In this study, a geometry optimization of welding joint between tower and bottom flange in a wind turbine is performed based on residual stress considerations. A sequentially coupling finite element analysis (FEA) program is developed to simulate the welding temperature and residual stress....

A key challenge for metal additive manufacturing is the requirement to adapt process-structure-property methods currently under development to realistic, complex geometries. Of specific concern in the present work is the requirement for accurate computation in such realistic geometries of (i)...