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In this paper, the process of joining Ti-3Al-2.5V titanium alloy thin sheets by means of micro-plasma arc welding (MPAW) is reported. An experimental set-up was developed using traditional gas tungsten arc welding apparatus and a home-built torch for butt welding of coupon specimens. The specimens were welded under controlled welding parameters, such as voltage, current, travel speed and shielding gas flow rate. An appropriate set of parameters for MPAW process was examined by mechanical properties tests and microstructure characterization. Mechanical tests including tensile test, bending test and micro-hardness evaluation across the weld line generally show that if suitable welding parameters are used, the tensile strength of the welded specimen is well comparable with that of the base metal while its hardness increased at the fusion zone (FZ). The bending test revealed that using appropriate welding parameters, no crack or notch appeared at the welded joint. Fractography, X-ray diffraction and metallograpghy were also performed to study the microstructure evolution. SEM images of the fracture surface presented characteristics of ductile rupture. Studies on microstructure morphology of the specimens at the FZ and HAZ reveal occurrence of phase transformation from high temperature phase to acicular phase

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In this paper, conceptual design of a General Aviation Aircraft (GAA) is explained as a multi-objective Multidisciplinary Design Optimization (MDO). In the early sizing phase, preliminary aircraft configuration is defined based on a predetermined requirements and statistical Study. Afterwards, conceptual design disciplines are developed and integrated based on Multidisciplinary Design Feasibility (MDF) structure to improve the aircraft performance. The MDF loop is established by implementing a multidisciplinary analysis which includes disciplines as engine selection, weight and sizing, aerodynamics, performance and stability. In this design process, Constraints and algorithms are considered based on the Gudmundsson design approach. Design variables are selected carefully using sensitivity analysis on design objectives (i.e. reducing the weight and increasing the range). In order to obtain a feasible design, static stability constraints are considered. The NSGA-II multi-objective evolutionary optimization algorithm is utilized to demonstrate a set of possible answers in the form of the Pareto front. By selecting different engines and illustrating the Pareto fronts resulted from optimization process, the feasibility and effectiveness of rapid GAA conceptual design is demonstrated.