Simulation of three-dimensional temperature field in high-frequency welding based on nonlinear finite element method

Lun Tang; Minge Yang; Zhihua Hou

doi:10.1515/nleng-2022-0316

Article Open Access

Simulation of three-dimensional temperature field in high-frequency welding based on nonlinear finite element method

Lun Tang , Minge Yang and Zhihua Hou

Published/Copyright: October 5, 2023

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From the journal Nonlinear Engineering Volume 12 Issue 1

Abstract

In modern industrial production, many advanced manufacturing technologies are constantly developing with the progress of social sciences. Welding, as an indispensable manufacturing technology in industrial production, has received close attention from various industries. High frequency welding technology is needed in fields such as mechanical manufacturing, machine making in the food industry, and intelligent robot model making. High frequency welding is an important technical means in the production process of welded pipes, and the level of welding temperature has a significant impact on the quality of welded pipe welds. This article studied the shortcomings of traditional high-frequency welding, analyzed the application method of nonlinear finite element method in high-frequency welding, and analyzed the dynamic process of welding and its influencing factors. The finite element method formula is used to stabilize the value of three-dimensional (3D) temperature field. This work studied the temperature distribution of welded pipe welding, welded pipe materials, inside and outside of welded pipe, and temperature changes under different voltages. The experimental results showed that the error value between the simulation results of the 3D temperature field of high-frequency welding and the measured experimental results was about 4.3542°C, which was basically similar, indicating the effectiveness of the 3D temperature field simulation experiment. With the development of science and technology, high-frequency welding technology would continue to improve, and the quality of welded pipe welds would become better and better with the progress of technology. The improvement in quality promotes the development and progress of industry, and maintains the quality of machine manufacturing. The simulation experiment method of 3D temperature field has shortened the experimental time and reduced the experimental cost, providing a new reference for other temperature related experiments.

Keywords: finite element method; high frequency welding; three-dimensional temperature field; simulation experiment

1 Introduction

Welding uses heating or pressure to connect two pieces of metal together without the use of filler metal. This metal welding method is a modern welding process. There are many types of welding processes, such as pressure welding, brazing, melt welding, plasma welding, and carbon dioxide gas shielded welding. The development and maturity of high-frequency welding technology have improved the production quality of straight welded pipes. The temperature field reflects the changes and distribution of temperature of a substance in time and space, which can timely grasp the changes in the properties of a substance under different temperature conditions. It can discover the laws and characteristics among them, and find the optimal experimental conditions. The simulation effect is not only similar to the actual experimental results, but also the experimental results are almost identical to the actual experimental results. It avoids the problem of material waste caused by multiple experiments, reduces experimental costs, and enables more intuitive observation of real-time changes in various data. Based on this, the three-dimensional (3D) temperature field simulation of high-frequency welding based on nonlinear finite element method is very meaningful.

The development of welding technology can accelerate the development of the manufacturing industry, solve many problems that have arisen in metal welding so far, and discover that different welding methods have different advantages and characteristics, improving the quality of welding materials. For example, some welding methods have good connectivity, some have low costs, and some have high production efficiency. Mohan et al. believed that remote laser welding of aluminum alloys plays an important role in lightweight manufacturing, which can reduce the weight of white car bodies. He studied the basic physical fields during the welding process and understood the effects of beam oscillation on heat transfer, fluid flow, and material mixing [1]. Derazkola et al. studied the feasibility of friction stir welding to obtain sound and defect free joints in the heterogeneous lap joint of aluminum–magnesium alloys and polymethyl methacrylate sheet [2]. Abdi Behnagh et al. found that ultrasonic welding is more and more popular for connecting thin and heterogeneous materials in the manufacturing of automotive lithium-ion battery packs because of its excellent efficiency, high productivity, high welding quality, and other advantages [3]. Pradhan et al. believed that residual stress generated during welding is an important factor in estimating fatigue life and load-bearing capacity. Vibration stress relief is a promising technology that can reduce residual stress on welded components [4]. Satpathy et al. believed that ultrasonic welding is becoming a basic technology in the manufacturing of battery electric vehicles, and has found the influence of control parameters on the response of tensile shear and T-shaped peel failure load of nodes with microstructure. Therefore, appropriate parameters should be set during the stretching and shearing process of microstructure [5]. Mohan et al. explored the effects of welding process parameters and beam oscillation on weld thermal cycling during laser welding. He discovered that the changes in laser welding process parameters are the main factor affecting the thermal cycling of the weld seam, so attention should be paid to stabilizing the process parameters of laser welding during the laser welding process [6]. Different welding methods will be affected by different aspects during welding, and these influencing factors are easy to change and the conditions are difficult to control. Real experiments cannot accurately control complex and ever-changing experimental conditions, so it is necessary to use some modern scientific technology to find suitable experimental parameters online.

