Minimizing distortion in multi-pass GTAW welding of SS316L structures: a Taguchi approach.

Gas tungsten arc welding employs the Taguchi method to reduce thermal distortions in the welded structures which are used in many industrial applications including marine, offshore, petrochemical and automobile sectors. Using a vernier height gauge, we calculated the amount of transverse deformation caused by the GTA welding procedure. An L8 orthogonal array is used with the welding current, weld root gap, gas flow rate, and welding speed as the critical parameters for four noise sources. Finding the average, standard deviation, and solution effectiveness are the three main goals of the Analysis of Variance. According to the results of these analyses, weld distortion may be significantly influenced by weld parameters. Lower thermal strain values were observed when higher welding current and gas flow rate is maintained. The optimal degree of distortion is believed to be two degrees. Controlling welding speed and root gap resulted in a 37% contribution with a 90% confidence on distortion, indicating that these parameters are crucial to producing a reliable design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]