be deposited and between
the single layers there will be a pause time for cooling of the components. A fixing will be used to restrain all degrees
of freedom of the sheet.
Prerequisites
10.1. Process definition in Simufact.welding

This chapter will show how to set up and post process a LMD process in Simufact.welding. The example process
consists of a 3D process where a structure is created on a base plate. One fixing is used to hold the base plate in position.
At first a new project has to be created containing a new process according to the figure below:
Change the process name to a meaningful name like LMD.
218

As the LMD process is a laser based process, please select the process type Laser beam welding. For the process
we need one component, one fixing and one robot.
Figure 10.3. Defining a new process of process type Laser beam welding
219
First we need to import the geometry for the base plate. The CAD files are located within the project folder of the
shipped LMD project. Right click on Geometries and select Import.
Figure 10.4. Import geometries
Select the file plate-mm.bdf. As this file is based on mm unit system, please select Millimeter for the length unit
in the import dialog.
Figure 10.5. Select the import unit system
Drag&drop the plate on the component. The process tree should now look like following.
220
Figure 10.6. Process tree after assigning the base plate
After the base plate is attached to the process, please import the geometry for the fixing. This geometry is based on
meter unit system. Please make sure that the correct unit system is selected for import.
Figure 10.7. Select import unit system
Drag&drop the fixing geometry on the fixing in the process tree. The process tree should now look like this.
221
Figure 10.8. Process tree after assigning the fixing geometry
Now we need a material for the base plate and the robot. Simufact.welding offers a large number of materials that can
be used. To enter the material database, please right click on Materials and select Library.
Figure 10.9. Importing a material from Simufact.material
For this example the material TiAl6V4-SPM_sw should be used. Please select this material and confirm the dialog
by clicking OK .
222
Figure 10.10. Selecting the desired material in the database
Assign the material using drag&drop to the base plate and the robot. The process tree should now look like following.
Figure 10.11. Process tree after assigning the material
Now the trajectories have to be created. They can either be created by hand or imported via CSV file. As this example
consists eleven trajectories, the import function is used. The CSV files are also shipped with the example of this
tutorial. Right click on Trajectories and select Import.
223
Figure 10.12. Import the trajectories from CSV

Select all trajectories and make sure the unit system meter is selected. Activate the checkbox Use for all trajectories
to use the same unit system for all imported trajectories.
Figure 10.13. Select the unit system for trajectory import
224
After the trajectories are imported, they need to be configured. Right click on the first trajectory and select Configure
in the context menu.
Figure 10.14. Open configuration dialog of trajectory
The configuration dialog opens. In this dialog the global orientation vector for the trajectory needs to be 0 / 0 /
1. Change the orientation vector and confirm the dialog by pressing OK .
225
Figure 10.15. Configure the trajectory
The changes do not need to be done for every trajectory. Instead the Parameter transfer can be used. Right click on
the first trajectory with the changed orientation vector and select Parameter transfer.
226
Figure 10.16. Open the parameter transfer for trajectories

The parameter transfer dialog opens. The reference trajectory is already pre-selected. Activate the checkbox Geometry
- global orientation and All trajectories.
Figure 10.17. Transfer the settings from first trajectory to remaining trajectories
227
After confirming this dialog by pressing OK , the changes made in the first trajectory are applied to the remaining
trajectories. Now assign the trajectories to the robot one-by-one. The complete project should now look like following.
Figure 10.18. Process after assigning the trajectories
Every trajectory needs a geometry assigned. The trajectory geometries for this example are stored in BDF files and
simply need to be imported. Right click on Geometries and select Import to import all trajectory geometries.
Figure 10.19. Import of trajectory geometries
228
Make sure the unit system millimeter is selected and activate the checkbox Use units for all meshes.
Figure 10.20. Select the unit system for import
After the import is completed, assign the geometries to the corresponding trajectory in the process tree. The process
tree should look like following after all geometries are assigned correctly.
229
Figure 10.21. Process tree after assigning all geometries to trajectories
As a last item the heat source has to be defined. Right click on Welding-parameters and select New heat source
parameter.
230
Figure 10.22. Creating a new heat source
A new dialog appears that let us define the heat source parameters and geometries. Switch to the second page of the
dialog to define the welding parameters. Define the parameters as described in the screenshot below. The parameters
are typical parameters for an LMD job using Titanium.
231
Figure 10.23. Heat source - welding parameters
After this we have to define the geometry of the heat source. Switch to the third page. Select the Laser heat source
from the dropdown menu and enter the values as given below.
232
Figure 10.24. Heat source - heat source parameters
If the heat source is defined properly, drag&drop the heat source object directly on the robot in the process tree. A
message appears which asks you if the heat source object should be assigned to every single trajectory respectively.
This dialog needs to be confirmed by pressing Assign .
Figure 10.25. Assigning the heat source to all trajectories
The complete project should now look like this.
233
Figure 10.26. Process after assigning the heat source

Now we need to define a proper timing for the trajectories in the robot dialog. Open the robot dialog by double clicking
on the robot. A new dialog appears. On the first page the trajectory timing can be entered. Until now every trajectory
starts right after the previous trajectory has finished. This is not correct for this type of process. Please enter a Pause
(end) time of 25 s for every trajectory. This means that between end of first trajectory and start of second trajectory
a cooling period of 25 s will be simulated.
Figure 10.27. Configure the trajectory timing

After confirming this dialog by pressing OK , the following question appears. Answer this question by clicking Yes .
234
Figure 10.28. Confirming new analysis end time
The last object that needs to be defined is the solver object. Double click on the solver object to open the solver setting.
On the first page that contains the general settings, please deactivate the High-end contact separation. This allows
separation of nodes only in the following time step. As we do not have any touching contact in the simulation but
only glue contact, this option is not needed.
Figure 10.29. Solver object - General settings
On the next page the parallelization settings can be defined. For a shorter simulation time we activate the parallelization
and select Number of domains: 4 and Number of cores: 4.
235
Figure 10.30. Solver object - Parallelization
The third page contains the time control of the process. The simulation should end after 800 s. Please enter this
number in Analysis end time. Also set for Mechanical solution every n-th increment for welding to 3. This will
perform a mechanical solution only for every third increment. It will speed up the simulation but we will miss some
accuracy.
Figure 10.31. Solver object - Time control
236
6.0 Laser Metal Deposition Post processing
The last step is to define the refinement of the process. Set the refinement options as follows.
Figure 10.32. Solver object - Refinement
Now the solver dialog can be confirmed by pressing OK . The simulation is ready to run. Start the simulation by
pressing the Start analysis button in the toolbar.
10.2. Post processing

Laser metal deposition process can be post processed like every other process in Simufact.welding.
237
6.0 Laser Metal Deposition Post processing
Figure 10.33. Temperature distribution of laser metal deposition process
238
tion
6.0
11 Postprocessing
6.0 Postprocessing Result view
Keywords
BDF, Export, Particles, Result management, Result values, Result view, STL, THS plot, UNV, Welding monitor
Educational Objectives
This chapter will teach you how to analyze a successfully simulated model. Therefore, the "Singlefillet" model from
Simufact.demos will be used. Furthermore, this chapter contains how to set up and to use particles, welding monitor,
THS plots, result management and the export of data.
Prerequisites
Basic computer skills, Basic process understanding, Quickstart
11.1. Result view
This chapter shows how to view results of a successfully simulated model in Simufact.welding. The results of a process
can be analyzed when a simulation successfully finished or also during a simulation. The figure below shows the
status bar of a successfully finished simulation:
Figure 11.1. Status bar of a completed simulation
After completion or during a simulation, there will be new entry in the process tree, see figure below:
Figure 11.2. Process tree with Results as entry
240
6.0 Postprocessing Result view
For viewing the results, please double-click with on or on and then select
View:
Figure 11.3. Selecting result view by right mouse-click on Results
After selecting Result view, your Simufact.welding interface should looks like shown in the figure below:
Figure 11.4. Simufact.welding interface with Result view
In following, the Simufact.welding interface will be divided into four different areas to explain the single buttons and
their features, Step-by-Step. Furthermore in this chapter, only the important buttons for analyzing the results will be
explained in detail.
1. Main tool bar
2. Color legend & Status information
3. Control bar
4. Miscellaneous buttons
The basics about Simufact.welding GUI and general buttons and their features are provided in chapter
2. Introducing Simufact.welding.
241
6.0 Postprocessing Main tool bar
Figure 11.5. Simufact.welding interface with Result view - divided into four areas
11.1.1. Main tool bar
(1) Main tool bar

