Modeling and Simulation: Manufacturing of a wheel

This study presents the numerical analysis of the joining of the rim and disc parts of a heavy vehicle wheel using the submerged arc welding method. A wheel model was created in real dimensions and in 3D. The welding process was modeled with heat input to the parts determined according to the welding feed rate. It was observed that the residual stresses and the deformation in the weld zone both increased significantly with the increase of the heat input. These residual stresses combine with the influence of external loads under operating conditions. They do adversely affect the fatigue strength of the construction. It was therefore concluded that heat input should be controlled during the manufacturing process.