Development of mathematical model with a genetic algorithm for automatic GMA welding process

Gas metal arc (GMA) welding process has widely been employed due to the wide range of applications, cheap consumables, and easy handling. In order to achieve a high level of welding performance and quality, a suitable model is required to investigate the characteristics of the effects of process parameters on the bead geometry in the GMA welding process. This paper is to represent new algorithms to predict process parameters on top-bead width in robotic GMA welding process. The models have been developed, linear, curvilinear, and intelligent model, based on full factorial design with two replications. Regression analysis was employed for optimization of the coefficients of linear and curvilinear models, while genetic algorithm (GA) was utilized to estimate the coefficients of an intelligent model. Not only the fitting of these models was checked and compared by using a variance test (analysis of variance (ANOVA)) but also the prediction on top-bead width using the developed models was carried out based on the additional experiments. The developed models were employed to investigate the characteristic between process parameters and top-bead width. Resulting solutions and graphical representation showed that the intelligent model developed can be employed for prediction of bead geometry in GMA welding process.     

A study on the prediction of bead geometry in the robotic welding system

The gas metal are (GMA) welding is one of the most widely-used processes in metal joining process that involves the melting and solidification of the joined materials. To solve this problem, we have carried out the sequential experiment based on a Taguchi method and identified the various problems that result from the robotic GMA welding process to characterize the GMA welding process and establish guidelines for the most effective joint design. Also using multiple regression analysis with the help of a standard statistical package program, SPSS, on an IBM-compatible PC, three empirical models (linear, interaction, quadratic model) have been developed for off-line control which studies the influence of welding parameters on bead width and compares their influences on the bead width to check which process parameter is most affecting. These models developed have been employed for the prediction of optimal welding parameters and assisted in the generation of process control algorithms.     

Optimization of weld bead geometry in the activated GMA welding process via a grey-based Taguchi method

We optimized the weld bead geometry of 6061 aluminum alloy welds pre-coated with activating flux before gas metal arc (GMA) welding. In this activated GMA welding process, there were five single component fluxes used in the initial experiment to evaluate the penetration capability of bead-on-plate GMA welds. Based on the higher penetration of weld bead, two single component fluxes were selected to create mixed component flux in next stage. The grey-based Taguchi method was employed to obtain the optimal welding parameters that were considered with multiple quality characteristics such as penetration, depth-to-width ratio (DWR) and fusion area of GMA welds. The experimental procedure of the proposed approach not only increases penetration of 6061 aluminum alloy welds, but also improves the DWR and fusion area of GMA butt-joint welds simultaneously.     

Optimisation of the weld bead geometry in gas tungsten arc welding by the Taguchi method

In this paper, determination of the welding process parameters for obtaining an optimal weld bead geometry in gas tungsten arc welding is presented. The Taguchi method is used to formulate the experimental layout, to analyse the effect of each welding process parameter on the weld bead geometry, and to predict the optimal setting for each welding process parameter. Experimental results are presented to explain the proposed approach.     

Modeling of transport phenomena and solidification cracking in laser spot bead-on-plate welding of AA6063-T6 alloy. Part I—the mathematical model

In this work, the oscillating arc narrow gap all-position gas metal arc (GMA) welding process was developed to improve efficiency and quality in the welding of thick-walled pipes. The statistical models of narrow gap all-position GMA weld bead geometry were developed using response surface methodology (RSM) based on central composite design (CCD). The developed models were checked for their adequacy and significance by ANOVA, and the effects of wire feed rate, travel speed, dwell time, oscillating amplitude and welding position on weld bead dimension were studied. Finally, the optimal welding parameters at welding positions of 0° to 180° were obtained by numerical optimization using RSM.     