Due to its ability to calculate a large amount of complex data and visually simulate the temperature changes during high-frequency welding, many experts establish 3D temperature field models that conform to the research topic when studying the impact of temperature on the welding process. Zhao et al. studied the influence of coil structure on the electromagnetic field and temperature distribution of copper steel pipe induction brazing in the compressor automatic production line. He established a 3D finite element model and made a numerical prediction of the temperature distribution of the workpiece and compared it with the experimental value [7]. Malik et al. believed that friction stir welding is a solid-state connection process, so an effective and reliable finite element model of friction welding process has been developed to deeply understand the process phenomenon. They can effectively improve the shortcomings and better serve the enterprise through research on welding processes [8]. Sarmast et al. studied the effect of multi-pass repair welding to remove fatigue cracks on the residual stress field of welded steel T-joints, and developed a two-dimensional thermal metallurgical mechanical finite element model to estimate the residual stress field of welded parts [9]. Wang et al. studied the method of combining finite element simulation with experiments to establish a bidirectional coupling model of alternating current (AC) rail electric heating [10]. Mansouri et al. used a 3D finite element models for modeling, including a combination of nonlinear kinematics and isotropic hardening, and estimated the fatigue life of rail welds under static and cyclic loads [11]. Ma et al. established a numerical simulation model for laser arc hybrid welding of dissimilar magnesium alloys, and numerically simulated the weld morphology and the distribution of temperature, stress, displacement, and plastic strain [12]. Huang et al. believed that welding dissimilar metals often presents some problems, especially because connecting different metals is more difficult than similar metals. Therefore, a 3D temperature field finite element simulation model was established to conduct orthogonal experiments on post weld heat treatment parameters. He found that the heat treatment temperature has the greatest impact on the reduction in residual stress and deformation, and the reduction in residual stress is also affected by the plasticity of the material [13]. 3D simulation experiments are widely used in studying problems in the welding process, demonstrating the maturity of 3D simulation technology and the ability to effectively conduct experimental simulations before conducting welding experiments.

In the process of practical welding, it has been found that temperature is an important process parameter that affects the quality of welded pipes in high-frequency welding. When welding welded pipes, if the temperature of high-frequency welding is too high or too low, it would directly affect the final effect of welded pipes. If the temperature is too high, it leads to material melting and wastage of the material, and the port heating is not in place when the temperature is too low, making it impossible to weld. This study would conduct dynamic experimental simulation experiments on the high-frequency welding process using a 3D temperature field model, in which the nonlinear changes are stabilized by the numerical variables in the experiment using finite element algorithms. To minimize errors as much as possible, in order to obtain more accurate experimental data and provide more accurate reference data for setting various numerical values and parameters in practical experiments, this study designs a 3D temperature field simulation experimental model. This model can simulate the process simulation of high-frequency welding experiment, and display the temperature changes in the experimental process in the form of pictures. The changes in various numerical values can also be clearly realized, which not only effectively improves the efficiency of actual experiments, but also reduces the cost of experiments. It provides a good experimental method for analyzing the influencing factors of temperature on high-frequency welding and promotes the technological development in the welding field.

