Experimental and Numerical Studies of Electron Beam Weld Joint of Thick Austenitic Stainless-Steel Plate

The paper aims to conduct systematic experimental and numerical studies on the joining of thick austenitic stainless-steel plates using Electron Beam Welding (EBW). The experimental phase entails welding two plates, each 12 mm thick, in a butt joint configuration under fully clamped conditions using EBW. This process involves recording parameters and temperature profiles during welding, followed by post-weld measurements of the weld pool size. The thick plate weld joint was then subjected to numerical simulation, incorporating welding parameters and plate holding conditions during welding. A three-dimensional moving conical heat source with a Gaussian distribution of power was utilized in the numerical analysis. To minimize welding variables, a correlation between parameters of the heat source model and welding outcomes was established using the numerical analysis results. Calibration of heat source model parameters was achieved by comparing numerical analyses with experimental results of temperature profile and weld pool sizes of the plate weld joint, validating the estimation procedure. Furthermore, bead-on-plate analyses were conducted using various accelerating voltage, beam current, and constant speed to demonstrate the efficacy and suitability of the developed correlation and heat source model. These bead-on-plate results were also compared with experimental data. Subsequently, residual stresses and distortions in the plate weld joint were predicted using numerical analyses and compared with existing literature