Numerical study of the plastic behaviour in tension of welds in high strength steels

The influence of the mismatch between material properties and constraint on the plastic deformation behaviour of the heat affected zone of welds in high strength steels is investigated in this study, using finite element simulations. An elastoplastic implicit three-dimensional finite element code (EPIM3D) was used in the analysis. The paper presents the mechanical model of the code and the methodology used for the numerical simulation of the tensile test of welded joints. Numerical results of the tensile test of welded samples with different hypothetical widths for the Heat Affected Zone and various material mismatch levels are shown. The analysis concerns the overall strength and ductility of the joint and in relation to the plastic behaviour of the heat affected zone. The influence of the yield stress, tensile strength and constraint on the stress and plastic strain distribution in the soft heat affected zone is also discussed. (C) 2002 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.