Structure safety and weld strength evaluation by metallic weld joints in FCAW with TAGUCHI design

Abstract

Several industries, including shipbuilding and automobile manufacturing, extensively use welding as a joining method. Welding processes are always plagued by distortion. Many parameters influence distortion on weld joints, including the properties of materials and welding parameters. To obtain optimal distortion parameters, the Shielded Metal Arc Welding (SMAW) process on angular distortion is used. However, this technique contains slag inclusions and it gives low productivity. To overcome this issue the Flux-Cored Arc Welding (FCAW) technique is used to combine the metals and alloys in a variety of sectors. It offers several advantages over other methods, including simplicity and adaptability over Submerged-arc welding (SAW), higher productivity over SMAW, and superior surface appearance. In this work, during the welding operation, two dissimilar high-carbon steels (EN8 and EN19) are used and the welding quality is checked by utilizing destructive and microstructure tests. To analyze the effects of process parameters on welded joints, mechanical tests like yield strength, tensile strength, and hardness test are performed and optimized using TAGUCHI design (L9 array). The accurate input parameter of EN8 and EN19 steel with a thickness of 6mm is determined. The welding process parameters are optimized by utilizing the MINITAB-17 software. As a result, the FCAW has higher tensile and yield strength than the conventional method of SAW.