Reverse deformation design for bending control in welding of ring stiffeners

Abstract

After Double Side Arc Welding (DSAW), the ring stiffener undergoes significant radial bending deformation due to the release of residual plastic stress, which severely impacts the dimensional quality of the welded component. This type of stress release-induced deformation is difficult to control through the application of external constraints. In this paper, a method for designing reverse deformation to compensate for bending deformation is proposed, based on the Distribution Function based Inherent Strain Method (DFISM). By leveraging the rapid calculations from DFISM and parametric modeling, welding deformation samples of ring stiffeners of different sizes were obtained in sample, and the optimal reverse deformation amount for the ring stiffener was determined using parameter evaluation criteria. The compensation effect of the designed reverse deformation was tested through DSAW experiments, where the calculation and experimental error were less than 1.0 mm (7.8 % of the total deformation), and the maximum error between the welded ring stiffener and the theoretical profile after reverse deformation design was within 1.2 mm (0.03 % of the theoretical radius). The Reverse Deformation Design Method (RDDM), based on rapid calculations and parametric modeling, effectively compensates for the bending deformation of the ring stiffener.