Validation of Temperature Histories for Structural Steel Welds Using Estimated Heat-Affected-Zone Edges

: Temperature histories of structural steel deep-penetration welds are presented, which are calculated using numerical-analytical basis functions and solidification-boundary constraints. These weld temperature histories can be adopted as input data to various types of computational procedures, which include numerical models for prediction of solid-state phase transformations and mechanical response. In addition, these temperature histories can be used parametrically for inverse thermal analysis of welds corresponding to other welding processes whose process conditions are within similar regimes. The present study applies an inverse thermal analysis procedure that uses three-dimensional constraint conditions whose two-dimensional projections are mapped within transverse cross sections of experimentally measured solidification boundaries. In addition, the present study uses experimentally measured estimates of the heat-affected-zone edge to examine the consistency of calculated temperature histories for steel welds.