2 High-frequency welding and nonlinear finite element

2.1 Welding process

High frequency welding is a new type of welding process [14,15], which uses high-frequency current to tightly weld steel plates with other different metal materials. This welding process is the most critical industrial process in the straight seam welding of welded pipes. The correctness of this process determines the quality, overall strength, and production speed of welded pipe products. Due to the immaturity of this technology, many problems have arisen in practice. Therefore, it is necessary to conduct experimental analysis on the influencing factors during the welding process and effectively solve and improve them.

The high-frequency current is usually an AC frequency of 50 Hz. This current frequency produces two different effects when passing through metal conductors, namely, skin effect and adjacent effect.

When a fixed frequency AC current passes through a metal conductor, the distribution of the current in the conductor is uneven, and the current would concentrate on the surface of the metal conductor. The surface current density is high, while the internal current density is low. This is the so-called skin effect, in which the current is not always concentrated on the surface of a metal conductor, but varies with the frequency of the current. The higher the current frequency, the more concentrated the current is on the metal surface. The lower the current frequency, the more dispersed the current is in the metal conductor. Although metal welded pipes are conductors, their magnetic permeability varies depending on the temperature. As the temperature of metal welded pipes increases, the magnetic permeability would decrease due to the increase in temperature, and the skin effect caused by high-frequency current would also be correspondingly reduced. Therefore, when welding welded pipes, attention should be paid to the changes in these two effects, and proper use can effectively improve work efficiency.

When welding pipes, it is necessary to connect the interfaces of two metal conductors together. When the two metal conductors are connected to high-frequency current, the high-frequency current would flow in the two metal conductors and concentrate towards the edge of the interface of the metal conductors. The closer the distance between the interfaces of two metal conductors, the higher the current frequency, and thus the adjacent effect is correspondingly increased. When welding welded pipes, adjacent effects should be utilized to promote rapid heating and heating of the welded interface.

The skin effect and adjacent effect are the fundamental effects for achieving high-frequency welding during metal welding, as high-frequency welding requires the concentration of high-frequency current on the surface of the metal conductor that needs to be welded during operation. By utilizing these two basic effects, the welded pipe can be quickly heated and the working time can be shortened. It also needs to control the route of high-frequency current during the flow process, as well as the position and range of a certain time node, in order to heat the welding interface of the metal conductor faster. It quickly welds the heated and melted parts, greatly shortening the welding time and improving the efficiency of welding work.

2.2 Nonlinear finite element

2.2.1 Nonlinearity and linearity of variables

The essence of the process of material change is the change in various variables, and the impact of each variable on the material is different. The relationship between variables can be represented by graphs. Generally, the relationship between variables in material can be divided into two types: linear and nonlinear, and the graph relationship can be displayed by different variables in the same material over time.

Linearity and nonlinearity are the representation methods of graph lines between various variables in matter, and the graph lines are actually visually displayed through functional relationships [16,17]. The rate of change between linear variables is fixed. It is in a straight-line state and its variable relationships are symmetric within a certain time region. The variation in variables between most substances in the world is complex and diverse, without a stable rate of change. Therefore, the relationship between variables is displayed through functional relationships, and the image would appear in the form of curves. The variables in the metal material welded during high-frequency welding are also nonlinear. This is because during the welding process, changes in variables such as temperature, current frequency, and material can lead to unsuccessful welding of metal welded pipes, thereby affecting the overall process of pipe welding [18]. Therefore, when conducting welding, it is necessary to conduct experimental research and select appropriate variable conditions.

2.2.2 Finite element

When solving the boundary value problem of partial differential equations, there is a problem of approximating the boundary value. When solving the boundary value of a certain region, there would be many numerical values, and there would be significant errors between different values, resulting in different and accurate data. In this case, the finite element method can be used.

