Parametric optimization of friction stir welded ZE42 rare earth alloys using grasshopper modelling technique

• Published in: International journal on interactive design and manufacturing 2024-07, Vol.18 (5), p.2843-2854
• Main Authors: Darwins, A. K., Satheesh, M., Dhas, J. Edwin Raja, Lewise, K. Anton Savio, Raj, R. Ajith, Manideep, B.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Algorithms; Alloys; Archives & records; Axial forces; CAE) and Design; Computer-Aided Engineering (CAD; Design of experiments; Design parameters; Diamond pyramid hardness tests; Ductile fracture; Electronics and Microelectronics; Engineering; Engineering Design; Friction stir welding; Friction welding; Genetic algorithms; Grasshoppers; Industrial Design; Instrumentation; Magnesium; Magnesium base alloys; Mechanical Engineering; Modelling; Multiple objective analysis; Nuclear power plants; Optimization; Optimization techniques; Original Paper; Oxidation; Pareto optimum; Rare earth alloys; Response surface methodology; Tensile strength; Ultimate tensile strength; Variance analysis; Welding parameters
• ISSN: 1955-2513; 1955-2505
• DOI: 10.1007/s12008-023-01347-z

The present work is the investigating the parametric optimization of FSW parameters for joining ZE42 magnesium alloys by multi-objective grasshopper modelling technique (MOGOA) and non-dominated sorted genetic algorithm-II (NSGA-II). Regression equations were used to predict the optimal tensile strength and hardness of the FSW joints, while tensile and Vickers hardness testing was used to obtain experimental results. Response surface method and Box-Behnken experimental design were used to create the experimental methodology, while the adequacy of the predicted and experimental results was analyzed by Analysis of variance. Five different tool types were tested for different levels of input parametric values. The optimized input parameters were 1150 rpm of tool rotation speed, 60 mm/min of welding speed, 5 kN of axial force and cylindrical threaded tool pin, which exhibited the highest ultimate tensile strength for specimen ‘2’. It was found that the axial force was the most influential input parameter on the output tensile strength and microhardness, followed by welding speed and the tool pin profile. It was found that the NSGA-II provided better optimization compared to MOGOA. The fractography analysis indicated ductile fracture for specimen ‘2’, which also exhibited the highest ultimate tensile strength 180 MPa and enhanced Vickers hardness of 80.6 HV while the highest hardness noted was 84.3 HV (specimen 20) during the experimental trials.