Abstract: With the three-dimensional finite element and experimental method,the residual stress in the AH36 steel plate of 6 mm in thickness under different welding conditions was studied in this paper.The results showed that the peak stress,which was the largest with the combined welding method,was related with the welding heat input under the same cooling condition.The longitudinal stress distribution varies with cooling conditions for the same welding process.Compared with the conventional welding,the welding residual stress distribution,especially in the peak residual tensile stress,was improved by water cooling.An experiment with the same parameters was carried out to verify the finite element simulation results.The experimental results are consistent with the numerical results,which indicates that the welding stress evolution under different welding conditions can be simulated with the three-dimensional finite element simulation technology,and provide the basis of the control of welding residual stress.