Physically-based constitutive modelling of residual stress development in welding of aluminium alloy 2024 Original Research Article

A finite element model has been developed to predict the evolution of residual stress and distortion which takes into account the history-dependence of the yield stress–temperature response of heat-treatable aluminium alloys during welding. The model was applied to TIG welding of 2024-T3 aluminium alloy, and the residual strain predictions validated using high resolution X-ray synchrotron diffraction. The goal was to capture the influence of the permanent evolution of the microstructure during the thermal cycle with a straightforward numerical procedure, while retaining a sound physical basis. Hardness and resistivity measurements after isothermal hold-and-quench experiments were used to identify salient temperatures for zero, partial and full dissolution of the initial hardening precipitates, and the extent of softening – both immediately after welding, and after natural ageing. Based on these data, a numerical procedure for weld modelling was proposed for tracking the different yield responses during heating and cooling based on the peak temperature reached locally. This history-dependent model was superior to a conventional model in predicting the peak tensile strains, but otherwise the effect of temperature history was weak for 2024-T3. Predictions of the hardness profile immediately after welding compared with the post-weld naturally aged hardness provided insight into the competition between dissolution and coarsening of the precipitates in the heat-affected zone.