Optimal design of flux for submerged arc weld properties based on RSM coupled with GRA and PCA

Abstract

This paper presents an effective approach for the selection of flux for optimised mechanical properties of low carbon steel welds. The weld is mainly characterised by impact strength, ultimate tensile strength, percentage elongation and hardness. Since the mechanical performance is measured by multiple performance characteristics, the grey relational analysis is used to determine the optimal combination of flux for mechanical properties. Moreover, principal component analysis has been used to evaluate the weighting values for various performance characteristics so that their relative importance can be properly considered. Fluxes were designed using RSM and have been developed through agglomeration technique. By analysing the grey relational grade, it is found that both the impact strength and ultimate tensile strength have the same weightage. The results of confirmation test obtained using this approach show that the GRA coupled with PCA can be effectively used for optimisation of flux for mechanical performance characteristics.