Button Description Button Description
Global coordinate system - Activates or deacti- Copy current view to clipboard - Copy current
vates the coordinate system in model view model view to clipboard
Color legend - Activates or deactivates the color Nodes of model - Activates or deactivates nodes
legend in model view of simulation model
Bottom plane - Activates or deactivates the bot- Surface of model - Activates or deactivates sur-
tom plane in model view (only if gravity is acti- faces of simulation model
vated)
Weld seam - Activates or deactivates the weld- Wireframe of model - Activates or deactivates
paths orientation and/or heat source in model wireframes of simulation model
view (only if trajectories exist)
Particles - Activates or deactivates the particles Contour of model - Activates or deactivates con-
in model view (only if particles exist) tour of simulation model
Clamp force direction - Activates or deactivates Transparent model - Activates or deactivates
the clamp force direction in model view (only if transparent simulation model
clamps exist)
Measuring tool - Tool to measure distances, an- Virtual lights - Activates or deactivates virtual
gles and radii lights on simulation model
Selection mode - Tool to measure result value Reset zoom - Adjusts the model view to simula-
(e.g. temperature) on specific position in model tion model
view
Clipping tool - Tool to cut simulation model Synchronize view - Apply view to all open win-
(multiple cut planes are possible) dows (only if more than one model view exists)
Save current view - Save current model view Visualize boundary conditions - Activates or de-
activates initial model and/or boundary condi-
tions in result view
242
You can change the result value by using the Drop-Down-menu and change the deformation factor by value here:
. This function will be explained in following chapter Col-

or legend.
The table above contains buttons and their short description to the first area (1) Main tool bar. In following, buttons
that contain more than one function will be explained (e.g. the measurement tool).
Weld seam
With this function you can activate or deactivate the visualization of weldpath orientation. You can also change the
point size and/or line width of a weldpath by on a trajectory and selecting Display properties . Then you can use the
scroll bar to modify the point size and/or line width. Or you can define values to specify these parameters by selecting
Properties dialog . Furthermore, you can also change the color of point, line and orientation (arrow). The figure below
shows a smaller sizing of the weldpath (on the left) and a bigger sizing (on the right) by using the scroll bars. The
Properties dialog with default settings is also shown in the figure with which you can define absolute values for sizing.
Figure 11.6. Change the point size and the line width of welding path
Measuring Tool
This tool can be used for interactive measuring of distances , angles or radii directly in model view. You
can open the Measuring tool by on -symbol or by clicking in model view and selecting Measuring tool:
243
Figure 11.7. Selecting Measuring tool by right mouse-

click in model view (left) and the Measuring dialog (right)
The figure above shows the Measuring tool dialog which contains on one hand the different measuring modes buttons
(blue box) and on other hand the data of selecting points (green box) and the appearance of the line(s) (yellow box).
You can define the position of single points, which you want to measure, by directly in model view on geometries
or by defining absolute x-, y- and x-value (green box) depending on the global coordinate system for single points. To
define absolute values, you have to double click on specific value to change. After defining two points, you can
see the distances for each axis and the absolute value between the selecting points (red box). The figures below shows
the three different measuring modes with the sequences of selecting points:
Figure 11.9. Measuring mode: Angle
Figure 11.8. Measuring mode: Distance
244
Figure 11.10. Measuring mode: Radii
- The dimension can be changed by opening the Drop-Down-menu in Measuring tool dialog.
- You can see which Measuring mode is activated when the buttons background becomes blue. For
example the Measuring mode distance: Activated - ; Deactivated - .
Furthermore, while measuring a distance you can display additional lines which show the respective distances in
relation to the global coordinate system by activating the Display delta values , see figure below:
Figure 11.11. Display delta values on and off while measuring a distance
There are two options how to select points on geometries. First option is selecting any points on surface of a geometry
with this button . If you on this button then the button will change to . Now the selecting points will be
locked to the nearest node of a surface. The behaviour of these options is shown in figure below:
245
Figure 11.12. Activate and deactivate lock point on node
Last but not least, you can clear all selected points with and by clicking on the infosheet about Measuring
tool will be open.
Selection mode
The selection mode is a tool for interactive measuring result values (e.g. temperature, distortion, ...) at specific posi-
tions in result view. You can activate the selection mode by on or with in model view and selecting
Activate selection mode. A new sidebar appears. Now you have to set the pins on position where you want to measure
the result values. The sidebar lists all pieces of information of set pins in model view which are the ID number, the
coordinates and the result value of single pins. The result value depends on the current increment in result view. You
can also measure the distance between two pins by selecting two entries in the sidebar which will displayed in result
view. The following figure shows the result value Temperature with five set pins where also the distance between
pin ID 0 and pin ID 1 is shown:
Figure 11.13. Selection mode in Simufact.welding
246
Clipping tool
The Clipping tool can be used to cut the geometry into a specific section. You can activate the Clipping tool by
on or in the model view and selecting Clipping tool. The figure below shows the clipping function where
the model singlefillet is cut in y-z-plane at 36%. You can also see the cut plane which is presented by a red frame:
Figure 11.14. The Clipping tool
The blue box in figure above shows the cut plane as a Drop-Down-menu (only if minimum one cut plane is defined).
You can add more clipping planes or delete existing clipping planes. For adding a clipping plane there are
four options for the planes direction: - x-z-plane, - y-z-plane, - x-y-plane
and - the current view.
In the green box you can define the actual position of the clipping plane by defining a value in percent or, if Absolute
position is activated, absolute values in specific dimension (i.a. m, mm, cm). You can also use the scroll bar to modify
the position of the clipping plane.
Miscellaneous functions are placed in the red box:
Button Description
On Off
Open or close a separate 2D view of the current selected clipping plane
Enable or disable the current selected clipping plane
Show or hide the contour of complete geometry shape
Show or hide the clipping plane frame
Activate or deactivate the view of the section in clipping plane only
Flip the side of the clipping plane
The Clipping plane dialog can be integrated into the Simufact.welding GUI by dragging the dialog e.g.
below the Process tree .
247
Synchronize view
You can use the Synchronize view function to adapt the model view settings from one model view or result view
(activated model view) to another model view(s) and/or result view(s). The following settings can be activated or
deactivated for Synchronize view , which are hid behind the triangle symbol next to in a Drop-Down-menu:
• Angle of view (default) - Applies the angle of view of current model or result view to all other model and/or result
views.
• Zoom of view (default) - Applies the zoom of view of current model or result view to all other model and/or result
views.
• Model settings - Applies model settings of current model or result view to all other model and/or result views. (e.g.
show wireframe, nodes and surface of geometries)
• Light settings - Applies the light settings of current model or result view to all other model and/or result views.
• Deformation - Applies the deformation factor of current result view to all other result views. (Only usable if result
view is current view, there is no effect on model view.)
• Result value - Applies the result value of current result view to all other result views. (Only usable if result view
is current view, there is no effect on model view.)
• Time step - Applies the process time of current model or result view to all other model and/or result views.
• Clipping planes - Applies the defined clipping planes of current model or result view to all other model and/or
result views.
• Legend size - Applies the legend size of current model or result view to all other model and/or result views.
• Legend position - Applies the legend position of current model or result view to all other model and/or result views.
• Select all - Applies all settings of current model or result view to all other model and/or result views.
By using Synchronize view , the settings of activated model view or result view will be adapted to all
other opened model and/or result views. So, this function can also be used for more than one model or
result view and it has impact on both model and result view.
The figures below show an example before and after using Synchronize view. There are two result views where the
top one is the current activated result view. You can also see the activated settings of Synchronize view (Select all).
248
6.0 Postprocessing Color legend & Status information
Figure 11.15. Synchronize view - before
Figure 11.16. Synchronize view - after
11.1.2. Color legend & Status information

Basically, the color legend visualize the result value in result view, which is standardly divided into 11 color areas. If
you open the result view then the result value Temperature will be displayed as default in Simufact.welding. Therefore,
249
the color range will be from room temperature to melting temperature of used material. In our example, the room
temperature is set to 20°C and the melting temperature of S235-SPM_sw is 1517.14°C, why the color range is
from 20°C to 1517.14°C.
The status information contains pieces of information of current result view, which are the current Process time in [s],
the current number of Increment and the name of a geometry, if the mouse is pointed on any geometry in result view.
There are two options to change the result value. Either you can open the Drop-Down-menu for result value in Main
tool bar or you open the Drop-Down-menu in the color legend by holding the mouse over the color legends headline:
Figure 11.17. Selecting result value over the Main tool bar
Figure 11.18. Selecting result value over the Color legend
The following result values are selectable in Simufact.welding. The result values are grouped in specific sections where
some of these result values are only available when phase transformation is activated or the process type Resistance
spot welding has been chosen. The following table contains all result values in Simufact.welding:
250
The unit of each result value depends on the unit system which the user has chosen or defined. The unit
system or the unit for single dimension can be changed in Extras > Settings... > Units/Unit system.
Results Group Result value Process Results Group Result value Process
Type Type
Standard Contact status Stresses Effective stress
Temperature (Default) Yield stress
Peak temperature all Maximum principal stress
Total distortion Intermediate principal stress
Effective stress Minimum principal stress all
Global Geometry Mean normal stress
Domain ID X, Y, Z normal stress
all
Glue XY, YZ, ZX shear stress
Element error Triaxiality
Thermal Temperature (Default) Phase transfor- Major phase index
On-
Peak temperature mation Volume fraction of ferrite, bainite, ly
pearlite, martensite, austenite if
Heat (external) Hardness Pha
tran
Heat flux all Proof stress for-
X, Y, Z temperature gradient Tensile stress ma-
Displacements Total distortion T85 cooling rate tion
is
X, Y, Z distortion T85 cooling time ac-
Area change Temperature rate ti-
vat-
Strains Equivalent elastic strain Alloying ele- Al, B, C, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Mo, N, Ni,
ed
ments P, S, Si, Ta, Ti, V, W mass portion
all
Effective plastic strain Electrical Electrical potential On-
Effective strain rate Electric current density ly
for
Electric-thermal energy density Re-
sis-
tanc
Electrical contact conductivity spot
wel
ing
Depending on which result value has been selected, the color legend adjusts itself. For example, the color legend for
contact status is different to temperature.
The color legend can be modified, too. Therefore, please on color legend. A new dialog will appear where you
can select the following options:
• Open color legend settings - By selecting Open color legend settings a new dialog to color legend settings will
be opened where you can change specific settings of color legends visualization. In following, the color legend
settings dialog will be divided into three fields:
251
Figure 11.19. Color legend settings
• Blue Box - In the blue box you can change the color legend. There are handful predefined color legends settings
where you can also create your own one. The symbol means that the current selected color legends setting
is one of the predefined settings where changes cannot be saved. With you can copy the current selected
color legends setting where changes can be saved with (e.g. after changing the color legends name or color
range). You can also delete your own created color legend setting with (predefined color legends settings
cannot be deleted). With the settings of the currently selected legend will be restored from the global settings
where all active changes will be undone.
• Green Box - The color gradient can be changed between color range and color set where the division of the color
legend can be defined. Furthermore, you can select whether the color gradient should be continuous or
discrete and swaps the color legend. You can also change the color, limit value and add an optional text by
double-clicking. The following figure shows the color legend where optional texts were defined:
252
Figure 11.20. Defining an optional text to color legend
• Red Box - In the red box you can change the distribution between equidistant and manual distribution of the
postvalue range and an absolute or percental display. The limits of the color legend can be changed between
Automatic (all read increments) where the limits will be adjust by the minimum and maximum postvalues of
the whole simulation, Automatic (per increment) where the limits will be adjust by the minimum and maximum
postvalues of current increment and Manual where the user can define a manual value range by himself. Further-
more, the number format of the legend ranges and limits can be selected between normal and scientific where
also the decimal places can be defined.
• Switch to discrete legend / Switch to continuous legend - The visualization of the result values can be switch
between discrete or continuous.
• Swap legend colors - With this option you can change the order of the color legend downwardly and upwardly
and vice versa.
• Display min/max nodes - Within this option you can select Hide all nodes, Show for all bodies or Display for
component only. If Display for component only is selected the nodes with minimum (blue triangle) and maximum
(red triangle) value will be marked on the components without consideration to the fillet. If you select Show for all
bodies the nodes with minimum and maximum value of the whole model will be checked (including the fillets).
If there are more than one node with the same maximum and/or minimum value, the maximum and/or minimum
node will not be displayed. The figure below shows an example where just one maximum value exists and where
are more than one node have the same minimum value:
253
6.0 Postprocessing Control bar
Figure 11.21. Display min/max nodes
11.1.3. Control bar

