Abstract: Large welding residual stress exists in the tube-to-tubesheet welded joint of shell-and-tube heat exchangers,which easily leads to stress corrosion cracking when interacting with corrosive medium. The residual stress of the joint during a tube-to-tubesheet welding process was obtained by using the finite element ABAQUS software, and the influence of joint type on the residual stress distribution was investigated. The reliability of the finite element model was verified in comparison with the X-ray stress measurements. The results show that both the radial stress and hoop stress increase first and then decrease gradually with the increase of the distance away from the weld, which is well consistent with the experimental results. The distribution law of residual stress of the joints with different forms is similar, and the maximum residual radial stress and hoop stress are generated in the root of tube-to-tubesheet joint, which has an important effect on the cracks at the root of joints. At the positon with a distance of about 5 mm from the weld on the outer surface of the tube sheet, there is a high stress region in radial stress, which plays an important role in the surface cracks of the tubesheet. The residual stress of the joint for extension with a groove of45° is relatively small in comparison with that of the joint for extension without grooves and plain-end. The research results provide a reference for optimizing the welding process of tube-to-tubesheet joints and reducing the weld residual stress.