Analysis of Oviedo’s Congress Hall’s Mobile Arch Welding Failure

Problem Definition

Fissures and cracks start to appear on the Oviedo Congress Hall’s mobile arch structure. In order to repair them and prevent further damages, a welding process analysis became necessary, along with a deep structural analysis to considerate variable properties depending on temperature and forces coming from the contraction of arc adjacent welds. 

Methodology

Welding Process Analysis

  • Realization of a Transient Thermal Analysis to simulate the welding’ thermal cycle
  • Determination of the evolution of temperature upon the weld bead and its adjacent elements all along welding process.
  • Consideration of metalurgical phase changes during solidification and cooling
  • Consideration of every different welding passes and sequences.
  • Evaluation of process parameters of welding (speed pass, intensity, preheating temperature, geometry, welding details, etc.)

Structural Analysis

  • The realization of a structural analysis allowed is to determine the residual tensional state after welds’ cooling.
  • Consideration of material non-linearity (plasticity). Variable properties depending on temperature.
  • Consideration of the forces derived from the contraction of the arc adjacent welds

Results

  • Unitary plastic deformations (strains) obtained after the analysis were above admissible established limits.
  • Areas were detected on the weld bead with high levels of triaxiality, which would clearly indicate these areas were susceptible to present inner micro-cracks (failure prediction model by nucleation and propagation of breakage)

Conclusions

  • The analysis allowed justifying that, due to the arch’s design, there was no assembling sequence capable of finishing the arch assembling without welding damage due to the blocks great stiffness and the high grade of tension generated by welding contraction
  • FEA analysis results were closely in line to real events occurred. The damaged areas foretold by the model (high levels of plastic strains and triaxility) matched with those UNACCEPTABLE on the UND-UT because of inner micro-cracks matching with those areas positive indicated.
  • The analysis was useful to determine a new welding detail (double angle edge preparation) which would allow culminate  the arch’s assembling.

Further Information

Welding defects analysis

CADE provides engineering, simulation and consulting services aimed to assess critical plant equipment and structures when they are not performing as expected, a failure has occurred or their mechanical integrity and remaining life must be evaluated.  

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Albacete

Parque Científico y Tecnológico

Paseo de la Innovación 3, 02006 Albacete – España

Tel. +34 967 19 01 72

Madrid

C/Raimundo Fernández Villaverde, 53 (Entreplanta)

28020

Madrid – España

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