The reliability of welded joints is a vital factor in modern manufacturing, directly affecting product performance and durability. This study investigates methods to enhance the mechanical and metallurgical quality of butt joints in AISI 304L stainless steel welded by the gas tungsten arc (GTA) process. A systematic experimental design was implemented using the Taguchi method with an L9 orthogonal array, considering welding current, gas flow rate, and travel speed as the main parameters. To determine overall weld performance, the joints were characterized by measuring ultimate tensile strength (UTS), yield strength, percentage elongation, and examining their microstructural morphology. An experimental strategy based on the Taguchi approach has been implemented. The welding performance of the material was investigated, and the process parameters were optimized using multiresponse optimization through principal component analysis (PCA), incorporating an orthogonal array design, signal-to-noise (S/N) ratio, and analysis of variance (ANOVA). C1G1S3—the predicted optimal parameter combination—is the ideal factor configuration as determined by PCA (welding current = 100 A, gas flow rate = 10 L/min, travel speed = 2 mm/sec). Results demonstrate that precise control of process parameters significantly enhances weld quality. The methodology also provides a systematic framework that engineers and practitioners can apply to produce reliable stainless steel welds with improved accuracy and predictability.
Ghosh et al. (2026) studied this question.