The result values can be validated at any process time or increment. Therefore, you can use the
scroll bar to skip the simulation forward and backward or by using the Drop-Down-menu to jump
to a specific process time where the unit can be also changed ([s], [min], [h] or
[ms]). Another way to skip the simulation forward and backward is to use the single buttons in
where you can

Jump to beginning of animation, Jump one step back, Play animation backwards, Stop animation, Play animation
forwards, Jump one step forward and Jump to end of animation. In case of playing animation (forwards and back-
wards) you can define a Time delay in [ms] between single increments and you can also activate the Play animation
in a loop function.
It is also possible to create an animation video. Therefore, press on and a new dialog will appear, see figure
below:
254
6.0 Postprocessing Miscellaneous buttons
Figure 11.22. Create animation video
The user can define a specific filename for the file to be created. Standardly, the path and the filename are set to:
C:\Users\*Username*\Videos\*ProcessName* - Results.avi wherein *Username* and *ProcessName* my vary. The
user can choose the path and define the filename by on (blue box).
The video starting and ending points can be selected in the Drop-Down-menus where the selected ending point will
be included in the created movie. Furthermore, the Frame rate base of the created movie can be selected between
Increment-based and Time-based. Select Increment-based if you want to have the same time for every increment
where the movie time might not be synchronous with real time. Thus, you can define a Time delay which is the time
duration in ([s], [min], [h] or [ms]) for every single increment in the movie. Otherwise, select Time-based
if you want to have proportionally the same speed in the video as in real time where you have to define a Speed factor
[-] to speed up or slow down the captured movie speed in comparison to real time. The Real time in [s] of the
process and depending on selected and defined settings for the created movie the Movie duration in [s] in an info
text will be displayed in the green box. (In this case, the duration of the simulated process is 203.86 s where the
captured movie duration will be 14.50 s).
In the red box you can select the captured movie resolution in a Drop-Down-menu. You can select between Window
size, VGA (640x480), SVGA (800x600), PAL (720x576), HD (1280x720), FullHD (1920x1080) or User-defined. In
Preferences, you can check the Multi-part video box to compose a video of multiple parts where each part can have
different timing settings or a different view. By checking the box Autoplay when finished, the movie player defined
in the settings is opened to play the created video. If the option Show last frame at start is activated, the last frame of
captured movie will be displayed at the beginning of the created video.
After selecting and defining the create animation video settings, the animation video will be created with on
. (It may take some times to create an animation video. So, please be patient.)
Only the video file *.avi is currently supported in Simufact.welding.
11.1.4. Miscellaneous buttons

There are few miscellaneous buttons in Simufact.welding which can be used during and after the simulation process
in result view. The result view is also available during the simulation analysis or when the simulation process is not
finished (e.g. when the user stopped the simulation analysis). In case, during the analysis which is not finished you can
255
6.0 Postprocessing Miscellaneous buttons
already open the result view (only if results exist). Therefore, you can refresh the results (if new results exist) with
on in the right sidebar (if there is no new results, the refresh symbol will be greyed out ). So you can update
your results to check the status of the simulation where you can decide if you want to simulate until the end or to stop
the analysis immediately (e.g. if the heat source is not created in preprocessor correctly). You can activate the info text
of the active trajectory with and to show the heat source in result view with which is shown in figure below:
Figure 11.23. Show active trajectory info text and active heat source
256
6.0 Postprocessing Particle tracking
11.2. Particle tracking
This chapter shows how to define and evaluate Particles in Simufact.welding. The Particles are also known as Track-
ing points which the given name is replaced by the name Particles since Simufact.welding 6.0. In earlier versions
of Simufact.welding, the user had to define Tracking points in preprocessing and it was not able to define Tracking
points during or after an analysis. In Simufact.welding 6.0, the user has the possibility to define Particles in prepro-
cessing, during an analysis and in postprocessing. The functionality of Particles is to track result values during the
analysis at specific positions on geometries which the user has to define by himself.
11.2.1. Adding particles to model
You can add new Particles by on Particles in Process tree and select with Create new particles. A new sidebar
will appear:
Figure 11.24. Create new particles
At first, you have to give the particle group a name which also can be changed aftermath if needed. In following, there
are three methods how to define Particles:
1.
Add particles by their coordinate values (x, y, z) - New particles can be added by on or in the
particles sidebar and select with . The first entry will be displayed in the sidebar:
257
6.0 Postprocessing Adding particles to model
Figure 11.25. Particle sidebar with entries of particles
At this point, you can change the name of the particles by double-click on the name. Standardly, the name
of new created particles are given by "Particle-" and the ongoing number "#". Now the coordinate values (x, y,
z) are definable by double-click on the single entries (x, y, z). More particles can be added by using or
if minimum one particle exists the symbol is selectable which means that new added particles will be insert
before the selected particle.
2. Import particles from Node-set - In this option, you can define the particles in the model view or result view.
Therefore, you have to create a Node-set where the Node-set contains the selected nodes which should be tracked.
Please on Sets in the Object catalog and select New node set or on Object catalog and select Sets > New
node set :
Figure 11.26. Selecting New node set
A new sidebar will appears where you can see the sequence of selected nodes, the geometry which belongs to the
selected nodes, the ID and the coordinates (x, y, z) in [mm] of the selected nodes. Now you can select with
these nodes on the geometries in model view or result view which shall be tracked during the analysis:
258
Figure 11.27. Selecting nodes for particle tracking
A single selected node can be deleted with or the whole list can be deleted with . After the selection
of these nodes, you can apply these changes by on or you can also apply these
changes and directly create a new node set by on . However, the created node set will
appear in the Object catalog where you can also change the name of the node set if needed. Just on the new
node set and select . Please give the node set a clear name (e.g. Particles-set). After doing
this, please open the particle sidebar. Now the symbol is selectable what means, that a node set exists which
can be imported as particles. Please on where a new dialog appears:
Figure 11.28. Selection of node set for particles
3.
Import particles from CSV file - You can import particles from CSV file by on or in the particle
sidebar and select . A new dialog will appear where you can select the path of the CSV
file. The structure of a CSV file which contains the particles is build up like in figure below:
259
Figure 11.29. The structure of a CSV file with particle information

After selection of the CSV file, the particles will appear in the particle sidebar.
If wished, you can also save the created particles in CSV file by on which you can import
into another simulation process.
Furthermore, you can delete a selected particle by using where you can also in the particle sidebar and select
or by using the shortcut Del. The whole list of entries can be deleted at once by using ,
in the particle sidebar and then select or by using the shortcut Ctrl+Del.
Whichever the method to create particles has been chosen, you can apply these changes by on .
The particles will be marked (only if is activated) in the model view or result view with small flags within the
name of the single particles:
Figure 11.30. Particles displayed in model view
The set of particles can be edit aftermath. Therefore, please double-click on the set of particles or on it and
select which should be edit and the particle sidebar will appear. In this case, you can edit, add or
delete single particles of a set of particles. By changing the set of particles the button will be selectable
which means that all changes so far will be undone. But if the changes are varied as desired, you can apply the changes
with again.
There is a difference of adding and editing a set of particles between in the state of preprocessing and postprocessing.
If you add or edit a set of particles in preprocessing, the particles will track the result values until finishing the analysis.
260
6.0 Postprocessing Validation of particles (THS plot)
But if you add or edit particles in postprocessing, you will get a message that following changes requires saving the
process to integrate the new result into the results storage which will be done automatically after the particles are
successfully edited. You can accept this message with and after editing the particles, the analysis will
be calculated backwards to assign the result values to the added or edited particles. So please be patient, it may take
some time.
You can create many set of particles as wished where the particles at specific section in model view or
result view can be grouped. Thus, the validation of many particles can be done with better overview than
having just one set of particles which contains very many particles.
11.2.2. Validation of particles (THS plot)
The particles can be validate during or after an successfully calculated simulation. To validate the particles, please
on the created set of particles in Process tree and select . Depending on the size of the analysis,
it may take some time to open the Particle post values. So please be patient. After successfully calculated particles
a new dialog, Time-History plot, will appear:
Figure 11.31. Time History plot (THS plot) of particles
The Time-History plot (THS plot) of particles and some options to modify the THS plot is shown in figure above. In
following, the single section within their features will be explained:
• Selection - The particles will be listed in this section where a single or multiple selection of particles is possible
to display the particle in the THS plot. You can manually check the checkboxes of the particles which should be
shown in the THS plot or you can also using the following buttons: - check all items, - uncheck all items
and - invert the check state of the items. The line color can be edit by double-click on the color.
• x-axis - In this section you can change the value and the limits of the x-axis. There you can switch the value and
their unit between Time ([s], [min], [h] and [ms]) and Solver increment [-]. By unchecking the checkbox
Automatic limit generation you can manually define the lower (Limit 1) and upper (Limit 2) limits. Otherwise, the
lower and upper limits will be adjusted to the range of process time or the total solver increment.
261
• y-axis - In this section you can change the result value and their limits of the y-axis. The following post values with
their unit(s) can be represented in the THS plot:
Result value Unit(s) Result value Unit(s)

