The present work aims to assess the best friction stir welding (FSW) parameter for HDPE sheet weld joints. In this context, tool rotational speed, tool transverse speed, and tool tilt angle have been ...considered as control parameters. The experiments have been planned according to Taguchi’s L16. The process outcomes were evaluated in terms of tensile strength and elongation. Analysis of variance methodology has been implemented to evaluate the most significant control parameter regarding process outcomes. These outcome values have been used to optimize the FSW control variables using the concept of Grey relational analysis. In addition, the integration of the Grey concept and fuzzy system has also been explored to analyze the optimum welding combination. When compared, it was found that both optimization routes yielded identical outcomes in terms of parametric optimization. The favorable welding conditions were obtained with a tool rotation speed of 1070 rpm, a tool traverse speed of 20 mm/min, and a tool tilt angle of 2° for maximum output response, whereas the tool rotation speed was obtained as the most influential control parameter.
Nickel–titanium shape memory alloys (SMAs) have started becoming popular owing to their unique ability to memorize or regain their original shape from the plastically deformed condition by means of ...heating or magnetic or mechanical loading. Nickel–titanium alloys, commonly known as nitinol, have been widely used in actuators, microelectromechanical system (MEMS) devices, and many other applications, including in the biomedical, aerospace, and automotive fields. However, nitinol is a difficult-to-cut material because of its versatile specific properties such as the shape memory effect, superelasticity, high specific strength, high wear and corrosion resistance, and severe strain hardening. There are several challenges faced when machining nitinol SMA with conventional machining techniques. Noncontact operation of the wire electrical discharge machining (WEDM) process between the tool (wire) and workpiece significantly eliminates the problems of conventional machining processes. The WEDM process consists of multiple input parameters that should be controlled to obtain great surface quality. In this study, the effect of WEDM process parameters on the surface morphology of nitinol SMA was studied using 3D surface analysis, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis. 3D surface analysis results indicated a higher value of surface roughness (SR) on the top of the work surface and a lower SR on the bottom portion of the work surface. The surface morphology of the machined sample obtained at optimized parameters showed a reduction in microcracks, micropores, and globules in comparison with the machined surface obtained at a high discharge energy level. EDX analysis indicated a machined surface free of molybdenum (tool electrode).
Shape-memory alloys such as nitinol are gaining popularity as advanced materials in the aerospace, medical, and automobile sectors. However, nitinol is a difficult-to-cut material because of its ...versatile specific properties such as the shape-memory effect, superelasticity, high specific strength, high wear and corrosion resistance, and severe strain hardening. Anunconventional machining process like wire-electrical-discharge-machining (WEDM) can be effectively and efficiently used for the machining of such alloys,although the WEDM-induced surface integrity of nitinol hassignificant impact on material performance. Therefore, this work investigated the surface integrity of WEDM-processed nitinol samples using digital microscopy imaging, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis. Three-dimensional analysis of the surfaces was carried out in two different patterns (along the periphery and the vertical plane of the machined surface) andrevealed that surface roughness was maximalat the point where the surface was largely exposed to the WEDM dielectric fluid. To attain the desired surface roughness, appropriate discharge energy is required that,in turn, requires the appropriate parameter settings of the WEDM process. Different SEM image analyses showed a reduction in microcracks and pores,and in globule-density size at optimized parameters. EDX analysis revealed the absence of wire material on the machined surface.
The present study aims to highlight the effect of the governing variables in regulated metal deposition (RMD™) on the mechanical properties and weld quality of low alloy steel. Current, voltage, and ...gas flow rate have been considered as main (RMD™) parameters, whereas heat-affected zone, depth of penetration, bead width, and bead height have been taken into account as welding performance characteristics. Signal to noise has been utilized in order to determine the optimal welding parameters, while analysis concerning the significant level of determination has been assessed using analysis of variance. Furthermore, the exploration of principal component analysis and combined quality loss concept integrated with the Taguchi method has been introduced to assess the favorable welding condition. The optimal favorable machine combination has been obtained as current = 100 A,
V
= 13 V, and gas flow rate = 21 L/min using both the methods.
