Modeling of weld bead geometry on HSLA steel using response surface methodology

With increasing requirements of higher strength to low weight ratio materials, high-strength low-alloy (HSLA) steel has achieved higher commercial importance. Plasma arc welding has the capability to join metals without edge preparation, weldment in a single pass and minimum angular distortion. Due to these embedded capabilities, plasma arc welding is preferred over conventional joining processes for HSLA steel applications involving part thickness greater than 3 mm. The quality of plasma arc-welded joints is highly dependent on input process parameters. This paper aims to develop empirical models for the prediction of weld bead geometry including front bead height, back bead height, front bead width, and back bead width. A series of tests were conducted to investigate the effect of four input process parameters including current, voltage, welding speed, and plasma gas flow rate on weld bead geometry using a face-centered central composite design. The confirmation experiments and ANOVA results validated the models within 95 % accuracy. Current was found to be the most influential factor affecting the weld bead geometry followed by speed. Furthermore, current and speed and speed and gas flow rates were identified as most influencing interaction factors. The innovation in this research is the empirical modeling of weld bead geometry for HSLA using plasma arc welding.

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