Effective plastic [-] T85 cooling rate [°C/s], [K/s]
strain
Effective strain rate [1/s] Temperature [K], [°C], [°F], [°Ra]
Effective stress [Mpa], [N/mm^2], [bar], Temperature rate [°C/s], [K/s]
[atm], [psi], ...
Equivalent elastic [-] Tensile stress [Mpa], [N/mm^2], [bar],
strain [atm], [psi], ...
Hardness [HRC], [HBW], [HV], [N/ Time [s], [min], [h], [ms]
mm^2], ...
Intermediate princi- [Mpa], [N/mm^2], [bar], Total distortion [m], [mm], [ft], [in], ...
pal stress [atm], [psi], ...
Maximum principal [Mpa], [N/mm^2], [bar], Volume fraction of [%]
stress [atm], [psi], ... austenite, bainite, ferrite,
martensite, pearlite
Mean normal stress [Mpa], [N/mm^2], [bar], X, Y, Z distortion [m], [mm], [ft], [in], ...
[atm], [psi], ...
Minimum principal [Mpa], [N/mm^2], [bar], X, Y, Z normal stress [Mpa], [N/mm^2], [bar],
stress [atm], [psi], ... [atm], [psi], ...
Proof stress [Mpa], [N/mm^2], [bar], T85 cooling time [s], [min], [h], [ms]
[atm], [psi], ...
By unchecking the checkbox Automatic limit generation you can manually define the lower (Limit 1) and upper
(Limit 2) limits. Otherwise, the lower and upper limits will be adjusted to the range of the selected result value.
The entries of selectable post values for the y-axis are independent to the selected process where the
values will be zeroed if specific options are not activated. For example, if Phase transformation is not
activated the values for the result value Volume fraction of austenite will be zeroed.
• Graphical options - There are some few options to modify the graphic of the curve chart which can be found in
this section:
• Result lines - You can activate this option if you want to display vertical lines which represents the result output to
a specific time or increment. Please note that the number of outputted results can be different to the total number
of calculated results. This can be modified in Process tree > Solver properties > Time control > Result output
every n-th increment .
• Grid - Show or hide the grid of the curve chart.
• Print legend - Show or hide the legend while printing.
• Highlight selection - Highlight the selection of the cursor.
• Show points (Size: #) - Show or hide the result points of a curve where you can also define the size of a point.
Please note that the total number of result points represent all calculated results and they cannot be modified.
Thus, the displayed number of result points might be different to the number of result lines (if both options are
activated).
• Line width (Width: #) - By activating this option, you can manually define the line width of the curves.
262
• Result modification - There are some few options to modify the values of the curve chart which can be found in
this section:
• Averaging (value in [%]) - You can use this option to averaging the values of the curve chart where you have
to define an averaging-value in [%].
• Seg. angle (value in [rad] or [°]) - Segmentation angle
• Sum - With this option, it is possible to sum selected curves where the value of the y-axis has to be force, moment
or energy. Otherwise, it is not possible to use the sum function.
• Percentage - By activating this option, the percentage of changing of the y-axis value will be adjusted to one of
the following values: Fist value, Last value, Minimum value or Maximum value. Depending on selected starting
point, the start value will be 100%.
• Miscellaneous Buttons (right sidebar) - The following table contains all buttons and their descriptions in the right
sidebar:
Button Description Button Description

Hide or show all options Zoom (Shortcut: Shift+Z)
Save image as PNG, JPG, BMP, PPM, TIF, GIF Swap axes
or XBM (Shortcut: Shift+P)
Print image (Shortcut: Alt+P) Refresh data (Shortcut: F5)
Export to CSV or MMS (Shortcut: Ctrl+E) Open additional
263
6.0 Postprocessing Miscellaneous Topics
11.3. Miscellaneous Topics

This chapter contains the following topics:
1. Welding monitor
2. THS plot for Boundary conditions (BC's)
3. Result management
4. Export in Simufact.welding
11.3.1. Welding monitor
The Welding monitor can be used to calibrate the heat source during or after an analysis. It can be opened by on
in Process tree and then select Welding monitor > Robot:
Figure 11.32. Selecting Welding monitor
Depending on the number of created robots and their given name in Process tree, the current list of
Welding monitor might be different to figure above.
After selecting Robot, the Welding monitor will be opened:
264
6.0 Postprocessing Welding monitor
Figure 11.33. The Welding monitor
Basically, the Welding monitor shows the result value Peak temperature of a section on clipping plane in 2D
view.
The color legend is adjusted to the melting point and the solidus temperature of used material which is represented
by three colors: red, yellow, blue. The color red in the Welding monitor means that the Peak temperature
of these parts in the geometries are higher than the temperature of the melting point. Yellow represents the Peak
temperature which is between the solidus temperature and the temperature of the melting point and blue the Peak
temperature which is below the solidus temperature.
The Welding monitor displays a section on clipping plane in 2D view at the current position of the robot:
265
6.0 Postprocessing THS plot for Boundary conditions
(BC's)
Figure 11.34. Result view, welding monitor and the clipping plane an different positions
The green surface in result view represents the clipping plane which is shown in the Welding monitor. The direction
of the clipping plane is given by the direction of the heat source.
Our recommendation is to open the result view next to the Welding monitor to see the current position
of the clipping plane which is displayed in the Welding monitor.
Furthermore, you can skip the position of the Welding monitor by using the scroll bar, the Drop-Down-menu which
can be found next to the scroll bar or the control bar. (Please note that for the latter one the Welding monitor has to be
the current activated view). Therefore, the information text contains the following pieces of information depending on
the current position of the Welding monitor : the process time, the active robot, the active trajectory and the distance
moved on trajectory.
11.3.2. THS plot for Boundary conditions (BC's)

The THS plot function for boundary conditions (bearings, fixings and clampings) as well as components and robots
is since Simufact.welding 6.0 available which can be used for validation of result values of the boundary conditions.
This can be open by on in the Process tree and then select :
266
6.0 Postprocessing THS plot for Boundary conditions
(BC's)
Figure 11.35. Selecting History plot

After selecting History plot, the THS plot will be opened:
Figure 11.36. THS plot of BC's

In some cases it is advantageous to use the preselection of these BC's which should be selected in THS
plot after opening the History plot. For example, if your process contains more than 100 BC's but you
just want to analyze some few of them where without a preselection you have to find these BC's in the
section Selection which might take some time. Therefore, please double-click on Solver in Process
tree or on Solver and then select Show properties . Now, please open History plots in the left sidebar
and then check the checkboxes of these BC's which should be preselected in the History plot.
A detailed explanation to History plot can be found in the previous chapter Particle tracking. The following table
contains all result values with their units which can be validated in History plot of BC's:

Consumed gross ener- [J], [kJ], ... X,Y,Z center of gravity [m], [mm], [ft], [in], ...
gy
Rotational velocity [rad/s], [RPs], [RPm], X,Y,Z force [kN], [N], [pdl],
[RPh] [ozf], ...
Time [s], [min], [h], [ms] X,Y,Z moment [N*m], [ft*lbf],
[in*lbf], [kgf*m], ...
267
6.0 Postprocessing Result management

Turning moment [N*m], [ft*lbf], X,Y,Z velocity [m/s], [fps], [ips],
[in*lbf], [kgf*m], ... [cm/min], ...
11.3.3. Result management

The size of a project of Simufact.welding is in general huge where not all results to every single increment are needed.
In some cases you may need the lasts results of an analysis. So, why do you have to save all these results which are not
needed? And how should you send these huge size of files to others? Therefore, you can use the Result management
to reduce the size of a project which contains the important results you needed. You can open the Result management
by on in the Process tree and then select :
Figure 11.37. Result management
After selecting the Result management will be opened which contains all result increments
of an analysis. The list contains the ongoing number, the number of solver increment, the progress in [%], the related
load case, the time in [s], [min], [h] or [ms], the size of an increment, the total number of increment(s) and the
total value for the size of an analysis.
You can select single increments by using or Ctrl+ for multiply selection on these increments which are
wished to be deleted. Furthermore, you can use the buttons on the right sidebar which are listed and described in the
following table:
Button Description
On Off
Select all visible increments. If all increments are selected, this button will be greyed out.
n/a Inverts all current increment selection.
Clears all current increment selection. If no increments are selected, this button will be greyed out.
n/a The Selection wizard *
Deletes the Simufact PreState (SPR) files of the selected increment. SPR files are required for
restarts of an analysis. So you should delete theses SPR files of increments you dont want to restart
from in order to save disk space.
Deletes the current selected increments. If no increments are selected, this button will be greyed out.
n/a Miscellaneous tools for the result repository.
268
6.0 Postprocessing Export in Simufact.welding
*By selecting the Selection wizard a new dialog will appear:
Figure 11.38. Selection wizard

Within the Selection wizard you can select a specific range of selected increments which are defined by First row and
Last row and the sequence of selecting increments with Every n-th row. After defining the selection range there two
options. If no increments are selected you can use Select to select the selecting increments else if all increments are
selected you can use Deselect to clear the selected increments by the given selection range.
11.3.4. Export in Simufact.welding

There are a lot of types of exporting data from Simufact.welding (e.g. exporting particles, geometries, ...). In this
chapter the export functions of geometries (STL (Ascii or Binary) and BDF) and geometries with results (UNV)
will be explained which contains data of the final state of geometries and their result values.
11.3.4.1. Geometry export (STL/BDF)

The export function of geometries can be used for exporting the final contour of geometries at last increment of a
load case. There are two options to export these geometries: only the deformed surface of a geometry (STL) or only
the deformed mesh (BDF).
To use the export function please on the process in Process tree and then select with Copy from results... .
A new dialog will appear where you can select the Result step which shall be the time step where the geometries
should be exported:
Figure 11.39. Step 1: Copy from results...

