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Volume 19
Issue 6
10.3390/en19061536
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Article

Heat Transfer and Thermo-Mechanical Analysis of Plastic-Strain Evolution in Laser-Welded Thin-Walled Laminated Cooling Plates with Non-Uniform Stiffness

by
Chengkun Li
,
Yujia Cai
,
Han Wang
,
Zhihang Zhang
,
Fang Han
,
Xiaoqing Zhu
,
Chengcheng Wang
and
Zhibo Dong
*
National Key Laboratory of Precision Welding & Joining of Materials and Structures, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150001, China
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Energies 2026, 19(6), 1536; https://doi.org/10.3390/en19061536
Submission received: 28 February 2026 / Revised: 16 March 2026 / Accepted: 18 March 2026 / Published: 20 March 2026
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Heat Transfer Analysis: Recent Challenges and Applications—2nd Edition)
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Abstract

Thin-walled laminated cooling plates integrate internal channels and pin-fin cores, producing reduced and spatially non-uniform stiffness that changes welding restraint and distortion. This study investigates stiffness-controlled plastic-strain evolution in laser butt welding of GH3230 laminated plates, with geometrically identical solid plates as reference. A coupled heat-transfer and thermo-mechanical finite element model was developed in MSC Marc using a composite Gaussian surface–volumetric moving heat source and temperature-dependent properties. The thermal solution was validated against near-weld thermal cycles and fusion geometry; mechanical predictions were evaluated by CMM distortion and residual-stress measurements. Both structures show comparable residual-stress magnitudes and spatial trends, indicating that residual stress is governed mainly by the local weld thermal gradient. In contrast, the laminated plate exhibits larger angular/bending distortion. Simulations show that, although the plastic-strain pattern is similar, the laminated plate develops higher peak plastic strain confined to a narrower band near the weld, with the transverse plastic strain dominating. Plastic strain–temperature paths reveal continued transverse plastic-strain accumulation during cooling with limited recovery, consistent with restraint redistribution induced by stiffness non-uniformity. An equivalent restraint–stiffness spring model explains this “narrower-but-stronger” plastic zone and links stiffness to yielding and residual plastic-strain magnitude, supporting distortion prediction and stiffness-informed control of welded laminated cooling plates.
Keywords: heat transfer; thermo-mechanical coupling; laminated cooling plate; laser butt welding; plastic strain evolution heat transfer; thermo-mechanical coupling; laminated cooling plate; laser butt welding; plastic strain evolution

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MDPI and ACS Style

Li, C.; Cai, Y.; Wang, H.; Zhang, Z.; Han, F.; Zhu, X.; Wang, C.; Dong, Z. Heat Transfer and Thermo-Mechanical Analysis of Plastic-Strain Evolution in Laser-Welded Thin-Walled Laminated Cooling Plates with Non-Uniform Stiffness. Energies 2026, 19, 1536. https://doi.org/10.3390/en19061536

AMA Style

Li C, Cai Y, Wang H, Zhang Z, Han F, Zhu X, Wang C, Dong Z. Heat Transfer and Thermo-Mechanical Analysis of Plastic-Strain Evolution in Laser-Welded Thin-Walled Laminated Cooling Plates with Non-Uniform Stiffness. Energies. 2026; 19(6):1536. https://doi.org/10.3390/en19061536

Chicago/Turabian Style

Li, Chengkun, Yujia Cai, Han Wang, Zhihang Zhang, Fang Han, Xiaoqing Zhu, Chengcheng Wang, and Zhibo Dong. 2026. "Heat Transfer and Thermo-Mechanical Analysis of Plastic-Strain Evolution in Laser-Welded Thin-Walled Laminated Cooling Plates with Non-Uniform Stiffness" Energies 19, no. 6: 1536. https://doi.org/10.3390/en19061536

APA Style

Li, C., Cai, Y., Wang, H., Zhang, Z., Han, F., Zhu, X., Wang, C., & Dong, Z. (2026). Heat Transfer and Thermo-Mechanical Analysis of Plastic-Strain Evolution in Laser-Welded Thin-Walled Laminated Cooling Plates with Non-Uniform Stiffness. Energies, 19(6), 1536. https://doi.org/10.3390/en19061536

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