Abstract: In this paper, the experimental design of using the
Taguchi method is employed to optimize the processing parameters in
the plasma arc surface hardening process. The processing parameters
evaluated are arc current, scanning velocity and carbon content of
steel. In addition, other significant effects such as the relation between
processing parameters are also investigated. An orthogonal array,
signal-to-noise (S/N) ratio and analysis of variance (ANOVA) are
employed to investigate the effects of these processing parameters.
Through this study, not only the hardened depth increased and surface
roughness improved, but also the parameters that significantly affect
the hardening performance are identified. Experimental results are
provided to verify the effectiveness of this approach.