One-step Distortion Simulation of Pulsed Laser Welding with Multi-physics Information

The pulsed laser welding technique involves complex physical mechanisms, which demand a multiphysics welding simulation for reliable computational analysis. Although the multi-physics simulation provides high accuracy in detailed welding information, it is difficult to apply in practice, as it requires vast computational resources for systematic analysis. We propose a highly efficient and reliable simulation technique based on multi-physics analysis and mechanical analysis. The developed technique is used to efficiently and reliably simulate a complete model of a nuclear fuel spacer grid by introducing a virtual welding distortion that exports the thermo-mechanical information. This study has the potential to develop the computational analysis and optimization of a sequence of pulse laser welding in a nuclear fuel spacer grid. (Received in March 2014, accepted in October 2014. This paper was with the authors 1 month for 2 revisions.)