After selecting a Results step and applying with OK a new process will be copied from the old one in Process tree
where the the geometries have the state at the point of selected Results step . Furthermore, the deformable components
will be added to Object catalog which are additional marked with . These geometries which shall be exported,
please on it and select Export:
269
Figure 11.40. Step 2: Export geometry

By selecting Export a new window will appear where you can select the path, name and the type file for the exported
geometry.
11.3.4.2. UNV export

You can use UNV export to export a geometry which includes their mesh information and their Result values at
certain increments. These UNV files can be imported to other simulation programs where in the UNV export dialog
you can modify i.a. the Result value IDs from Simufact.welding to a specific simulation program. To open the UNV
export dialog, please on Results in Process tree and select UNV export . The UNV export dialog will be opened:
Figure 11.41. Selecting UNV export

The UNV export dialog contains some pieces of information which are explained in following:
• The index tabs - Components, Increments and Result values *which will be explained in detail later.
• Input result information - Result information about currently checked components and selected increment.
• Export options -
• Unit system - The unit system defines the units of the exported data. Beside the standard unit systems you can
also choose the unit system that has been defined in the application settings. This makes it possible to export the
result values and the mesh into the unit system that is used in the whole application environment.
• Export elements as - The input result mesh contains hexahedrals which could be converted into pentahedrals. By
selecting this option the hexahedrals will be kept during the export.
270
• Write undeformed mesh (checkbox) - If this option is checked, the undeformed mesh of the current selections
will be exported to the universal file. Otherwise, the deformed mesh will be exported.
• Selection for export - The selected components and increments that will be exported including the selected result
values will be represented here.
• UNV export settings control - JSON file defining export settings for batch mode and settings transfer. This file
can be used for batch mode allowing an automatic UNV export. The file can also be used to transfer the settings
to compatible processes and/or workstations without the need of process changes. Thus, you can use the buttons
Load from file or Save to file .
*The index tabs are shown in following figure:
Figure 11.42. UNV export dialog

• Index tab Components - The Index tab Components lists all components which are used in the process. You can
select those components which shall be exported by checking the checkboxes or by using the buttons** in the right
sidebar.
• Index tab Increments - The Index tab Increments lists all increments and the related time value in [s] of the
whole analysis. You can select the certain increments by checking the checkboxes or by using the buttons** in
the right sidebar.
• Index tab Result values - The Index tab Result values lists all result values and the related Result type ID in
Simufact.welding. You can select the certain result values by checking the checkboxes or by using the buttons** in
the right sidebar. Furthermore, you can modify the Result type ID by double-click on it which will be changed
during the export. The following table contains all result values and their related Result type ID:
Result value Result Result value Result

type ID type ID
Distortion 27 Intermediate principal stress (vector) 1315
Peak temperature 87 Maximum principal stress (scalar) 1053
Stress 45 Maximum principal stress (vector) 1317
271
Result value Result Result value Result

type ID type ID
Temperature 20 Mean normal stress 1044
Area change 1130 Minimum principal stress (scalar) 1052
Contact status 1001 Minimum principal stress (vector) 1316
Critical elements 1165 Radial distortion 1237
Distortion vector 1423 Radial stress 1233
Domain ID 1086 Stress vector 1222
Effective plastic strain 1039 Tangential distortion 1238
Effective strain rate 1042 Tangential stress 1234
Effective stress 1040 Total distortion 1091
Element error 1422 Triaxiality 1321
Equivalent elastic strain 1076 X temperature gradient 1401
Glue 1271 Y temperature gradient 1402
Heat (external) 1143 Yield stress 1041
Heat flux 1108 Z temperature gradient 1403
Intermediate principal stress (scalar) 1051
**The buttons and their descriptions are listed in the table below:
Button Description
On Off
Clears all current selected items. If no items are selected, this button will be greyed out.
Select all visible items. If all items are selected, this button will be greyed out.
n/a Inverts all current selected items.
All checked result values with an incorrect result type ID will be corrected. Note: An incorrect
result type ID could be caused by a missing input or by an ID that is already in use. Also, the
result type ID 0 is not allowed. If all IDs are correct, this button will be greyed out.
The result type IDs of all custom result values will be set to default. Note: Please be aware that
n/a
all existing IDs will be overwritten.
After selecting the components, increments and result values you can export the UNV file by on
where you can choose the order to save to. Basically, the given name of an exported UNV file is composed by
*component_name*_*increment_number*.unv which includes all selected result values. Furthermore, the settings of
UNV export will be also saved as unv_result_export.json. The number of the exported UNV files depends on the
number of selected components times the number of selected increments. So, please note that the more selected items
the more the total size of all UNV files will be increased.
272
tion
6.0
12 Material for welding simulation

6.0 Material for welding simulation Introduction
Keywords
Material data base
Educational basics
This chapter describes the definition of proper material data as well as the handling of some advanced settings for
material modeling
Prerequisites
Basic process knowledge, Basic knowledge of Simufact.welding, Basic knowledge of Simufact.material, Experience
with material models
12.1. Introduction
Simufact.welding 6.0 offers a material data base as well as a GUI (Simufact.material) which helps with editing and
preparing of material data for welding simulation.
The data base includes a number of iron, aluminum, nickel, cobalt and titanium based alloys for welding simulation.
However it is not possible to provide data for every alloy that might be needed for a simulation process. The needed
data can be provided by user, out of experimental results or out of JMatPro material simulation software. This data
has to be prepared to be used in the welding simulation.
This tutorial chapter describes the possibilities of definition of own data as well as requirements the data needs to meet
in order to be useful in the simulation.
12.2. Selecting the correct material from the

data base
Simufact.material offers a data base which contains over 650 material definitions. However, only approximately 30
of them are suitable for the welding simulation. Such materials can be filtered using the "Area of application" filter
and selecting "Welding".
Figure 12.1. Selecting an appropriate area of application

Additionally, you can filter by
• Temperature (entering a temperature which is covered by the temperature range defined in the material data)
• Material group (main balance element)
274
6.0 Material for welding simulation Modifying existing materials and en-
tering your own data
• Standards (classification according to AISI, JIS or DIN if present)
• Material properties (present material data, i.e. metallurgical transformations for steels)
• Import source
• Import date
In some cases it is useful to assign materials that are not defined for welding to your welding simulation, but mostly
only if they are assigned to components that are not getting welded and do not experience high temperatures. The
defined temperature range is always visible in the General properties window of the material in question. For welding,
the minimum temperature should lie at least near room temperature and the maximum temperature should be at least
near the melting temperature of the material.
Figure 12.2. Checking the defined material temperature range
12.3. Modifying existing materials and entering

your own data
If you need to set up a model with materials only slightly different from some material in the data base, it might be
convenient to edit an already existing material instead of defining an entirely new one.
To do so, please copy an existing material (data delivered with Simufact.welding is write-protected and cannot be
edited, a lock symbol in the list illustrates this fact) in the Simufact.material GUI.
Figure 12.3. Copying a selected material
275
Afterwards you can open the copy by double-clicking on it and edit the properties in question.
In most cases material properties for welding simulation are to be defined with respect to temperature, so most prop-
erties are represented by a table. Some (like melting point or solidus temperature) are just values.
If a property is defined via table, the "Show table" button is active.
Figure 12.4. Tabular data for temperature dependent values
Clicking on it opens an X-Y-plot of the property in question. From here you have the possibility to edit the table,
digitize a given X-Y-plot if you have a diagram, load and save the data as a CSV-file or completely delete the data.
Figure 12.5. Graphic representation and editing functions
Selecting "Edit table" will open a window, where you can directly change the values and also see the resulting X-
Y plot in real time. If the material is defined with phase transformation data you can edit the values for each phase
separately. Clicking on "Modify curve data" opens a dialog where you can define a function which depends on the X
and/or Y data of the table and apply this function to all table entries.
276
Figure 12.6. Editing data
After opening the plot digitizer you can open an image with a X-Y diagram of the property in question. Afterwards
one can define the units and ranges of both axes of the plot. By double-clicking on the curve you can add the values
to the table.
277
Figure 12.7. Importing curves from scanned plots
If it comes to definition and editing of stress-strain data the approach is a bit different. Here the data might depend
on strain, temperature, strain rate, peak temperature and metallurgical phases, so the number of tables to be edited is
huge. If the material you want to create is not very different from the material already defined in the data base you
can also use flow curve scaling. If you know the Rp0.2 and Rm values of the material in question (i.e. from a material
certificate), you can enter these values in the Flow curve scaling dialog.
Figure 12.8. Flow curve scaling dialog
The stress-strain-curve with the smallest temperature will be used as reference. The definition of a new Rp0.2 value,
regardless if as a number or as a scaling factor, shifts the curve in the way so it's origin is defined at the calculated or
entered Rp0.2 value. Additionally, the complete curve is scaled with this scaling factor. After entering the Rm data the
278
6.0 Material for welding simulation How a material data should be defined
hardening part of the curve is scaled in order to allow the maximum of the curve to achieve the given value. Calculated
scaling factors are then applied to all other curves, so you get a consistent data set.
12.4. How a material data should be defined

