MULTI OBJECTIVE OPTIMIZATION OF FLUX CORED ARC WELD PARAMETERS USING FUZZY BASED DESIRABILITY FUNCTION

In recent years much research has been conducted to study the variations in welding
parameters and consumables on the mechanical properties of steels to optimize weld integrity. The
quality of weld is a very important working aspect for the manufacturing and construction
industries. In the present work, an attempt has been made to apply an efficient technique, fuzzy
based desirability method to solve correlated multiple response optimization problems, in the field
of flux cored arc welding. This approach converts the complex multiple objectives into a single
fuzzy reasoning grade. Based on fuzzy reasoning grade, optimum levels of parameters (Welding
current, arc voltage and electrode stickout) were identified. Experiments were performed based on
Taguchi method. Weld bead hardness and material deposition rate are selected as quality targets.
Significant contributions of parameters are estimated using Analysis of Variance (ANOVA).
Confirmation test is conducted and reported. It is found that the electrode stickout is the most
significant controlled factor for the process according to the weighted fuzzy reasoning grade of the
maximum weld bead hardness and material deposition rate. The proposed technique allows
manufacturers to develop intelligent manufacturing system to achieve the highest level of
automation.