Virtual Prototyping Tools for Welded Structures

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Back to Core Research Programme AMorph – 4D Printing for Field Morphing Structures Automation of Composite and Hybrid Joining Process Coaxial Wire Additive Manufacturing Processes and In-Line Monitoring Tools Development of Coded Excitation Technique for Non-Metallic Pipes Inspection Development of Digital Twin technology as a demonstrator for real-time integrity assessment of crack growth in tensile specimens Development of Friction Stir Welding (FSW) for Hydrogen Fuel Storage Tanks Development of Leak-Before-Break Hydrogen Storage Composite Pressure Vessels With Polymeric Liner Establishing Assessment Methods for Determining Safe Service Limits of High-Temperature Materials in Extreme Environments Fracture toughness in aggressive environments: effect of crack monitoring techniques on test results In-process detection and non-destructive testing of electron beam weld imperfections Internal Bore Coatings for Applications in Corrosion and Hydrogen Environment Joining of Additively Manufactured Materials Long term behaviour of polymeric liner materials/coatings in hydrogen service Techniques for High Temperature Ultrasonic Inspection of Arc Welding Ultimate Leverage Fund

Project Code: 0901-05

Objectives

Development of software for the non-expert allowing prediction of distortion and fatigue life for welded structures.

Project Outline

The OPTWELD project contains the following technical work packages:

Identification of design requirements and specification of virtual welding system.

Development of virtual welding system.

Fatigue design methods and implementation.

Dimensional accuracy management, validation and implementation.

Artificial neural network.

Parallel computing.

The CRP will provide input to work packages 1, 2, 3 and 4 as follows:

Survey of the TWIs worldwide members needs on design requirements and specification of virtual welding system.

In-depth review of methods for predicting fatigue in welded structures, including outcomes of recent TWI work on the use of finite element analysis in fatigue assessment.

Implementation of fatigue methods within the virtual welding system.

In-depth review of advanced distortion simulation methods for large welded structures.

Implementation of suitable distortion prediction methods within the virtual welding system.

The virtual welding system will be validated using a range of test cases, and training material will be developed so that the software is suitable for non-expert users.

Relevant Industry Sectors

Shipbuilding, Rail, Off-road Vehicles, Road Transport

Technical and Economic Benefits

This project will increase productivity and improve quality for manufacturers of welded structures fabricated from relatively thin sheet material

Three typical examples of costs currently incurred in industry are as follows, demonstrating that a relatively small reduction in distortion during manufacturing will yield significant financial benefits: rework due to distortion arsing from a single press tool in the automotive industry can cost 100k; 5 man hours per tonne of steel are needed for resolving distortion issues; distortion during manufacture of a Type 45 ship cost approximately 2.5M.

Industrial Member Report

Access the Industrial Member Report resulting from this programme:

Review of Recent Advances in Computer Based Prediction of Weld Distortion