Parametric Studies on TIG Welding of 316L Stainless Steel by RSM and TLBO

Present study is planned to analyze the effects of welding process parameters on quality characteristics of TIG welded 316L austenitic stainless steels (ASS). The input parameters considered in the study are: welding current, speed and gas flow rate. Butt-joints of ASS sheets have been made as per Box-Behnken design of response surface methodology (RSM). After welding operation, tensile tests have been conducted on welded samples and observations of ultimate tensile strength (UTS) has been noted. Mathematical modeling has been made to relate the input parameters and output response by RSM. Teaching leaning-based optimization (TLBO) approach has been used to optimize the UTS. The influences of input welding parameters on UTS has been studied and analyzed through contour plots. Confirmatory tests have been conducted to validate the predicted parametric condition obtained by integrated RSM and TLBO. From the study, it is found that RSM and TLBO is efficient to maximize UTS in TIG welding operation.