Effect of Submerged ARC Welding Parameters on Weld Bead Hardness of AISI 1020 Mild Steel by Taguchi Method

In this study, the influence of three submerged arc welding process parameters, namely welding current, welding voltage and travel speed on weld hardness of AISI 1020 mild steel plates has been studied by the application of Taguchi method and analysis of variance (ANOVA). The experiments were designed using Taguchi L9 orthogonal array. S/N ratio and ANOVA were performed on the measured response to determine optimal welding conditions. The optimal welding parameter setting for bead hardness was obtained at level 2 (450 A) welding current, level 3 (28 V) welding voltage and level 3 (13 mm/s) travel speed. The results of analysis of variance (ANOVA) shows that all the three factors have influence on weld bead hardness but welding voltage has the most significant influence. The confirmation test at optimal welding conditions shows the effectiveness of the Taguchi method in investigating the influence of SAW process parameters on weld bead hardness.