For welding simulation a high number of thermophysical and thermomechanical data sets are needed. In this chapter
we explain the meaning of this data as well as recommended values, if there are any. Please keep in mind that if
the temperature in the model exceeds the range defined in the material data, the boundary values are used for this
temperature areas.
If the material data is entered with tables, there is no need to define sampling points (temperatures) with very small
steps. In most cases it is enough to define data for every 50°C or 100°C. The data is then interpolated between defined
values, if needed. Large tables are afterwards difficult to edit.
Chemical composition is at the moment only an informative data set and does not need to be entered. However,
Simufact.material GUI is able to calculate equivalent values that can provide knowledge about metallurgical behavior
of the alloy in question.
Figure 12.9. Chemical composition of a material
Thermal conductivity governs the heat transport in the material. It is also used for automatic calculation of heat
transfer coefficient between components. It should be defined with respect to temperature. From the point of view
of calculation stability, thermal conductivity governs the level of non-linearity of the heat transfer equation, thus, the
definition should be as smooth as possible (which is also not wrong for all other data).
Specific heat capacity relates the temperature of the material with the thermal energy it can save. Thus, high values
mean that the material needs a lot of energy to heat up and also has to lose a lot of energy to cool down. It should be
defined with respect to temperature. Please note that in the attached example the curve has a maximum in the middle.
This is typical for materials that undergo solid state phase transformations (i.e. TRIP steels). The phase transformation
itself has a transformation enthalpy, thus allowing the material to absorb energy without heating up significantly.
The transformation enthalpy of solid-liquid phase transition is entered directly in the GUI and is not needed to be
considered while defining the specific heat capacity data.
279
6.0 Material for welding simulation How a material data should be defined
Figure 12.10. Sample diagram of a specific heat capacity over temperature
Melting point and solidus temperature are mandatory in the welding simulation. Those values decide if two welded
components are joined or not. They are also used to govern mechanical properties of materials near the melting point
as well
Latent heat, also known as transformation enthalpy, describes the thermal energy the material absorbs during solidus-
liquidus phase change. This value should always be considered, if possible (the simulation will also run without it
though, but the results might be rather questionable).
Young's modulus describes the elasticity of the material and is highly temperature dependent. Young's modulus is
very low near melting temperature, however it is not recommended to use values smaller than 5 GPa. Such values
would make the simulation highly unstable.
Poisson's ratio basically describes the volume change of the material under mechanical loading. Typical values for
metals lie between 0.25 and 0.35. It is recommended to enter this value as a constant without considering temperature
dependency, the influence on results is usually rather small but the stability of the calculation is highly improved.
Please be careful, it is possible that material data calculated with respect to temperature contains Poisson's ratio with
values near 0.5 (usually near melting point of the material). While this is correct physically for fluids, a FE solver
might not be able to use such values and the simulation will stop.
Density can be provided as constant value or as temperature dependent data.
Coefficient of thermal expansion is a highly sensitive parameter for thermo-mechanical analysis. As shown in the
figure below, it is recommended to have a defined zero value at the beginning and at the end of the curve. The reason
is that the thermal expansion coefficient is basically a derivative of thermal strains. If the material heats up to, say,
2000°C and the thermal expansion coefficient is defined until the melting point of 1500°C with the last value being
not zero, thermal strains are continuing to grow which is not realistic.
280
6.0 Material for welding simulation Creating and importing material data
with JMatPro
Figure 12.11. Sample diagram of a thermal expansion coefficient over temperature
Flow stress data describes the stress-strain relation of the material. The data should be entered with temperature
dependency, steps of 50 K or 100 K are sufficient. The first value is always at plastic strain zero. It is possible to
define the data with strain rate dependency, if so, please take care to have relatively small strain rates in the data
base as those are typical for welding processes. Additionally, it is possible to define the data with respect to achieved
peak temperature. This might help for instance in case of aluminum, where the strength of the heat affected zone
changes because of experienced temperature history, especially peak temperatures. At high temperatures (depending
on material approx. above 0.7 x melting point) almost no hardening occurs, so the stress-strain relation above this
temperature should be rather "flat" and show somewhat constant values of stress over strain. At melting temperature
(or slightly below) the strength of material decreases to almost zero, in this range stress values should lie at 5 MPa to
10 MPa (which is not zero but which stabilizes the simulation without compromising the results).
Electrical resistivity and electrical conductivity are needed for resistance spot welding only. Those values are rec-
iprocal to each other, so it is enough to enter one of them, the other one is recalculated automatically.
Electrical-thermal conversion describes the proportion of electrical energy converted into heat in resistance spot
welding.
12.5. Creating and importing material data with

JMatPro
Material simulation software JMatPro has the capability of calculating material properties of many alloys, especially
aluminum alloys and steels, based on the chemical composition. However, the software is designed to calculate prop-
erties of material for heat treatment processes.
In order to get proper material data with JMatPro one should consider following suggestions
• Please generate the data for a single, relatively low strain rate, i.e. 0.02 1/s or 0.001 1/s. Those are typical strain
rates in welding.
• Make temperature steps sufficiently large. 50°C or 100°C are enough.
281
6.0 Material for welding simulation Hardening model
• The heat treatment temperature in JMatPro should be set to a value near the melting point, i.e. 0.9 x melting tem-
perature
• Add latent heat for solidus-liquidus transformation, being usually at 256400 J/(kg K) for steels and 396000 J/(kg
K) for aluminum alloys
• Change the thermal expansion coefficient according to the chapter above
• Set Poisson's ratio to a constant value. Typical values are 0.3-0.33 for steels, 0.3-0.35 for aluminum alloys, 0.25-0.3
for titanium alloys
• For advanced users: Volume change due to solid state phase transformations usually provides data for heating and
cooling. Our current model only uses data for cooling. If you want to correct the data, open a material file (i.e.
an *.xmt file exported from Simufact.material) and search for "Volume change". The table should be edited in the
following way
Delete (or set to zero) all values for temperatures above AC3
Substrate the value at AC3 from all remaining non-zero values (shift the complete curve down with volume change
at AC3 = 0
Remember: such table exists for all phases present
12.6. Hardening model

Currently Simufact.welding supports three hardening models: isotropic, kinematic and mixed. The main difference
between those models is the approach how stress-strain-relations are handled.
In case of isotropic hardening, the yield stress grows due to mechanical loading in a certain direction (work hardening).
If the direction of the load is reversed, no further hardening happens until the yield stress limit from the previous load is
achieved, then the material hardens further until the Rm limit is reached. Thus, the linear range of stress-strain-relation
grows with each loading that overcomes the local flow stress until Rm is reached. In case of kinematic hardening, the
yield stress in case of reversed loading is reduced by the amount the yield stress increased due to previous loading.
Real materials show some kind of mixed behavior. Because of the fact that different materials behave in a different
ways, also depending on recent temperature, the setting can be done in the component properties for each component
separately.
282
6.0 Material for welding simulation Hardening model
Figure 12.12. Work hardening definition for deformable bodies

Activating either isotropic or kinematic hardening model sets the proportion of the activated model to 100%. Activating
both allows selecting a fraction for each model.
283
tion
6.0
13 Batch mode
6.0 Batch mode Introduction
Keywords
Batch mode, unv, json, export, results
Educational basics
This chapter will teach you the usage of the batch mode of Simufact.welding.
Prerequisites
Advanced process knowledge, advanced knowledge of Simufact.welding, knowledge of scripting and batch mode
13.1. Introduction
Simufact.welding can be started in batch mode from the command line. This can be used to:
• Automatic loading of a project, writing of the solver input files (*.dat) and starting of selected processes
• Automatic result export to universal files (*.unv)
The batch mode shall not be used to start several jobs consecutively using a queue, this can be done easily using
Simufact.monitor.
Be careful: No model check will be performed when starting a process in batch mode.
13.2. Available options

The batch mode can be started from the command line with: simufact.welding.exe [options].
The available options are listed below:
-importProject <file> Automatically imports the specified project with the name file (*.swproj).
-startProcess <processNames> Automatically starts all specified processes.
-writeInput <processNames> Automatically writes the solver input files (*.dat) of all specified processes.
-script <script_file> Automatically executes all commands of the script with the name script_file
(*.proc).
-close Simufact.welding will be closed after processing all GUI commands.
-exit or -quit or -q Simufact.welding will quit immediately after processing all commands.
-exportResults <json_file> Exports all defined results specified in json_file (*.json) into a universal file
format (*.unv).
A *.json-file can be generated and exported in Simufact.welding by on Results and selecting UNV export. The
components, increments and result values can be selected for the export.
The generated *.json-file contains the component names and the increment numbers of the result values that shall be
exported. If the result values shall be exported for the last increment, one may have to adapt the increment number. It
also contains the project path, the process name and the export path. This parameters possibly have to be adjusted, too.
285
6.0 Batch mode Commands for the script file
Figure 13.1. Exporting a *.json-file
13.2.1. Commands for the script file