When solving a problem region, this study decomposes the region into different small regions, and the simple part of each small region is the finite element. This method is to solve the entire region by region splitting and synthesizing the small solutions, which means dividing the large problem area into many small areas. The value of a small area is close to the solution of a point, while the solution obtained in a small area is close to the accurate value, reducing the calculation error and minimizing the error to the lowest range. It then synthesizes the solutions of small regions to find the solutions of equations in large regions. By finding the solutions of each small region, it can discover the conditional laws within it, and then accurately select the variable conditions for solving the solutions in large regions. This can make the solution result closer to the accurate value and reduce the error in the calculation. It shows that the finite element method can not only ensure the accuracy of results when conducting large-scale data calculations, but also adapt to various complex nonlinear shapes. Therefore, finite element method has become a commonly used mathematical solution method in the engineering field.

The variable changes in high-frequency welding during welding experiments are non-linear graphical states, and the small changes in each variable would affect the overall welding quality. Therefore, when conducting simulation experiments using 3D temperature fields during high-frequency welding, it is necessary to calculate a large number of variable relationships. The finite element method is a more suitable calculation method for high-frequency welding.

2.2.3 Finite element of nonlinear materials

Nonlinear finite element analysis refers to the finite element analysis of materials or structures that undergo nonlinear changes. The nonlinearity of the structure is mainly due to the various shapes of the material, without a square shape structure. It is not easy to calculate various edge lengths and area data, and the nonlinearity of materials mainly refers to the different changes that occur in the material in different external environments, which are irregular and the data changes are also unstable. If it is necessary to analyze and summarize such irregular data changes, nonlinear finite element methods need to be used.

During high-frequency welding, the influence of temperature on the substances in the welded pipe cannot be accurately predicted. As time goes on, the temperature of the welded pipe becomes higher and higher, and the movement and changes of the current are relatively dispersed, making it impossible to predict the trajectory of the current using the same method. When simulating electric current, nonlinear finite element can make the electric current flow at the same speed and direction in a small area, and quickly calculate and predict the approximate path. This method can reduce data errors and accurately calculate values in a certain area.

3 3D temperature field model for high-frequency welding

3.1 High frequency welding process

3.1.1 Control of welding temperature

The high-frequency welding process is a nonlinear short-term operation process. The welded material not only conducts electricity, but also conducts heat. The state of the material would change with the temperature. The equation for controlling the welding temperature is as follows:

(1) av ∂ Y ∂ y = ∆ · l · ∆ Y + W ,

where W is the temperature intensity of the heating part during welding, and a is the density of the welding material used during high-frequency welding. v is the heat capacity ratio of metal materials, and l is the rate of heat conduction of metal materials.

Express Eq. (1) using the finite element method as follows:

(2) LY + V ∂ Y ∂ y = b ,

where L is the range of heat conduction, V is the range of heat capacity, and b is the trajectory of heat flow.

3.1.2 Heat source

The heat source for high-frequency welding of welded pipes belongs to a linear heat source, and the internal heat intensity during heating of welded pipes is

(3) fc , y = μ K 0 2 A V t ,

where V t is the thermal capacity of the volume, and A is the power of the resistor. K 0 is the density of current distribution on the surface of a metal conductor, and μ is the efficiency of heating.

3.1.3 Convective air heat transfer

(4) l c ∂ Y ∂ c m c + l u ∂ Y ∂ u m u + l x ∂ Y ∂ x m x = jY − Y g ,

where j is the coefficient of convective air heat transfer on the surface of the welded pipe, and Y is the temperature of the metal surface.

(5) w = ε P 0 Y d 4 − Y g 4 .

During high-frequency welding, there is a slight radiation effect, and there are certain conditions for the occurrence of radiation factors. Radiation is generated at high temperatures and not at low temperatures.

(6) ∆ j = A δ YfY .

In the process of high-frequency welding of welded pipes, the melted area would absorb and dissipate heat due to temperature changes, and the potential heat changes are shown in Eq. (6).

