Modeling of ballistic-failure mechanisms in gas metal arc welds of mil a46100 armor-grade steel

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to discuss the recently developed multi-physics computational model for the conventional Gas Metal Arc Welding (GMAW) joining process that has been upgraded with respect to its predictive capabilities regarding the spatial distribution of the mechanical properties controlling the ballistic limit (i.e. penetration resistance) of the weld. Design/methodology/approach – The original model consists of five modules, each dedicated to handling a specific aspect of the GMAW process, i.e.: electro-dynamics of the welding-gun; radiation-/convection-controlled heat transfer from the electric arc to the workpiece and mass transfer from the filler-metal consumable electrode to the weld; prediction of the temporal evolution and the spatial distribution of thermal and mechanical fields within the weld region during the GMAW joining process; the resulting temporal evolution and spatial distribution of the material microstructure throughout the weld region; and spatial distribution ...