Element-based finite volume method applied to autogenous bead-on-plate GTAW process using the enthalpy energy equation

The welding process is the most used technique for metal joining. Understanding the temperature variation along the welded part during the process can prevent the appearance of failures. The experimental investigation process is quite time-consuming and costly. Therefore, numerical simulation processes based on the finite difference method, finite element method, finite volume method, or meshless Element-Free Galerkin (EFG) methods are important tools to optimize the welding process. The main goal of the present study is to show the feasibility of the Element-based Finite-Volume Method (EbFVM) approach for actual engineering applications. To solve the unsteady 2D and 3D thermal energy equation using enthalpy as an independent variable, an in-house Fortran code has been developed based on the EbFVM approach in conjunction with unstructured and structured meshes. The numerical simulations, with four types of different heat sources, were performed for applications of real welding processes with variations in density and enthalpy as a function of temperature. The results are presented in terms of thermal cycles and temperature fields. Furthermore, the developed code was confronted against experimental works from the literature, simulated and lab-controlled experiments with AISI 409 ferritic workpieces, and exact analytical solutions with thermocouples fixed in different positions. In general, the numerical results from the current investigation are in close agreement with the results from the literature and the experimental results performed by the authors. The numerical results also highlighted the differences between the 2D and 3D models for thermal cycles near the bead weld.