Welding simulation of railway bogie frame side beam: Analyses of residual stresses, clamping forces, distortion and prediction of fatigue S-N curves

Abstract

This paper presents numerical analyses of a welding simulation of a bogie frame side beam. The simulation is based on an analytical thermal model coupled with a non-linear structural finite element model using shell elements enabling the welding simulation of large structures. The predicted clamping forces, distortions, and residual stresses for different clamping conditions and plate thicknesses are analysed in terms of manufacture. A new fatigue model based on the endurance limit approach is proposed using residual stresses to predict the S-N curves. The predicted S-N curves with the proposed model showed close correlation with the S-N curves for class F and class F2 welds of the BS7608 standard, demonstrating its validity and potential use in design.