Simulation of welding flows in a slit. Part I: Kinematics

The kinematics of ideal welding flows generated by a thin‐plate divider, a cylinder, or a slab in a slit channel are studied by using a finite element analysis. The analysis includes simulations of Newtonian and Carreau fluids. There are two flow configurations. First, a single plate‐divider or an obstacle was positioned symmetrically in a slit channel with no‐slip at the walls. In the second, an infinite number of plate‐dividers or obstacles were positioned in parallel, and the boundary walls were infinitely far away. It was found that extensional flow dominates the region near the stagnation points of obstacles and plate‐dividers, and that the fluid elements near the weld interfaces have a strain history of both high stretching and shearing. The thickness of the elongated region is reduced as the thickness of the plate‐divider increases. Shear‐thinning tends to increase the rate of extension. However, its influence on the flow field tends to lessen as the width of the flow channel or the obstacle size increases. A no‐slip condition at walls causes slightly stronger elongational flow in the weld interface than does the symmetric condition of perfect slip at walls.