Application of welding simulation for chassis components within the development of manufacturing methods

In this article the application possibilities of welding simulation for chassis components within the development of manufacturing methods are discussed. The investigations focus on the simulation of the welding sequence and its effect on distortions. Comparisons of experimental and numerical results show good agreement. The characteristics of the welding distortions are fully reproduced by the simulation. A possible application of the welding simulation for chassis components is presented for the front axle carrier of the new BMW series 7. For more complex structures like the whole front axle carrier, a special methodology, namely the local/global approach, is applied. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.