Many welding-induced distortion control techniques, weld design optimization, pre-straining,
optimum welding sequence and pre-cambering, were presented and investigated using
VFT" weld modeling software based on several Caterpillar products. For illustration of the
effectiveness and feasibility of this finite element approach, two examples are discussed in
detail. One is to determine optimum weld design in product design stages and another is to
determine pre-cambering shapes and magnitudes in product manufacturing stages to …