Application of response surface methodology to optimize process parameters in friction welding of Ti-6Al-4V and SS304L rods

A method to decide near optimal settings of the process parameters in friction welding was proposed. The success of the friction welding process is based on various input parameters like friction pressure, friction time, upset pressure and upset time and output parameters like tensile strength, hardness and material loss. Ti-6Al-4V and SS304L(SS) materials were joined by friction welding process using interlayer techniques. The Box-Behnken design and response surface methodology (RSM) were applied to deciding the number of experiments to be performed and identify the optimum process parameters for obtaining better joint strength. The results were highly encouraging. Join strength of 523 MPa was obtained at a friction pressure of 12 N/mm2, upset pressure of 40 N/mm2, friction time of 1.2 s and upset time of 7 s.