Welding is a common joint type in the fabrication of structural members in aerospace, aeronautical and
pressure vessel industries. Welding is highly reliable and efficient metal joining process. The thermal response of
materials to a welding heat source sometimes causes mechanical problems, e.g. residual stresses and distortion and
changes in mechanical properties due to changes in the microstructure. The Finite Element Method (FEM) is the most
commonly used numerical technique, which provides accurate estimates of thermal parameters for this analysis. Finite
Element Analysis (FEA) is a tool used especially in determining the thermal stresses and temperature distribution of
the welded models, which are difficult to analyze by hand calculations. The objective of the current work is to study
transient temperature in both arc welded pipe and welded plate of 304L stainless steel. The object is modeled in 3D and
analyzed using FEA with an element type of SOLID70 and heat density of the moving circular area heat source is used.
Knowledge of temperature distribution patterns is useful in any welding process to predict microstructure and
distortion. In the current work a model has been developed to predict the thermal cycles during welding of 304L
pipeline steel