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.