The Ultimate Load Estimation of Welded Joints of High-Strength Steels subject to Mechanical and Geometric Heterogeneity

In this paper we consider the problems arising in the numerical estimation of the ultimate load of welded joints of high-strength steels with slight hardening. The stress concentrator in the transition node from the deposited to the base metal is modeled based on the example of welding a roller wire on a plate made of high-strength steel. The use of welding wire with a yield point lower than that of the base metal allowed to simulate areas of the welded joint with heterogeneous mechanical properties. The geometry of three areas of the welded joint is studied, i.e. weld metal, heat-affected zone (HAZ) and the base metal. Mechanical properties of all three areas are determined by calculation and experimentally. For this purpose, it is proposed to consider the material in all sections as ideally elastic-plastic, and the yield strength is uniquely associated with the hardness in the indentation zone (a Rockwell diamond cone is used). Calculations of the inelastic indentation process by the finite element method (FEM) in axis-symmetric formulation allowed obtaining a linear relationship between the hardness and the yield strength with a coefficient of 0.418. Tests at a quasi-static three-point bend (with stretching in the surfacing area) were carried out on sample beams cut perpendicular to the direction of welding. The “force-deflection” diagrams are obtained and compared with the calculated curves (FEM in a three-dimensional formulation with an explicit consideration of the complex configuration of all sections and different yield stress in the areas determined by local hardness values). There is a good agreement between the calculated and experimental ultimate loads. The proposed method of the three-stage study (determination of local hardness, yield strength in the areas and the ultimate load) can be effectively used to assess the ultimate loads of the welded joints due to the low parametricity of the proposed models of materials inelastic deformation in areas for which it is impossible to manufacture standard samples for the study of mechanical properties. The experimental study of the strengthening effect of the seam with a stress concentrator in the form of an angle of 90 degrees on the value of the ultimate bending load showed that the removal of the deposited metal does not lead to an increase in the ultimate load of the welded joint when using the welding wire of low-carbon high-plastic steel.