Analysis of variance and grey relational analysis application methods for the selection and optimization problem in 6061-T6 flange friction stir welding process parameters

Abstract

A study was carried out to investigate and enhance the effects of friction stir welding on the mechanical characteristics of a flange composed of 6061-T3 aluminum alloy. The pipes possess an outer diameter and wall thickness of 6 mm, while the plates are sized at 100 x 100 × 6 mm. Nine unique experiments were planned using the Taguchi orthogonal array method, with the welding tool remaining constant. Three independent variables (travel speed, rotation speed, and shoulder diameter) were altered at three different levels for each variable. The research analyzed the influence of various FSW factors on the weld flange joint. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and grey relational analysis (GRA) were employed to determine the impact of each FSW underwater parameter. Moreover, the statistical Taguchi technique (TM) was used to predict the optimal combination of welding parameters to improve tensile properties, including tensile strength (UTS), yield strength (YS), elongation (EI%), and bending load (BL) of welded joints. Additionally, the actual tests demonstrated a high level of agreement with the results obtained from the proposed mathematical model. The validation results obtained indicate that the optimization method is a dependable tool for enhancing the quality responses of friction stir welding.