短路GMAW焊在线质量监测的多变量统计过程控制方法

熔化极保护气体焊(GMAW)广泛地应用在自动焊尤其是机器人焊接过程中,机器人焊接过程中的快节拍要求对焊接质量进行自动监测及备份。现采用焊接过程中的电信号,通过对过程电信号的处理,实现对被加工部件质量的在线判别。通过分析单变量统计过程控制(SPC)对焊接过程的质量监测,发现了其存在的局限性,并在此基础上,采用多变量统计过程控制(MSPC),实现了GMAW过程的在线质量监控;最后在自开发的在线监测系统上,试验验证MSPC方法的可行性。     

Effect of process parameters and mathematical model for the prediction of bead geometry in pulsed GMA welding

Pulsed gas metal arc welding is one of the most widely used processes in the industry. It offers spray metal transfer at low average currents, high metal deposition rate, versatility, less distortion, and the ability to be used in automated robotic welding systems. The weld bead plays an important role in determining the mechanical properties of the weld. Its geometric parameters, viz., width, reinforcement height, and penetration, are decided according to the welding process parameters, such as wire feed rate, welding speed, pulse current magnitude, frequency (cycle time), etc. Therefore, to produce good weld bead geometry, it is important to set the proper welding process parameters. In the present paper, mathematical models that correlate welding process parameters to weld bead geometry are developed with experimental investigation. Taguchi methods are applied to plan the experiments. Five process parameters, viz., wire feed rate, plate thickness, pulse frequency, pulse current magnitude, and travel speed, are selected to develop the models using multiple regression analysis. The models developed were checked for their adequacy. Results of confirmation experiments show that the models can predict the bead geometry with reasonable accuracy.     

Welding polarity effects on weld spatters and bead geometry of hyperbaric dry GMAW

Welding polarity has influence on welding stability to some extent, but the specific relationship between welding polarity and weld quality has not been found, especially under the hyperbaric environment. Based on a hyperbaric dry welding experiment system, gas metal arc welding(GMAW) experiments with direct current electrode positive(DCEP) and direct current electrode negative(DCEN) operations are carried out under the ambient pressures of 0.1 MPa, 0.4 MPa, 0.7 MPa and 1.0 MPa to find the influence rule of different welding polarities on welding spatters and weld bead geometry. The effects of welding polarities on the weld bead geometry such as the reinforcement, the weld width and the penetration are discussed. The experimental results show that the welding spatters gradually grow in quantity and size for GMAW with DCEP, while GMAW with DCEN can produce fewer spatters comparatively with the increase of the ambient pressure. Compared with DCEP, the welding current and arc voltage waveforms for DCEN is more stable and the distribution of welding current probability density for DCEN is more concentrated under the hyperbaric environment. When the ambient pressure is increased from 0.1 MPa to 1.0 MPa, the effects of welding polarities on the reinforcement, the weld width and the penetration are as follows: an increase of 0.8 mm for the weld reinforcement is produced by GMAW with DCEN and 1.3 mm by GMAW with DCEP, a decrease of 7.2 mm for the weld width is produced by DCEN and 6.1 mm by DCEP; and an increase of 3.9 mm for the penetration is produced by DCEN and 1.9 mm by DCEP. The proposed research indicates that the desirable stability in the welding procedure can be achieved by GMAW with DCEN operation under the hyperbaric environment.     

Mathematical models for control of weld bead penetration in the GMAW process

This paper presents the effects of welding process parameters on weld bead penetration for the gas metal arc welding (GMAW) process. Welding process parameters included wire diameter, gas flow rate, welding speed, arc current and welding voltage. The experimental results have shown that weld bead penetration increased as wire diameter, arc current and welding voltage increased, whereas an increase in welding speed was found to decrease the weld bead penetration. However, the weld bead penetration is not affected significantly by gas flow rate changes. Mathematical equations for study of the relationship between welding process parameters and weld bead penetration have also been computed by employing a standard statistical package program, SAS.     

A control system for uniform bead in fillet arc welding on tack welds

Positioning a workpiece accurately and preventing weld distortion, tack welding is often adopted before main welding in the construction of welded structures. However, this tack weld deteriorates the final weld bead profile, so that the grinding process is usually performed for a uniform weld bead profile. In this study, a control system for uniform weld bead is proposed for the fillet arc welding on tack welds. The system consists of GMA welding machine, torch manipulator, laser vision sensor for measuring the tack weld size and the database for optimal welding conditions. Experiments have been performed for constructing the database and for evaluating the control capability of the system. It has been shown that the system has the capability to smooth the bead at the high level of quality.     