>open project <file> Automatically opens the project file (*.swproj) in simufact.welding.
>cleanup <processName> Automatic clean up of the process processName, i.e. existing results will be
deleted.
>run <processName> Automatically starts the specified process processName.
>writeinput <processName> Automatically writes the solver input files of the specified process process-
Name.
>wait <processName> Script waits till the simulation of the process processName is finished.
>exit Simufact.welding will quit immediately after processing all commands.
13.3. Examples
simufact.welding.exe -importPro- Automatically imports the project file, writes the input of the process process-
ject <file> -writeInput <process- Name and closes the GUI.
Name> -close
simufact.welding.exe -importPro- Automatically imports the project file, starts the processes processName_1 and
ject <file> -startProcess <process- processName_2 consecutively and closes the GUI. The processes are then run-
Name_1> <processName_2> - ning simultaneously. The GUI closes after executing all commands and does
close not wait till the simulations are finished.
simufact.welding.exe -exportRe- Automatically exports the results specified in json_file and closes the GUI.
sults <json_file> -close
simufact.welding.exe -script Automatically runs the script script_file and executes all commands defined
<script_file> there.
286
6.0 Batch mode Examples
An example for a script file is shown below:
>open project <file>
>cleanup <processName_1>
>cleanup <processName_2>
>writeinput <processName_1>
>run <processName_2>
>wait <processName_2>
>exit
This script will open the project file, cleanup the processes processName_1 and processName_2, write the solver input
file of the process processName_1, start the process processName_2, wait till the process processName_2 has finished
and exit.
Remark: If there are blanks in the path name, the path name must be in quotation marks. For example: "..\Program
Files\simufact\welding\6.0\bin\simufact.exe"
287
tion
6.0
Data exchange with heat source sim-

14 ulation software and databases
6.0 Data exchange with heat source Choosing a heat source to be exported
simulation software and databases
This chapter will show the export function of heat sources from Simufact.welding in XML file which is available since
Simufact.welding version 5.0. The basic idea of this function is the data exchange of heat sources between simulation
softwares and databases.
14.1. Choosing a heat source to be exported

The export function can be selected with a on Heat source > Export SI in Simufact.welding GUI. After on
Export SI, a new dialog appears where you can choose the filename (e.g. heatSource.xml) where the format is XML:
Figure 14.1. Selecting export of heat source and export in XML-file
The exported XML-file contains all properties and parameters of the heat source in SI units which are defined in the
Simufact.welding GUI. The structure of this XML-file is equal to the structure of the heat source dialog in the GUI,
which is divided into 3 sections:
1. General heat source properties,
2. Welding parameters and
3. Heat source data.
In the following these sections will be separately explained in detail.
There are 2 types of heat source export available in Simufact.welding: Export and Export SI . Both of
them use the XML format, however the structures are different. The function Export uses an internal
XML structure which could change for the next version whereas the Export SI function will maintain
the XML structure. So the XML file generated by using the Export SI function is backwards compatible
for upcoming versions of Simufact.welding.
14.2. General heat source properties

The first section contains all general heat source properties which are purely information for the user and not needed
for the simulation. If some pieces of information are not needed, it is possible to deactivate these by doing a on
and unchecking the desired boxes. By doing a on Apply or OK, these items will not be displayed anymore
and the entry enable="true" in the XML file will change to enable="false". The user can define a great
number of properties (e.g. process type, thickness of materials, import source and filler material). All these pieces of
information will be saved in the exported XML file, see figure below:
289
6.0 Data exchange with heat source Welding parameters
Figure 14.2. Selecting the general heat source properties to be exported
Furthermore the user can choose one of the welding positions in the dropdown menu which is shown in the figure
below:
Figure 14.3. General heat source properties: Welding positions
14.3. Welding parameters

The second section contains the welding parameters of the heat source. The entries in the XML file depend on which
welding mode and heat source the user has chosen and where the Goldak heat source is used in this section. There
are 3 modes to choose from:
1. Transient (indirect power),
2. Transient (direct power) and
3. Thermal cycle.
290
6.0 Data exchange with heat source Welding parameters
Figure 14.4. Welding modes: Transient (indirect & direct Power) & Thermal cycle
The important entries in the XML-files are marked in green in the figure above. Therefore, based on the welding modes,
3 different XML files were created. The figure shows the 3 different selectable welding modes (1 - Transient
(indirect power), 2 - Transient (direct power) & 3 - Thermal cycle) in the Simufact.welding
GUI and the entry for velocity (section 0).
If Transient (indirect power) is selected the following entries are needed:
• velocity [m/s],
• Efficiency [-],
• Voltage [V] and
• Electric current [A].
By selecting Transient (direct power) the user needs to define the following parameters:
• velocity [m/s],
• Power value [W],
• upramping properties (duration [s] and target value [%]) (If used) and
• downramping properties (duration [s] and target value [%]) (If used).
For example: If the welding mode Transient (indirect power) is selected and exported then
the XML file contains the efficiency, electric current and voltage but no entry for the power value. And
291
6.0 Data exchange with heat source Heat source data
if Transient (direct power) is selected and exported then the XML file contains the power value and
efficiency whereas electric current and voltage are missing.
When welding mode Thermal cycle is selected then a new block of entries will be created. This block contains the
following pieces of information, see also figure below:
• velocity [m/s],
• Full thermal cycle (active - <fullCycle enable="true"/> or inactive - <fullCycle

enable="false"/>),
• Number of subdivisions (Only required if Subdivisions: Constant is selected),
• Subdivision mode (Selectable between Automatic - <subDivisionMode>auto</subDivision-

Mode>, Constant - <subDivisionMode>constant</subDivisionMode> or No subdivision -
<subDivisionMode>noDivision</subDivisionMode>) and
• Data points from the table of thermal cycle (Time [s] and factor of melting temperature [-] per data point).
Figure 14.5. Welding mode: Thermal cycle (table)
The table of the thermal cycle can be edited by doing a on Edit if a thermal cycle table already exists.
14.4. Heat source data

The third and last section contains the data of the heat source. Basically, Simufact.welding supports 2 different geomet-
rical types of heat sources, see also figure below (therefore, the important blocks of entries are also marked in green):
1. Goldak's heat source (so called Conventional in Simufact.welding GUI) and
2. Laser heat source.
292
Figure 14.6. Geometrical types: Goldak's (Conventional) and Laser heat source
In case that Goldak's heat source is selected, the XML-file contains the following pieces of information:
• Shape of Goldak's heat source [m] (depth, front length, rear length and width),
• Type of distribution (uniform distribution - continuousDistribution="true" or normal distribution -

continuousDistribution="false") and
• Gaussian parameter [-] (Only required if normal distribution - continuousDistribution="false" is

used.).
In case a Laser is used as the heat source, the energy input is divided into:
• 2a. Volumetric heat source and
• 2b. Surface heat source
which causes 2 different blocks of entries. The block of 2a. Volumetric heat source contains the following pieces
of information:
• Volume heat fraction [-] (e.g. in this case <volumeRatio>0.96</volumeRatio>)
• Shape of volumetric heat source [m] (depth, upper radius and lower radius)


used.).
And the block 2b. Surface heat source contains the following pieces of information:
• Shape of surface heat source [m] (radius and depth)
293


used.).
294
tion
6.0
15 User defined heat sources

6.0 User defined heat sources Introduction
Keywords
Heat source, Heat flux distribution, 3D, Welding parameter
Educational basics
This chapter describes the usage of user defined heat sources via FORTRAN subroutines.
Prerequisites
Basic process knowledge, Basic knowledge of Simufact.welding, Programming, FORTRAN.
15.1. Introduction
Simufact.welding already offers a high flexibility if it comes to definition of heat sources out of the GUI. It is possible
to define conical, circular and Goldak (double ellipsoidal) heat flux distributions by defining their shapes as well as
Gaussian parameter (also called "concentration factor").
Nonetheless, sometimes it is useful to create own heat sources that offer even more flexibility. Using a FORTRAN
subroutine allows basically free definition of shape and heat flux distribution and also a combination of several heat
sources in one routine. The data needed can be partially extracted from the DAT-file of a process or be defined
completely by user. The main purpose of a user defined heat source is the definition of heat flux input into the model
with respect to the position of nodes relative to the moving center of the heat source. The movement itself is described
vie GUI and DAT-file. Please note, that in the subroutine you should use the SI unit system. An example subroutine
can be found when opening Help in the GUI and opening the Subroutine directory.
The workflow of the solver if it comes to calculation of heat input into the model can be described as following:
The solver checks for every integration point of deformable bodies of the model if the particular integration point
fulfills some defined condition. The condition might be for instance the distance of the integration point from the
origin of a (moving) heat source, its global position or if it belongs to some set of nodes or elements.
15.2. Prerequisites
In order to use FORTRAN subroutines you need a proper compiler environment installed on your machine. For current
Simufact.welding release the requirements are:
• Intel® Fortran Compiler Version 13.0.1
• Microsoft© C Compiler 17
• Microsoft© Visual Studio 2012
15.3. Editing the DAT-file

Once a process is created in Simufact.welding GUI, please write the DAT-file as usual by clicking "Write program
input" in the analysis control tool bar.
Open the DAT-file with a text editor of your choice and search for heat source definition. Heat sources are defined
via the WELD FLUX card. Usually, the WELD FLUX card looks similar to
10 WELD FLUX
20 2 0 1 1
30 1 6000 6 4000 5000 0weld_flux_6000_welding
40 0.0000000000000E+00 0.0000000000000E+00 0.0000000000000E+00
0.0000000000000E+00 0.0000000000000E+00 5.0000000000000E-03 0 0
1.2000000000000E+00
296
6.0 User defined heat sources Editing the FORTRAN file
50 7.6440000000000E+03 9.0000000000000E-01 3.0000000000000E+00

