Sensing of metal-transfer mode for process control of GMAW.

摘要

One of the requirements of a sensing system for feedback control of gas metal arc welding (GMAW) is the capability to determine the metal-transfer mode. Because the operating boundary for the desired transfer mode, expressed as a function of mass input and heat input, may vary due to conditions beyond the control of the system, a means of detecting the transfer mode during welding is necessary. A series of sensing experiments was performed during which the ultrasonic emissions, audio emissions, welding current fluctuations and welding voltage fluctuations were recorded as a function of the transfer mode. In addition, high speed movies (5000 frames/s) of the droplet formation and detachment were taken synchronously with the sensing data. An LED mounted in the camera was used to mark the film at the beginning and end of the data acquisition period. A second LED was pulsed at a 1 kHz rate and the pulses recorded on film and with the sensor data. Thus events recorded on the film can be correlated with the sensor data. Data acquired during globular transfer, spray transfer, and stiff spray or streaming transfer were observed to correlate with droplet detachment and arc shorting. The audio, current, and voltage data can be used to discriminate among these different transfer modes. However, the current and voltage data are also dependent on the characteristic of the welding power supply. 5 refs., 3 figs., 1 tab. (ERA citation 15:032848)