3.2 Numerical analysis of welding temperature for welded pipes

3.2.1 Establishment of welded pipe model

The level of high-frequency welding technology determines the quality of welded pipe welds. The rapid increase in welding temperature can accelerate the speed of welded pipe welding, thereby promoting the overall work process. A welded pipe model can be established in the 3D image space, which has the temperature distribution of welded pipe during welding, as shown in Figure 1. The welding of welded pipes in this article mainly involves heating the interfaces of two welded pipes to promote the melting of materials at the interfaces, and then docking the melted interfaces. After its docking is completed, it is cooled down and the welding condition of the interface is checked. If the welding fails, it is re-welded. If the welding is successful, it proves that the welding task is completed.

Figure 1

Temperature distribution model of welded pipe established in 3D image space.

As shown in Figure 1, this is the 3D temperature distribution diagram of the welded pipe surface when the temperature is relatively stable during the welding of welded pipes. The temperature at the welded pipe interface is as high as 660°C, and the heat conduction temperature in the middle stage is between 500 and 340°C. Although the temperature at the tail of the welded pipe increases due to the influence of heat conduction, the temperature gradually decreases due to the influence of air flow heat transfer.

3.2.2 Numerical analysis of temperature field

The simulation experiment of 3D temperature field is to explore the temperature changes at the welding edge during high-frequency welding process. The metal welded pipe in high-frequency welding is affected by the heat source, and the heat dissipation of convection and radiation reaches a balanced state. The temperature field is formed at the welding edge of the welded pipe, and the relationship between the welding material and temperature is shown in Table 1.

Table 1

Thermophysical properties of welding materials in relation to temperature

Temperature (°C)	Thermal conductivity (W m⁻¹ K⁻¹)	Specific heat (J m⁻³ °C⁻¹)	Density (kg m⁻³)
30	51	460	7,830
200	45	480	7,710
400	41	500	7,610
600	37	520	7,530
800	29	600	7,470
1,000	32	610	7,350
1,200	42	630	7,230

Table 1 shows the relationship between the thermal conductivity, specific heat, and density of welding materials at welding temperatures of 30, 200, 400, 600, 800, 1,000, and 1,200°C. Thermal conductivity refers to the thermal conductivity of a welding material, specific heat refers to the thermal capacity of the welding material, and density refers to the density change of the welding material. From the values in Table 1, it can be observed that the thermal conductivity undergoes nonlinear changes with temperature, with the changing node at 800°C. At this point, the thermal conductivity of the welding material is in a lower value state. It indicates that the thermal conductivity of welding materials is relatively low, and with the increase in temperature, the specific heat value of welding materials shows an upward trend, while the density value of welding materials shows a downward trend. This can indicate that as the temperature increases, the thermal capacity of the welding material increases and the density of the welding material decreases.

3.2.3 Finite element equation for temperature field

The time of temperature change during high-frequency welding is instantaneous, so the boundary conditions for the 3D temperature field are

(7) av Y y − ϑ ∂ 2 Y ∂ c 2 + ∂ 2 Y ∂ u 2 + ∂ 2 Y ∂ x 2 − W = 0 ,

where c , u , x are the components of the coordinate axis, and W is the density of the heat source of matter.

3.2.4 Temperature field simulation comparison experiment

The temperature distribution of 3D temperature field is different at different times. The change in temperature with time clearly shows the heating speed of welded pipe materials. Fast heating speed can accelerate the process of welded pipe welding, thus providing technical support for the development of the entire industry. The slow heating speed not only affects the welding speed of welded pipes, but also reduces the work efficiency of the entire industry, which is not conducive to the rapid development of industry, as shown in Figure 2.

Figure 2

Temperature profile for (a) 50 and (b) 500 s during welding of welded pipe.

As shown in Figure 2, this is the temperature distribution diagram of 50 and 500 s during the welding process of welded pipe. It can be clearly seen that with the extension of time, the temperature indicated by the welded pipe gradually increases, and the temperature between 660 and 540°C is mainly distributed at the heating end of the welded pipe at 50 s. The temperature of 500–340°C accounts for most of the temperature distribution area of welded pipe, and the temperature of 300–220°C is mainly distributed at the other end of the heated end of welded pipe. The temperature of 660–540°C at 500 s is mainly distributed at the heating end of the welded pipe, which accounts for a larger proportion than that at 50 s, indicating that the temperature of the welded pipe continues to rise in a short time. The temperature of 500–340°C is smaller than that of 50 s, and the temperature of 300–220°C is mainly distributed at the other end of the heated end of the welded pipe.