Nitinol, a shape-memory alloy (SMA), is gaining popularity for use in various applications. Machining of these SMAs poses a challenge during conventional machining. Henceforth, in the current study, ...the wire-electric discharge process has been attempted to machine nickel-titanium (Ni55.8Ti) super-elastic SMA. Furthermore, to render the process viable for industry, a systematic approach comprising response surface methodology (RSM) and a heat-transfer search (HTS) algorithm has been strategized for optimization of process parameters. Pulse-on time, pulse-off time and current were considered as input process parameters, whereas material removal rate (MRR), surface roughness, and micro-hardness were considered as output responses. Residual plots were generated to check the robustness of analysis of variance (ANOVA) results and generated mathematical models. A multi-objective HTS algorithm was executed for generating 2-D and 3-D Pareto optimal points indicating the non-dominant feasible solutions. The proposed combined approach proved to be highly effective in predicting and optimizing the wire electrical discharge machining (WEDM) process parameters. Validation trials were carried out and the error between measured and predicted values was negligible. To ensure the existence of a shape-memory effect even after machining, a differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) test was carried out. The optimized parameters were found to machine the alloy appropriately with the intact shape memory effect.
Environmental and human-friendly welding is the need of the hour. In this context, this study explores the application of the regulated metal deposition (RMD) technique for ASTM A387-Gr.11-Cl.2 steel ...plates. To examine the effect of metal-cored filler wire (MCFW), MEGAFIL 237 M was employed during regulated metal deposition (RMD) welding of 6 mm thick ASTM A387-Gr.11-Cl.2 steel plates. The welding was carried out at an optimized current (A) of 100 A, voltage (V) of 13 V, and gas flow rate (GFR) of 21 L/min. Thereafter, the as-welded plates were examined for morphological changes using optical microscopy. Additionally, the micro-hardness of the as-welded plates was measured to make corroboration with the obtained surface morphologies. In addition to this, the as-welded plates were subjected to heat treatment followed by surface morphology and micro-hardness examination. A comparison was made between the as-welded and heat-treated plates for their obtained surface morphologies and microhardness values. During this, it was observed that the weld zone of as-welded plates has a dendritic surface morphology which is very common in fusion-based welding. Similarly, the weld zone of heat-treated plates has a finer and erratic arrangement of martensite. Moreover, the obtained surface morphologies in the weld zone of as-welded and heat-treated plates have been justified by their respective hardness values of 1588.6 HV and 227.3 HV.
In the present study, the Gas metal arc welding (GMAW) based Wire-arc additive manufacturing (WAAM) process was used to fabricate a multi-layered structure at optimized process parameters on SS316L ...using metal wire of SS316L. The multi-layered structure's microstructure, macrostructure, and mechanical properties (tensile test, impact test, microhardness, and fractography) were examined at three locations at the top, middle, and bottom sides of the structure. Macrostructure at different zones has confirmed an appropriate bonding between the two layers, complete fusion without oxidation, and free from defects and unwanted geometries. Microstructure results have observed a colony of columnar dendrites in the bottom zone, coarser grains with vertical growth along with the residual ferrite in the middle zone, and vertical dendritic structure with residual ferrite in skeletal shape in the top zone. Results of all tensile properties for top, middle and bottom zone developed by the WAAM process fall in the range values of wrought SS 316L. The microhardness values were shown a consistent behavior across the built structure in all three zones. The obtained average value for the impact test has shown better strength than commercially used wrought SS 316L. The results of fractured tensile and fracture impact test specimens revealed many dimples, which suggests a good ductility of the as-built structure. Thus, the obtained results have shown that the built structure using the GMAW-based WAAM process matches the standards for industrial applications.
