Research on Distribution of Welding Deformation and Residual Stress of Corrugated Web I-Beams

In order to investigate the distribution of welding deformation and residual stress in corrugated web I-beams， an experimental study on welding residual stress was conducted using resistance strain gauges. A three-dimensional thermo-elastic-plastic finite element model was established and validated by comparing its results with the experimental data. A finite element model of a flat web I-beam with identical dimensions was also developed using the same methodology. By extracting stress contour plots and defining multiple paths in the model， the welding stress of the two beam types was analyzed. The resultant displacement distribution was studied along paths parallel to the weld. The analysis results showed that the maximum longitudinal residual stresses in the corrugated web and flat web I-beams were 410 MPa and 451 MPa， respectively. Overall， the former exhibited lower welding-induced residual stress than the latter. A region of high residual stress was observed at the bottom plate in front of the wave crest in the corrugated web I-beam， whereas the flat web I-beam showed a symmetrical stress distribution on both sides of the web. The maximum resultant displacement of the corrugated web I-beam was 1.32 mm， located at y+5.3 mm of the bottom plate on the right side of the weld. In contrast， the flat web I-beam had a maximum resultant displacement of 0.96 mm at z+5.3 mm on the web surface. For both types， the displacement at the web-to-bottom-plate junction was less than that at the weld. Furthermore， the displacement curve of the corrugated web I-beam exhibited a wavy profile， while that of the flat web I-beam was relatively smooth with clear distinctions between paths.