Optimization of Welding Strength in the Tungsten Inert Gas Welding Process for Aluminium Alloys

Amit Gupta¹Dr. Rajeev Ranjan¹Robert Cep²Ajay Kumar^3*Sanjay Kumar Jha⁴Faisal Altarazi⁵Ashish Kumar⁶Namrata Dogra⁷

• ¹Sarala Birla University, Ranchi, Jharkhand, India
• ²Department of Machining, Assembly and Engineering Metrology, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, VSB-Technical University of Ostrava, Ostrava, Moravian-Silesian Region, Czechia
• ³JECRC University, Jaipur, India
• ⁴Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra, Ranchi, Jharkhand, India
• ⁵Jeddah University, Jeddah, Makkah, Saudi Arabia
• ⁶Lovely Professional University, Phagwara, Punjab, India
• ⁷SGT University, Gurugram, India

Aluminium alloys, particularly AA 6065 T6, are widely used in automotive components such as coolers and radiators due to their excellent strength-to-weight ratio and corrosion resistance. However, welding these alloys presents significant challenges, as the weld joints are prone to thermal stresses, leading to defects and eventual failure. To address this issue, optimizing the PCTIG (Pulsed Current Tungsten Inert Gas) welding process parameters is crucial for achieving superior mechanical properties, particularly tensile strength. This study investigates the influence of peak current, base current, and frequency on the tensile strength of AA 6065 T6 aluminium alloy with varying thicknesses (3 mm, 6 mm, and 10 mm). Regression models are developed to predict tensile strength across the factorial space, and ANOVA is applied to assess the significance of each parameter. Experimental results identify optimal tensile strengths of 179.50 MPa, 188.92 MPa, and 201.22 MPa for 3 mm, 6 mm, and 10 mm thick materials, respectively, with process parameters set at 180 A peak current, 60 A base current, and 2 Hz frequency. Validation through simulation software corroborates these findings, confirming the effectiveness of the optimized parameters in producing defect-free, highstrength weld joints suitable for automotive applications.