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Laser welding under high power, high degree of automation and high production rate is extremely advantageous in automotive application. Super austenitic stainless steel is the preferable material for high corrosion resistance requirements. These steels are relatively cheaper than austenitic stainless steel and it is expensive than nickel base super alloys for such applications. The main purpose of this paper is to present the investigations of the microstructure and mechanical properties of super austenitic stainless steel butt joints made by 3.5 kW cooled slab CO₂ laser welding using different shielding gases such as argon, nitrogen and helium.

The tensile and impact tests were performed and the fractured surfaces were analyzed by scanning electron microscope. The hardness across the joint zone was measured. The X‐ray diffraction technique was used to analyze the phase composition. The microstructure of the laser welds were analyzed through optical microscopy.

The tensile sample fractures indicate that the specimen fails in a ductile manner under the action of tensile loading. The impact fracture surfaces of the different shielding gas laser welded joints show mixed mode fractures, that is, ductile and cleavage fractures. The hardness values of the Helium shielded laser joints in the weld metal regions are much higher than the others.

There is no limitation, except for the availability of the high beam power laser welding machine.

The only practical implication is the laser welding shop hazard during the experiment.

Social implication is limited. The only hazard during the laser welding is that it may affect human body tissues.

The research work described in the paper is original.

This study aims to determine the near optimal welding process parameters (beam power (BP), travel speed (TS) and focal position (FP)) using grey relational analysis by simultaneously considering multiple output parameters (depth of penetration and bead width). Further, the optimized parameters were evaluated through the microstructural characterization and hardness measurements across the weld zone.

It is appropriate to apply Taguchi's technique to a complex system like welding process. Therefore, this study is made to determine the near optimal welding process parameters (BP, TS and FP) using grey relational analysis by simultaneously considering multiple output parameters (depth of penetration and bead width).

Taguchi experimental design for determining welding parameters was successful. The hardness of the Argon shielded weld metal was comparatively lesser than the Helium shielded weld metal. The Helium shielded weld metal microstructure comprises of finer grains and higher amounts of equiaxed grains. Argon and Helium shielded weld metal microstructure was endowed with a higher amount of secondary interdendritic austenite phase.

The optimal welding conditions were identified in order to increase the productivity and minimize the total operating cost. The process input parameters effect was determined under the optimal welding combinations.

This paper aims to propose fuzzy-regression-particle swarm optimization (PSO) based hybrid optimization approach for getting maximum weld quality in terms of weld strength and bead depth of penetration.

The prediction of welding quality to achieve best of it is not possible by any single optimization technique. Therefore, fuzzy technique has been applied to predict the weld quality in terms of weld strength and weld bead geometry in combination with a multi-performance characteristic index (MPCI). Then regression analysis has been applied to develop relation between the MPCI output value and the input welding process parameters. Finally, PSO method has been used to get the optimal welding condition by maximizing the MPCI value.

The predicted weld quality or the MPCI values in terms of combined weld strength and bead geometry has been found to be highly co-related with the weld process parameters. Therefore, it makes the process easy for setting of weld process parameters for achieving best weld quality, as there is no need to finding the relation for individual weld quality parameter and weld process parameters although they are co-related in a complicated manner.

In this paper, a new hybrid approach for predicting the weld quality in terms of both mechanical properties and weld geometry and optimizing the same has been proposed. As these parameters are highly correlated and dependent on the weld process parameters the proposed approach can effectively analyzing the ambiguity and significance of each process and performance parameter.

This study aims to accurately evaluate the influence of various error intervals on the performance of the wiper.

The wiper structural system is decomposed into classical four-link planar for kinematics analysis, and it was modeled respectively by using interval method, universal grey number theory and enumeration approach depending on the nature of uncertainty.

The universal grey number theory is a viable methodology for the accurate analysis of uncertain structural system.

(1) The model of uncertain wiper structural system is established. (2) Universal grey number theory and new parameters are adopted to analyze the presence of uncertain wiper structural system. (3) Comparative analysis of response quantities is obtained by interval method, universal grey number theory and enumeration method.