Weld quality is adversely influenced by
bead penetration depth, as deeper penetration can improve the strength and load
bearing capacity of weldments in service condition. Based on Design of Experiment (DOE), an experimental design matrix
having thirteen (13) center points, six (6) axial points and eight (8)
factorial points resulting in twenty (20) experimental runs was generated for
TIG welding current, voltage, gas flow rate L/min and temperature. Maximum bead
penetration of 8.44 mm was obtained from the FEM simulation with corresponding
input variables of 190 A, 19 V, 18 L/min and 298.44 oC compared to
maximum bead penetration of 7.942 mm obtained from the welding experimentation
with corresponding input variables of 155 A, 22 V, 15.50 L/min and 278.46 oC. To clearly understand the rate of heat
distribution across the as-welded plate, FEM bead penetration profiles were
developed using Solid Works (2017 version) thermal transient analysis which
revealed that the higher the temperature distribution the wider the Heat
Affected Zones (HAZs) which are indications of phase transformations and
alterations in mechanical properties of the welded metal which may lead to
induced residual stresses if the welding parameters particularly the amperage
is not controlled adequately. In addition, there was proximity in the trend of bead penetration from
the regression plot where the FEM model had a coefficient of
determination (R2) of 0.9799 while R2 of 0.9694 was
obtained for the welding experimentation, indicating about 97.4% variance which
in this context signifies that both bead penetration values can be adopted for
real practical scenarios where deep weld bead penetrations are required.
Primary Language | English |
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Subjects | Mechanical Engineering |
Journal Section | Research Article |
Authors | |
Publication Date | September 20, 2018 |
Acceptance Date | August 4, 2018 |
Published in Issue | Year 2018 |