OLUYOH EDIRIN

This study investigates the simulation of the actual maximum stress in Tungsten Inert Gas (TIG) weldment using SIMUFACT Welding software. The research aimed to compare the simulated stress values with experimental results obtained in a controlled environment under varying process parameters such as current, voltage, and gas flow rate. During the design of experiment, twenty experimental runs was generated by the Central composite design and it was used to carry out TIG welding on mild steel plates. A universal testing machine was used to record the actual maximumm stress on the welded joint and recorded as experimental values. The data generated from the CCD matrix was then feed into an expert system (SIMUFACT 2024) which was used to carry out TIG welding simulations with its corresponding actual maximum stress recorded alongside as the SIMUFACT result.
Results from this study revealed that that increasing welding current reduces the maximum stress due to higher heat input and lower cooling rate, while voltage variation influences arc width and stress distribution. The actual maximum stress values from both datasets were analyzed and compared. The results revealed close agreement between experimental and simulated values, a fitted line plot was used to ascertain the degree of correlation between both results and a correlation coefficient of 0.98 was observed, indicating a very strong positive correlation degree between the experimental result and the SIMUFACT result. A time series plot was then used to compare if both data sets assumed the same trend. The SIMUFACT welding simulation analysis proved to be a reliable tool for simulating and predicting the actual maximum stress in TIG-welded joints thereby aiding in the optimization of welding parameters for an improved structural integrity.