Abstract:The distribution of temperature and then the distribution of residual stress and distortion in the stiffened aluminum alloy Al6061-T6 plates under the metal inert gas (MIG) welding process were investigated by three dimensional thermo-mechanical coupled finite element model using Ansys software. The properties of materials were considered temperature-dependent and the filler metal was added to the workpiece by the element birth and death technique. In three modes of current, two different speeds and two various sequences, the distribution of residual stress and distortion were calculated and analyzed. The results showed that increase in welding speed decreased the vertical deflection in the plate, transverse shrinkage and angular distortion of plate and the lateral deflection of stiffener, but increased the maximum longitudinal tensile stress in the plate and stiffener. Furthermore, increase in current increased the residual stress and deformation in the plate and stiffener, and the change in the welding sequence changed the distribution of the distortion in the plate and the stiffener without significant change in the distribution of the longitudinal residual stress.

Key words: welding parameters; welding sequence; residual stress; distortion