Mathematical Modeling of Weld Bead Geometry, Quality, and Productivity for Stainless Steel Claddings Deposited by FCAW

In recent years, industrial settings are seeing a rise in the use of stainless steel claddings. The anti-corrosive surfaces are made from low cost materials such as carbon steel or low alloy steels. To ensure the final quality of claddings, however, it is important to know how the welding parameters affect the process’s outcome. Beads should be defect free and deposited with the desired geometry, with efficiency, and with a minimal waste of material. The objective of this study then is to analyze how the flux-cored arc welding (FCAW) parameters influence geometry, productivity, and the surface quality of the stainless steel claddings. It examines AISI 1020 carbon steel cladded with 316L stainless steel. Geometry was analyzed in terms of bead width, penetration, reinforcement, and dilution. Productivity was analyzed according to deposition rate and process yield, and surface quality according to surface appearance and slag formation. The FCAW parameters chosen included the wire feed rate, voltage, welding speed, and contact-tip-workpiece distance. To analyze the parameters’ influences, mathematical models were developed based on response surface methodology. The results show that all parameters were significant. The degrees of importance among them varied according to the responses of interest. What also proved to be significant was the interaction between parameters. It was found that the combined effect of two parameters significantly affected a response; even when taken individually, the two might produce little effect. Finally, the development of Pareto frontiers confirmed the existence of conflicts of interest in this process, suggesting the application of multi-objective optimization techniques to the sequence of this study.