Simulation of the manufacturing process chain of welded frame structures

Numerical solutions of manufacturing process chains strongly focus on supporting the production of frame structures in the vehicle industry. Frame structures play a central role in all means of transportation, dominating the total mass in automobiles, trains, airplanes, and even space ships. In the case of automobiles, the frame structure mass constitutes about 30% of the total mass. In the case of the automotive industry, the mass-production, the high-quality standards and the need for mass minimization all increase the necessity to apply virtual manufacturing methods in the production cycle of frame structures. In scope of this paper, a method of chaining the numerical analysis of the structural effect on frame components during successive manufacturing processes is introduced. The change of thermal, metallurgical, and mechanical properties in structures during manufacturing is analyzed by applying theoretical models depending on the identified problem.