EFFECT OF ARGON GAS FLOW RATE AND CURRENT STRENGTH TUNGSTEN INERT GAS WELDING ON TENSILE STRENGTH IN LOW CARBON STEEL ST37

ABSTRACT

EFFECT OF ARGON GAS FLOW RATE AND CURRENT STRENGTH
TUNGSTEN INERT GAS WELDING ON TENSILE STRENGTH IN
LOW CARBON STEEL ST37
Muhammad Fathul Amin (202321201016)

The Tungsten Inert Gas (TIG) welding process uses a shielding gas such as argon to prevent oxidation of the metal during welding. This research aims to investigate the effect of argon gas flow rate and current strength on the tensile strength of ST37 low carbon steel, which is often used in construction and manufacturing because of its good mechanical properties and economical price. The TIG welding process was chosen because of its ability to produce high quality welded joints. The research was carried out experimentally by varying the flow of argon gas (5 liters/minute, 10 liters/minute, 15 liters/minute) and current strength (80 Ampere, 90 Ampere, 100 Ampere) on ST37 low carbon steel. Next, the results of the tensile strength data calculations of the welded joints were measured and analyzed using ANOVA (SPSS) and manual calculation analysis. The results show that the argon gas flow rate and current strength significantly influence the tensile strength of ST37 low carbon steel. The maximum tensile strength of 326,686 N/mm² was achieved at a gas flow rate of 15 liters/minute and a current strength of 100 Ampere, while the lowest value of 199,641 N/mm² was found at a gas flow rate of 5 liters/minute and a current strength of 80 Ampere. The results of the hypothesis test with an error rate (α) of 0.05 show that variations in argon gas flow rate and current strength each have an effect on the tensile strength of ST37 low carbon steel, but the interaction between the two does not have a significant effect on the tensile strength. Thus, increasing the argon gas flow rate and current strength tends to increase the tensile strength of the weld on ST37 steel.

Keywords : TIG Welding, Argon Gas Flow Rate, Current Strength, Tensile Strength, Low Carbon Steel ST37.