Sensitivity Analysis for Prediction of Bead Geometry using Plasma Arc Welding in Bellows Segment

The automated welding systems, have received much attention in recent years, because they are highly suitable not only to increase the quality and productivity, but also to decrease manufacturing time and cost for a given product. To get the desired quality welds in automated welding system is challenging, an algorithm is needed that has complete control over the relevant process parameters in order to obtain the required bead geometry. However, there is still the lack of algorithms that can predict bead geometry over a wide range of welding conditions. Therefore, to solve this problem, this paper investigated the relationship between the process parameters and the bead geometry in Plasma arc welding (PAW). The quantitative effect of process parameters on bead geometry was calculated using sensitivity analysis. From the experimental results, the developed algorithm can predict the bead dimensions within 0–10% accuracy from analyzed parameters. It also showed that the change of process parameters affects the bead width relatively stronger than bead height. Keywords— Plasma Arc Welding, Bellows Segment, Sensitivity Analysis, Factorial Design, Optimization, Bead Geometry.