FEA of welds, shell vs solid
FEA of welds, shell vs solid
(OP)
I have a question regarding the use of shell elements vs solid elements in the FEA of welds.
Some say that the shell elements don't give as good results for the peak stress as the solid elements. But shell give okay results for the nominal stress.
Any comments/experience on this?
K
Some say that the shell elements don't give as good results for the peak stress as the solid elements. But shell give okay results for the nominal stress.
Any comments/experience on this?
K





RE: FEA of welds, shell vs solid
corus
RE: FEA of welds, shell vs solid
What is your purpose for wanting to know the stresses at a weld? Fatigue?
RE: FEA of welds, shell vs solid
I see that I was a bit quick when posting this, sorry for the incon.
I'm not interested in the peak stress in the actual weld, but peak and nominal stresses in the surrounding structure in combination with studying mean stress in the weld.
The question is, based on the above, can this be done by using shell elements? Is this a normal procedure? Any links to FE procedures?
K
RE: FEA of welds, shell vs solid
For most others, sticking to union design by more common procedures would seem the way to go.
Then, use of shell, plate elements can have some use to see the stresses in them, say, in a bridge situation you have some other loads applied and try to see if the presence of the weldement would look to give some zone too bad a behaviour. Even for that 3D should do better, anyway, but insight you would have.
Also, FEM results, like opinions of structural engineers, there are of various kinds. I can assert for sure, for I have seen it with my eyes, that the results of plate elements in RISA 3D and one plate in Visual Nastran 4D give different enough results to make some deflection permissible or not, or vary the proposed reinforcement. I am also reasonably sure that both can be used to both intents for I have practiced it and none has come to my door to commplain, but results, are different, and must be, besause the FEM formulations are different. That the difference should be smaller or one should be corrected more than the other to approach some theoretical solution, this is for others to say.