Titanium and its alloys exhibit numerous uses in aerospace, automobile, biomedical and marine industries because of their enhanced mechanical properties. However, the machinability of titanium alloys ...can be cumbersome due to their lower density, high hardness, low thermal conductivity, and low elastic modulus. The wire electrical discharge machining (WEDM) process is an effective choice for machining titanium and its alloys due to its unique machining characteristics. The present work proposes multi-objective optimization of WEDM on Ti6Al4V alloy using a fuzzy integrated multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) approach. The use of MCDM has become an active area of research due to its proven ability to solve complex problems. The novelty of the present work is to use integrated fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and fuzzy technique for order preference by similarity to ideal situation (TOPSIS) to optimize the WEDM process. The experiments were systematically conducted adapting the face-centered central composite design approach of response surface methodology. Three independent factors-pulse-on time (T
), pulse-off time (T
), and current-were chosen, each having three levels to monitor the process response in terms of cutting speed (V
), material removal rate (MRR), and surface roughness (SR). To assess the relevance and significance of the models, an analysis of variance was carried out. The optimal process parameters after integrating fuzzy AHP coupled with fuzzy TOPSIS approach found were T
= 40 µs, T
= 15 µs, and current = 2A.
In the present study, an attempt is made to investigate and optimize the bead geometries of bead width (BW) and bead height (BH) of SS-309L using an SS316L substrate by employing a gas metal arc ...welding (GMAW)-based wire-arc additive manufacturing (WAAM) process. The Box-Behnken design approach was used to conduct the trials of single-layer depositions with input variables of travel speed (TS), voltage (V), and gas mixture ratio (GMR). The developed multi-variable regression models were tested for feasibility using ANOVA and residual plots. The data obtained indicated that V had the most significant impact on BW, followed by TS and GMR. For BH, TS had the most significant impact, followed by GMR and V. The results of single-response optimization using a passing vehicle search (PVS) algorithm showed a maximum BH of 9.48 mm and a minimum BW of 5.90 mm. To tackle the contradictory situation, a multi-objective PVS algorithm was employed, which produced non-dominated solutions. A multi-layered structure was successfully fabricated at the optimal parametric settings of TS at 20 mm/s, of voltage at 22 V, and of GMR at 3. For multi-layer structures, fusion among the layers was observed to be good, and they were found to be free from the disbonding of layers. This revealed the suitability of the PVS algorithm for generating suitable optimal WAAM variables. We consider the current work highly beneficial for users fabricating multi-layer structures.
Excellent characteristics of Nitinol shape memory alloys (SMAs) makes them favourable for use in industrial applications. Precision machining of such advanced alloys becomes a key requirement for ...industrial applications. Conventional machining processes imposes many difficulties for nitinol SMAs. Electrical discharge machining (EDM) process is appropriate for fabricating intricate and complex profile geometries and also provides a better alternative for difficult-to-cut materials. Addition of nano-particles in an appropriate amount in the dielectric fluid improves the machining by producing good dimensional accuracy, higher productivity, and good surface finish for machining of newly developed advanced alloys. The current study investigated the performance of powder-mixed EDM of nitinol SMA with the considerations of design variables of current, pulse-on-time (Ton), nano-graphene powder concentration (PC), and pulse-off-time (Toff) on surface roughness, dimensional deviation (DD), and material removal rate (MRR). Taguchi's L9 (3ˆ4) design was employed to perform the experiments and Minitab 17 software was used for statistical analysis of design variables using ANOVA, residual plots, and main effect plots. ANOVA results depicted that PC, Ton, and Toff were identified to be the highest contributing parameters with 75.18%, 29.37%, and 45.72% to affect MRR, SR, and DD, respectively. Obtained results has depicted a preferred combined positive trend of increase in MRR with a simultaneous drop in SR and DD after the addition of nano-graphene PC. HST algorithm was used to optimize single and multiple responses. Validation trials were also conducted to reveal the ability and suitability of the HTS technique. Field emission scanning electron microscopy revealed the minor occurrence of resolidified debris particles, globules, micro-pores, and micro-cracks after the addition of nano-graphene PC at 2 g/L.
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