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Applying gray fuzzy logic to decide the weight ratio of activating flux during activated MIG aluminum alloy butt-joint welding

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Abstract

Activated metal inert gas (MIG) welding effectively improves penetration capability and weld bead geometry through precoating with activating flux on a specimen before MIG welding is a novel welding process. The geometry of welds varies considerably during the activated MIG welding process. A proposed approach that integrated the gray relational analysis (GRA) and fuzzy logic was employed to increase penetration and improve the geometry of welds. The multiple quality characteristics (QCs) of weld bead geometry that include penetration and depth-to-width ratio (DWR) of welds were solved using the GRA. Subsequently, a gray fuzzy reasoning grade (GFRG) was used to determine the weight ratio of mixed-component flux and the other welding conditions. The experimental results revealed that the proposed approach simultaneously improves the penetration and DWR of MIG butt-joint welds. Aluminum alloy butt-joint welds precoated with the mixed-component flux that consisted of 20% TiO2, 20% Fe2O3, and 60% Cr2O3 powder had more effective weld bead geometry. Additionally, the experimental results indicated that the Marangoni convection is the main mechanism for improving the penetration and geometry of activated MIG aluminum alloy welds.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Industry Technology Education, National Kaohsiung Normal University, No.62 Shenjhong Rd, Yanchao District, Kaohsiung, 824, Taiwan

    Hsuan-Liang Lin

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  1. Hsuan-Liang Lin
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Correspondence to Hsuan-Liang Lin.

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Lin, HL. Applying gray fuzzy logic to decide the weight ratio of activating flux during activated MIG aluminum alloy butt-joint welding. Int J Adv Manuf Technol 92, 471–479 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00170-017-0161-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00170-017-0161-0

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