From 3D-Scan to numerical model – a practical workflow for welded details

With 3D-Scanning devices becoming more popular in research and industry, increasingly more 3D surface scans of welded details are recorded. Still, these scans are mostly used to check manufacturing deviations or guideline requirements. The same data can be used to calculate notch stresses, identify locations for future crack initiation and predict load cycles until failure when transferred into a numerical model.
The objective of this study is to quantify the influence of scanning parameters, preprocessing and modelling parameters on the accuracy of fatigue-relevant stress calculations derived from 3D surface scans. A systematic parameter study demonstrates that a pointcloud resolution of at least 0.1 mm is necessary to obtain stress results within a ±5% deviation from reference solutions. The findings provide experimentally supported recommendations for reliable scan-based numerical modelling of welded details. Last, a reference specimen with corresponding stress values is presented, allowing each applicant to verify their individual process from the first scanning settings to the final numerical model.