Through the analysis of the data, it can be found that the temperature of the welded pipe gradually increases over time, because the welded pipe material is mainly metal. Metals have the property of heat conduction and can quickly transfer temperature to the entire welded pipe. The temperature of the middle part would become higher and higher due to the heat conduction temperature of the welded pipe, while the temperature of the end opposite to the heated end in the welded pipe is not high because it is far from the continuously heated part. During the process of heat conduction, the temperature would be carried away by the air flow, and when the temperature is transferred to the opposite end of the heating end, the temperature would decrease. The image temperature distribution process is to analyze the conduction and distribution of temperature changes with time during welding of welded pipe, which can effectively provide data support for the subsequent 3D temperature field simulation experiment.

4 Comparison between high-frequency welding simulation and actual measurement experiments

4.1 Experimental methods

An industrial factory from a certain city is selected, the welded pipes that need to be welded are selected, the material parameters and materials of the welded pipes are recorded, and different high-frequency voltages are prepared. Simulation and actual measurement experiments on the temperature changes of welded pipes are then conducted. First, 3D temperature field simulation experiments are conducted on welded pipes, and then on-site actual measurement experiments are conducted on welded pipes. A total of four experiments were conducted, including testing the difference between the measured and simulated temperatures at different time stages, the temperature difference between the inside and outside of the welded pipe, the temperature difference at the fusion interface of different materials of welded pipes, and the temperature difference at the fusion interface of welded pipes under different welding voltages. Finally, data are recorded and the experimental results are analyzed.

4.2 Data analysis

4.2.1 Temperature difference between simulation and measurement

Welded pipes of the same material are selected and the temperature inside, outside, and depth of the welded pipes are simulated and measured. The difference between the simulated and measured temperature values is analyzed to prove the effectiveness of the 3D temperature field simulation experiment, as shown in Figure 3, where Simulated is the simulation and Measured is the actual measurement.

Figure 3

Comparison result of measured temperature and simulation temperature.

As shown in Figure 3, the difference between the measured temperature value and the simulated temperature value would vary depending on time. The temperature value outside the welded pipe is not significantly different, and the temperature value is basically consistent. The temperature values inside the welded pipe are consistent within the time range of around 1,000 s, with small numerical differences in other times. The temperature value at a depth of 4 mm of the welded pipe gradually matches over time. The average simulated temperature outside the welded pipe is about 57.0625°C, while the average measured temperature outside the welded pipe is about 58.3125°C. The difference between the two is about 1.25°C. The average simulated temperature inside the welded pipe is around 102°C, while the average measured temperature inside the welded pipe is around 106.75°C. The average difference between the two is about 4.75°C. The average simulated temperature at a depth of 4 mm of the welded pipe is around 155.0625°C. The average measured temperature at a depth of 4 mm of the welded pipe is about 162.125°C, and the difference between the two is about 7.0625°C. This study compares the simulated and measured temperatures of the internal, external, and depth of welded pipes. The average difference between the average values of the three aspects is about 4.3542°C, which means that the error value between the experimental results of 3D temperature field simulation and actual measurement is about 4.3542°C. The small difference indicates that the experimental results of the 3D temperature field simulation are not significantly different from the measured experimental results.

4.2.2 Temperature difference between the inside and outside of welded pipes

Welded pipes of the same material are selected and the internal and external temperatures of the welded pipes are simulated and measured, and the temperature difference between the inside and outside of the welded pipes is analyzed to prove the effectiveness of the 3D temperature field simulation experiment, as shown in Figure 4. Among them, Simulated represents simulation and Measured represents actual measurement.

Figure 4

Comparison result of temperature difference outside welding tube.

