Determination of optimal Conditions for a Gas Metal Arc Wending Process Using the Genetic Algorithm

A genetic algorithm was applied to the arc welding process as to determine the near-optimal settings of welding process parameters that produce the good weld quality. This method searches for optimal settings of welding parameters through the systematic experiments without the need for a model between the input and output variables. It has an advantage of being capable to find the optimal conditions with a fewer number of experiments rather than conventional full factorial designs. A genetic algorithm was applied to the optimization of the weld bead geometry. In the optimization problem, the input variables were wire feed rate, welding voltage, and welding speed. The output variables were the bead height bead width, and penetration. The number of levels for each input variable is 16, 16, and 8, respectively. Therefore, according to the conventional full factorial design, in order to find the optimal welding conditions,2048 experiments must be performed. The genetic algorithm, however, found the near optimal welding conditions in less than 40 experiments.