一种窄间隙GMA焊缝深度的自动跟踪与控制方法

在窄间隙GMA中，采用协调控制的方式，在形成背面焊缝的同时，得到稳定的第一层焊缝深度。焊缝自动跟踪系统由DSP芯片完成，并由个人电脑控制。焊枪不仅要横向摆动，而且还要沿焊缝方向前后移动。焊枪首先向前移动形成背面焊缝，然后重叠向后移动形成第一层焊缝，因此，可获得单面焊双面成型。     

厚板窄间隙埋弧焊焊缝阶梯形断口形成机理研究

为提高2.25Cr-1Mo-0.25V耐热钢埋弧焊接头的韧性,采用冲击试验和三点弯曲试验找到接头韧性的薄弱环节,并通过进一步的微观分析,试图揭示接头韧性的弱化机理。冲击试验显示,焊缝的韧性低于母材和热影响区,因此利用三点弯曲试验,对裂纹在焊缝中的扩展过程进行更深入的研究。在三点弯曲试验时观察到焊缝中出现阶梯形断口。通过扫描电镜观察到断口表面呈现出韧窝和准解理共存的混合形貌。金相观察发现,阶梯形断口出现在焊缝的柱晶区,其方向与柱晶生长方向平行或垂直。利用苦味酸腐蚀试样,观察到阶梯形断口与结晶方向平行的部分是沿原奥氏体晶界开裂,电子背散射衍射(Electron backscattered diffraction, EBSD)试验结果也证明了这一点,而垂直于结晶方向的部分是沿层状线开裂。因此,原奥氏体晶界和层状线是焊缝中需要特别关注的部位。通过调整焊丝成分和工艺参数,减少了焊缝中的层状线,焊缝韧性明显提高。     

Effect of pulsed current welding on mechanical properties of high strength aluminum alloy

High strength aluminum alloys (Al-Zn-Mg-Cu alloys) have gathered wide acceptance in the fabrication of lightweight structures requiring high strength-to-weight ratio, such as transportable bridge girders, military vehicles, road tankers and railway transport systems. The preferred welding processes of high strength aluminum alloy are frequently the gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW) process and the gas metal arc welding (GMAW) process due to their comparatively easy applicability and better economy. Weld fusion zones typically exhibit coarse columnar grains because of the prevailing thermal conditions during weld metal solidification. This often results in inferior weld mechanical properties and poor resistance to hot cracking. In this investigation, an attempt has been made to refine the fusion zone grains by applying a pulsed current welding technique. Rolled plates of 6 mm thickness were used as the base material for preparing single pass welded joints. A single ‘V’ butt joint configuration was prepared for joining the plates. The filler metal used for joining the plates was AA 5356 (Al-5Mg (wt%)) grade aluminum alloy. Four different welding techniques were used to fabricate the joints: (1) continuous current GTAW (CCGTAW), (2) pulsed current GTAW (PCGTAW), (3) continuous current GMAW (CCGMAW) and (4) pulsed current GMAW (PCGMAW). Argon (99.99% pure) was used as the shielding gas. Tensile properties of the welded joints were evaluated by conducting tensile tests using a 100 kN electro-mechanical controlled universal testing machine. Current pulsing leads to relatively finer and more equi-axed grain structure in GTA and GMA welds. In contrast, conventional continuous current welding resulted in predominantly columnar grain structures. Grain refinement is accompanied by an increase in tensile strength and tensile ductility.     

Processing parameter optimization of fiber laser beam welding using an ensemble of metamodels and MOABC

In fiber laser beam welding (LBW), the selection of optimal processing parameters is challenging and plays a key role in improving the bead geometry and welding quality. This study proposes a multi-objective optimization framework by combining an ensemble of metamodels (EMs) with the multi-objective artificial bee colony algorithm (MOABC) to identify the optimal welding parameters. An inverse proportional weighting method that considers the leave-one-out prediction error is presented to construct EM, which incorporates the competitive strengths of three metamodels. EM constructs the correlation between processing parameters (laser power, welding speed, and distance defocus) and bead geometries (bead width, depth of penetration, neck width, and neck depth) with average errors of 10.95%, 7.04%, 7.63%, and 8.62%, respectively. On the basis of EM, MOABC is employed to approximate the Pareto front, and verification experiments show that the relative errors are less than 14.67%. Furthermore, the main effect and the interaction effect of processing parameters on bead geometries are studied. Results demonstrate that the proposed EM-MOABC is effective in guiding actual fiber LBW applications.     

