MULTIVARIATE OPTIMIZATION OF LASER TRANSMISSION WELDING OF NATURAL FIBER-REINFORCEDPOLYPROPYLENE

This study investigates laser transmission welding of 15 wt% natural fiber-reinforced polypropylene to 0.2 wt% carbon black doped polypropylene using empirical models developed using response surface methodology and the central composite design of experiments. The natural fiber reinforced part had an effect on weld length for the specified design space, attributed to the laser beam scattering effect and the increase in laser beam absorption as the temperature of the transparent part increased from the heat generated during the laser transmission welding process. Desirability function analysis determined optimal welding conditions to satisfy multiple objectives. The optimum weld parameter combination for optimization was to maximize force at break and minimize weld cross-sectional area. The response surface method empirical models were used to predict the optimal parameters, and the results were in good agreement with the experimental results, with a deviation of 7.03 % and 3.04 % for the maximum force at break and weld track cross-sectional area, respectively.