Mechanical Properties and Microstructure of TIG and ATIG Welded 316L Austenitic Stainless Steel with Multi-Components Flux Optimization Using Mixing Design Method and Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO)

. Fracture surface examined by scanning electron microscope (SEM) shows ductile fracture for ATIG weld with small and multiple dimples in comparison for TIG weld. Moreover, the depth of optimized flux is greater than that of TIG weld by two times. The ratio D/W was improved by 3.13 times. Energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) analysis shows traces of the sulfur element in the TIG weld zone.