Pre-processing System for Converting Shell to Solid at Selected Weldment in Shell FE Model

FE analyses for weldment of ship structure are required for various reasons such as stress concentration for bead tow, residual stress and distortion after welding, and hydrogen diffusion for prediction of low temperature crack. These analyses should be done by solid element modeling, but most of ship structures are modeled by shell element. If we are able to make solid element in the shell element FE modeling it is easily to solve the requirement for solid elements in weld analysis of large ship structures. As the nodes of solid element cannot take moments from nodes of shell element, these two kinds of element cannot be used in one model by conventional modeling. The PSCM (Perpendicular shell coupling method) can connect shell to solid. This method uses dummy perpendicular shell element for transferring moment from shell to solid. The target of this study is to develop a FE pre-processing system applicable at welding at ship structure by using PSCM. We also suggested glue-contact technique for controlling element numbers and element qualities and applied it between PSCM and solid element in automatic pre-processing system. The FE weldment modeling through developed pre-processing system will have rational stiffness of adjacent regions. Then FE results can be more reliable when turn-over of ship-block with semi-welded state or ECA (Engineering critical assessment) of weldment in a ship-block are analyzed.

선체 Shell FE 모델 내 용접부의 Solid 요소변환 자동화 시스템