7.5000000000000E-03 6.5000000000000E-03 6.0000000000000E-03
1.5000000000000E-02 3.0000000000000E-02
60 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
70 0 10
80 1
90 all_elements_set
100 1 6001 6 4001 5001 0weld_flux_6001_welding
110 0.0000000000000E+00 0.0000000000000E+00 0.0000000000000E+00
0.0000000000000E+00 0.0000000000000E+00 5.0000000000000E-03 0 0
1.2000000000000E+00
120 7.6440000000000E+03 9.0000000000000E-01 3.0000000000000E+00
7.5000000000000E-03 6.5000000000000E-03 6.0000000000000E-03
1.5000000000000E-02 3.0000000000000E-02
130 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
140 0 10
150 1
160 all_elements_set
Line 10 and 20 are headers, the first entry of the line 20 describing the total number of heat sources in the model.
Lines 30 to 90 describe the first heat source, lines 100 to 160 the second one and so on (if more heat sources exist in
the model). The third entry of lines 30, 100 and so on describe the heat source type. Set this value to 3 to include a
user defined subroutine for the heat source in question.
Additionally one has to keep in mind that per default the solver calculates the applied heat source power in every
increment and checks if it matches with the power set by GUI. If the power differs (this can happen due to different
mesh densities or geometry corners and gaps), the power is scaled to match the user input. The value is visible in the
first entry of lines 50, 120 and so on. If you redefine the heat source in a way that this functionality is not needed, you
can turn this scaling off by putting a "0" into the third position of the line 20. Please note that this setting is applied
for all heat sources in the model.
15.4. Editing the FORTRAN file

We provide an example of a user defined heat source, see heat_source.f. The file is basically subdivided into three
blocks, the obligatory header defining necessary variables and reading the data, the block where the calculations are
done as well as the output block. In addition, many lines in the file are marked as comments (they are marked with
"C" at the beginning of a line or with "!" in the middle of the line), so they explain the program code.
15.5. Header of the FORTRAN file

The header contains information about input and output data and should not be changed.
subroutine uweldflux(f,temflu,mibody,welddim,time)
subroutine uweldflux(f,temflu,mibody,welddim,time)
#ifdef _IMPLICITNONE
implicit none
#else
implicit logical (a-z)
#endif
c ** Start of generated type statements **
real*8 f
integer mibody
real*8 temflu, time, welddim
c ** End of generated type statements **
dimension mibody(*),temflu(*),welddim(*)
c* * * * * *
297
6.0 User defined heat sources Output of the FORTRAN file
c
c user subroutine for weld flux input.
c
c f weld flux value (to be defined)
c temflu(1,2,3) local integration point coordinates (wrt weld origin)
c temflu(4,5,6) global integration point coordinates
c mibody(1) element number
c mibody(2) distributed flux type
c mibody(3) integration point number
c mibody(4) weld flux index
c welddim(1) weld width
c welddim(2) weld depth
c welddim(3) weld forward length
c welddim(4) weld rear length
c welddim(5) weld flux power
c time time at end of incement
c
c INPUT: temflu,mibody,welddim,time
c OUTPUT: f
c welddim(5) weld flux power
c* * * * * *
In this header output and input variables are defined. The subroutine UWELDFLUX returns a value "f" and loads a
number of variables. The vector "temflu" contains node coordinates in the local coordinate system of a moving heat
source (first three entries) and in the global coordinate system of the model (last three entries). The vector "mibody"
contains element number, weld flux type, number of integration point as well as weld flux index respectively. The
vector "welddim" contains heat source width, depth, forward and rear length as entered in the WELD FLUX card and
in the GUI. You can use this data in your heat source definition.
15.6. Output of the FORTRAN file

The subroutine returns the value of variable "f" describing the heat flux with respect to the position of an integration
point relative to the heat source center. The last line of the FORTRAN file should then be
f=QR
QR being the result of your calculations.
Additionally, the value of heat source power welddim(5) is returned.
15.7. Calculation of heat flux distribution

Between those two sections you can calculate the distribution with respect to process time, position of the integration
point etc. Depending on values of this variables one can describe the heat flux experienced by an integration point.
For instance, let us assume we have a heat source moving strictly in X-Y-plane with Z-coordinate is zero and we want
to distribute a constant heat flux over the complete disc with the radius 1 mm around the center of the heat source.
The position of the heat source is described by the local coordinate system of the heat source saved in the variable
temflu. The first entry describes the relative position perpendicular to the welding direction on the plane, the second
entry the position of an integration point out of the plane and the third one the position along the weld path. Thus
it is possible to set
LENG = temflu(3)
WID = temflu(1)
DEP = temflu(2)
298
6.0 User defined heat sources Compiling the solver
describing the positions of integration points with respect to local coordinate system of the heat source in length, width
and depth directions and
LD = welddim(3)
WD = welddim(1)
DD = welddim(2)
describing the dimensions of the heat source. If the integration point does not lie in the X-Y-plane we can directly
abort the execution because then it does not experience any heat flux:
if(DEP.NEQ.WD) return
Otherwise we can also check if the distance in plane is greater than 1 mm
DISTQ = 0.001**2 ! Square of the radius of the heat source
DISLQ = (LENG-LD)**2 ! Square of the distance in length direction
DISWQ = (WID-WD)**2 ! Square of the distance in width direction
DISQ = DISLQ+DISWQ ! Square of the distance from the center
if(DISQ.GT.DISTQ) return
All other integration points experience the heat flux. Now we need to calculate the area of the heat source and divide
the given power by the area to get the heat flux in each integration point:
AREA = 3.14*DISTQ
QV = dmaxweld ! Get the power value
welddim(5)=QV
QR = QV/AREA
The variable QR describes the heat flux and can be returned with the output statement. Please note, if the density of
integration points changes, the solver will try to adjust (scale) the heat input to achieve given power value.
Of course, more sophisticated code is possible, please check a FORTRAN manual of your choice to get deeper insight
into programming with FORTRAN. Please keep in mind, that used variables are to be declared previously to their
usage.
15.8. Compiling the solver

In order to execute the solver with your subroutine edit the run.bat file in the _run_ directory of the process in question.
Add a parameter -user name_of_fortran_file to the call of the solver, i.e. "...\run_sfMarc.bat" -
nthread_solver 16 -nthread_elem 16 -ddm 1 -nps 4 -user mycode -j Mechanical-3.dat
If you want to save the compiled solver, you can also add -save yes to the call of the solver. Please refer to solver
manual volume A, chapter "Program Initiation" for further information.
299

Sfwelding Tutorial en PDF

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Sfwelding Tutorial en PDF

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Sfwelding Tutorial en PDF

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

What is the purpose of the document?

What is the purpose of the document?

How does one define a user defined heat source?

How does one define a user defined heat source?

Simufact.welding 6.

Structural Welding Simulation

MSC and MSC.Marc are registered trademarks of MSC.Software Corporation.

3Dconnexion and SpaceDevice are registered trademarks of 3Dconnexion Inc.

5.8. Configuring robots and weld beads ................................................................. 126

11.1.3. Control bar ..................................................................................... 254

4.21. Translating position - Moving components using an increment-driven mode or click-n-

5.13. Selecting reference faces ...................................................................................... 111

10.24. Heat source - heat source parameters .................................................................... 233

12.6. Editing data ....................................................................................................... 277

Simufact.welding is a high performance finite-element-based software with state-of-the-art solver

1.1. About welding simulation

Figure 1.1. Welding simulation setup of a simple structure

2.1. What is Simufact.welding

• Mathematical heat sources are state-of-the-art in simulation welded structures faster;

2.2. Understanding welding simulation

Radaj has classified the approach in three interconnected domains:

Figure 2.1. Research fields of welding simulation according to Radaj (2002)

Figure 2.2. Side-by-side view of a simple GMAW

Figure 2.3. Undesirable impacts caused by distortion

2.3. Structural welding simulation

Figure 2.4. Comparison of the distortion between single-layer

2.4. Best welded strategy

• To calculate the global temperature field

• Show the structural behavior of components

• Visualize the residual stress due to structural changes

• Deliver in details the ongoing process to the user

With Simufact.welding the user is able to:

2.5. Overview of the power tools

Figure 2.5. Simufact.welding main screen - user

Here is what you can perform with Simufact.welding:

• All beam processes: LASER, Electron etc.

• All brazing processes

• Resistance spot welding processes

• Stress relief heat treatment processes

• Simple cooling & clamping process

• Multi-layer welding: root pass and overlapped joints

• Cladding and deposition processes

• Tack welds with or without filler material

• Quick definition of welding paths using mouse clicks

• Quick definition of heat source orientation: customized torch angle

• Quick thermal-only calculation with all metallurgical phase transformation

• Decoupled mode for thermal-mechanical pass independence

• Any combination of welding sequences, direction or time periods

• Multiple or single robots/operators simultaneously with time managed separately

• Easiest tool/fixture/clamp definition, simple geometry can be generated inside Simufact.welding

• Fully automatic contact calculation between all bodies

• Virtual welding of components with adaptive local contact condition

• Gap formation is calculated intrinsically regarding fixture concept

• Non-conformal mesh is fully supported, there is no need to match or merge nodes

• Friction is automatically applied through included models

• Automatic mesh refinement according to specified criteria

• Filler material creation is fully parametrized and generated inside Simufact.welding

• Weight due to gravity can be part of the simulation

• Direct interface with JMatPro for customized material

• .fem, .feb, *.sfc - Mesh formats written by simufact.forming and simufact.mesh