The Detectability of Welding Defects in MIAB Welded Thin-Walled Tubular Components by Immersion Ultrasonic Technique

摘要

The article demonstrates an effective solution for ultrasonic quality monitoring of transmission and drive components of motor vehicles, joined using an innovative method called magnetically impelled arc butt welding (MIAB). The major challenge was the application of ultrasonic technology for quick and reliable testing of thin-walled components with complex geometry. To solve this problem the idea of using ultrasonic subsurface waves was investigated. By using finite elements method (FEM) the angle of the ultrasonic beam incident on the tested element and the frequency of the ultrasonic transducer were verified. Then, scanning acoustic microscopy (SAM) and X-ray computed tomography (CT), both nondestructive tests on thin-walled welded tubular components were performed. The research have shown that it is possible to detect defects with diameter of 0.3 mm with the angle of incidence of wave 31.5 degrees. The results of the numerical analysis were compared with the experimental approach and confirmed the usefulness of proposed method. Finally, the potential of using immersion ultrasonic technique for quick and reliable validation of thin-walled tubular components was proven, as the test duration for a one elements was around 3 s.