Investigation into flexural characteristics of a bar subjected to local heating: The effect of heat source location

The flexural motion of a bar subjected to local heating, resembling the welding process, is considered and the influence of the location of the heat source on the flexural characteristics is examined. A temperature heat source is assumed along the width of the bar to account for the local heating. Temperature-dependent mechanical properties such as elastic modulus are accommodated in the simulations. This modifies the amplitude and the frequency of the flexural wave generated in the bar. A numerical scheme using the finite element method is introduced to predict the flexural characteristics. It is found that the amplitude difference of the flexural wave owing to heating and no-heating situations varies with changing the location of the heat source. This is also true for the time period difference of the flexural waves owing to heating and no-heating situations of the bar.