As shown in Figure 4, this study conducted two simulation and measurement experiments on the internal and external temperatures of welded pipes, and found that there was a significant temperature difference between the inside and outside of the welded pipes. In Figure 4, the line chart of two a’s represents the internal temperature, and the line chart of two b’s represents the external temperature. It can be clearly seen that the temperature of the two a lines is higher than that of the two b lines, indicating that the temperature inside the welded pipe is higher than the temperature outside. The main reason is that the internal air does not flow, and the temperature continues to rise. The external air flow carries away some heat, resulting in a decrease in temperature.

4.2.3 Temperature of fusion interface under different welded pipe materials

Welded pipes of different materials were selected and the temperature of the welding interface was simulated and measured. The temperature difference of the welding interface is analyzed and the influence of materials on the temperature of the welding interface is explained, as shown in Figure 5.

Figure 5

Temperature comparison of welding interface under different welded pipe materials.

In Figures 1–6 represent brazed copper, copper alloy, steel, nickel based alloy, aluminum alloy, and silver copper zinc alloy, as shown in Figure 5. It can be clearly seen that different welded pipe materials have a significant temperature difference at the same time, indicating that the material of the welded pipe has a great impact on high-frequency welding of the welded pipe. Therefore, it is necessary to select suitable materials for high-frequency welding of welded pipes during welding.

Figure 6

Temperature results of welding interface of welded pipe under different welding voltages.

4.2.4 Temperature at the fusion interface of welded pipes under different welding voltages

Welded pipes of the same material were selected to simulate and measure high-frequency welding using different voltages, and the temperature differences at the welding interface of the welded pipes were analyzed. It illustrates the effect of voltage on the temperature of the welding pipe fusion interface, as shown in Figure 6, where Simulated is the simulation and Measured is the actual measurement.

As shown in Figure 6, the top two lines represent the temperature change values under 39.5 V, the middle two lines represent the temperature change values under 36 V, and the bottom two lines represent the temperature change values under 32 V. Through comparison, it was found that there is a significant difference in temperature changes under different voltages. Therefore, the selection of voltage is important when conducting high-frequency welding. Choosing the correct voltage value can help workers improve work efficiency during high-frequency welding.

5 Conclusion

High-frequency welding technology plays an important role in straight seam welding of welded pipes. Nonlinear finite element method is used to perform nonlinear analysis and finite element calculation on the current trend and heat distribution on the surface of metal conductors in high frequency welding. It not only provides numerical support for the heating analysis of 3D temperature fields, but also enhances the effective implementation of 3D temperature field simulation experiments. Therefore, it is necessary to conduct simulation experiments on the 3D temperature field of high-frequency welding using nonlinear finite element method. The aim of this study was to provide certain reference opinions for the improvement of high-frequency welding technology by analyzing the high-frequency welding process and influencing factors. This study used nonlinear finite element method to analyze and explore the high-frequency welding process, including analyzing the high-frequency welding process and the factors that need attention. Based on this, a 3D temperature field simulation experiment was conducted. The actual detection experiment shows that there is a slight difference in time between the measured temperature and the simulated temperature, but the overall difference between the measured temperature and the measured temperature is not significant. Due to the difference in air flow inside and outside the welded pipe, the material of the welded pipe, and the difference in current and voltage of the welded pipe, the heating of the welded pipe can be affected. Through experiments, the optimal welding conditions for high-frequency welding can be obtained, accelerating the overall industrial process.

Funding information: This work was supported by Natural Science Foundation of Hunan Province (No. 2022JJ50092).
Author contributions: All authors have accepted responsibility for the entire content of this manuscript and approved its submission.
Conflict of interest: The authors state no conflict of interest.

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Received: 2023-05-16

Revised: 2023-07-21

Accepted: 2023-08-11

Published Online: 2023-10-05

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Articles in the same Issue

https://doi.org/10.1515/nleng-2022-0316

Keywords for this article

finite element method; high frequency welding; three-dimensional temperature field; simulation experiment

Creative Commons

BY 4.0