Optimization of Process Parameters for Flux Cored Arc Welding of Boiler Quality Steel Using Response Surface Methodology and Grey-Based Taguchi Methods

Abstract—To achieve weld of good quality and high deposition rate, it is essential to know about the influence of the welding parameters on the quality characteristics and deposition rate. It is thereby important to control the parameters accordingly. Process optimization is relevant in this contest. This is true for any welding process including flux cored arc welding (FCAW). In the present study metal plates of boiler quality (BQ) steel have been welded by FCAW at varied levels of input parameters. Input (welding) parameters have been considered in the study are: shielding gas (CO2) flow rate, electrode wire feed rate and arc voltage. In the present work, the use of grey-based Taguchi method for multi-response optimization of the FCAW process in butt welding of BQ steel is reported. Welding has been carried out using a semiautomatic GMAW welding setup on metal plates of BQ steel. Deposition rate has been selected as performance characteristic; hardness and percentage of elongation have been selected as quality characteristics. A regression model for these characteristics has been developed and its adequacy has been evaluated. A two order polynomial equation has been fitted to the data. Response surface methodology (RSM) has been applied to plot the three dimensional response surfaces for deposition rate, hardness and percentage of elongation with FCAW parameters. The importance of the welding parameters in respect of influence of these parameters on the quality index is determined by using analysis of variance (ANOVA).

Index Terms—ANOVA, boiler quality steel, FCAW, GMAW, grey-based Taguchi method, regression model, RSM.

Binoy Krishna Biswas is with the Mechanical Engineering Department, B. P. Poddar Institute of Management and Technology, Kolkata, India (e-mail: binoy129@yahoo.com).
Pradip Kumar Pal and Asish Bandyopadhyay are with Jadavpur University, Kolkata, India (e-mail: pradippal54@yahoo.com, asishbanerjee@yahoo.com).

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Cite: Binoy Krishna Biswas, Pradip Kumar Pal, and Asish Bandyopadhyay, "Optimization of Process Parameters for Flux Cored Arc Welding of Boiler Quality Steel Using Response Surface Methodology and Grey-Based Taguchi Methods," International Journal of Materials, Mechanics and Manufacturing vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 8-16, 2016.