Materials, Vol. 12, Pages 4079: Prediction of Tensile Strength in Friction Welding Joins Made of SA213 Tube to SA387 Tube Plate through Optimization Techniques (Materials)

In modern times, the Industry X.0 has emerged as the paradigm that has become the core of digital technology-driven business organizations. Further, this paper establishes a tube to tube plate friction welding technology with the help of deploying an external tool, also known referred to as the FWTPET scheme. Besides, the SA213 tube and SA387 tube plate were combined by employing a unique interference fit technique. Also, the strength of this combined portion was assessed with and without the aid of a holding block. Subsequently, the analytic optimization approaches like genetic algorithm, analysis of variance, and Taguchi L9 orthogonal array design were deployed in the prediction of the optimum joining strength. Moreover, the input parameters include the projection of the tube (mm), the rotational speed of the tool (rpm), and depth of cut (mm); besides, the tensile strength is considered as the output parameter. Also, the grain size distribution around the weld zone and the presence of base metal were measured through an optical microscope as per ASTM linear intercept method. Further, it is evident that grain refinement had occurred in the weld zone, which in turn increases the tensile strength. The exceptional weld strength (tensile strength) was obtained when joining of SA213 tube and SA387 tube plate through interference fit using a holding block without a hole in the tube. Experimentally, it was found that the achieved tensile strengths were 836.8 MPa (without a hole) and 789.35 MPa (with hole) using the holding block, respectively. Additionally, it was found that in the absence of a holding block, the achieved tensile strength is 762.2 MPa (without a hole), and 700.8 MPa (with a hole), correspondingly. The deviation of tensile strength between the predicted (genetic algorithm) and experimental was found minimal. Therefore, for achieving this strength, the suitable operating parameters set include the rotational speed of the tool (1300 rpm), projection of the tube (1 mm), and depth of cut (0.5 mm) with backing block configuration.