双丝旁路耦合电弧高效熔化极气体保护焊过程模拟及控制

采用等效电流路径的方法建立双丝旁路耦合电弧高效熔化极气体保护焊耦合电弧的动态数学模型,模拟表征焊接过程稳定性的电流、净干伸长信号的变化,得到与实际焊接过程相似的模拟结果。在此基础上,针对焊接过程中耦合电弧形态的剧烈变化会影响焊接过程稳定性与焊接质量的问题,提出通过调节旁路弧长控制耦合电弧稳定性的方案,并利用Matlab/Simulink软件和xPC-target快速原型控制平台,对控制方案进行模拟、分析、预测与试验。结果表明:所建立的数学动态模型能很好地反映双丝旁路耦合电弧高效GMAW焊接过程;模拟分析旁路弧长控制方案可以有效地解决焊接过程稳定性的问题;控制试验实现了焊接过程的稳定控制并获得了成形良好的焊缝形貌,验证了模拟阶段的分析与预测。     

Welding deviation detection algorithm based on extremum of molten pool image contour

The welding deviation detection is the basis of robotic tracking welding, but the on-line real-time measurement of welding deviation is still not well solved by the existing methods. There is plenty of information in the gas metal arc welding(GMAW) molten pool images that is very important for the control of welding seam tracking. The physical meaning for the curvature extremum of molten pool contour is revealed by researching the molten pool images, that is, the deviation information points of welding wire center and the molten tip center are the maxima and the local maxima of the contour curvature, and the horizontal welding deviation is the position difference of these two extremum points. A new method of weld deviation detection is presented, including the process of preprocessing molten pool images, extracting and segmenting the contours, obtaining the contour extremum points, and calculating the welding deviation, etc. Extracting the contours is the premise, segmenting the contour lines is the foundation, and obtaining the contour extremum points is the key. The contour images can be extracted with the method of discrete dyadic wavelet transform, which is divided into two sub contours including welding wire and molten tip separately. The curvature value of each point of the two sub contour lines is calculated based on the approximate curvature formula of multi-points for plane curve, and the two points of the curvature extremum are the characteristics needed for the welding deviation calculation. The results of the tests and analyses show that the maximum error of the obtained on-line welding deviation is 2 pixels(0.16 mm), and the algorithm is stable enough to meet the requirements of the pipeline in real-time control at a speed of less than 500 mm/min. The method can be applied to the on-line automatic welding deviation detection.     

磁控技术在焊接中的应用及进展

介绍了电磁作用焊接技术的原理及特点，阐述了目前国内外磁控技术在改善金属的结晶组织及提高熔敷金属的各项性能，减小残余应力和在激光焊接中的应用及进展，研究了外加磁场对CO2焊短路过渡的控制，在一定的焊接规范下，外加纵向磁场能有效地抑制CO2焊短路过渡中的飞溅，获得较好的工艺效果，存在一个最佳的磁场范围，在这个范围内，控制飞溅的效果较佳。     

等离子弧焊直接金属成形技术的工艺研究

提出了一种基于等离子弧焊的直接金属成形新方法,通过对成形工艺的试验研究,确定了焊接电流、成形速度与成形轨迹宽度之间的对应关系;针对成形轮廓的表面质量问题,实施了根据轮廓矢量进行切向送丝的填充方案;并采用循环水冷的温控措施解决了成形过程的过热问题。     

通信铁塔塔靴自动焊接系统设计与应用

针对通信铁塔塔靴拼装、焊接的工艺特点,研发了铁塔塔靴自动焊接系统。焊接设备通过取板机械手与变位机相互配合完成板料精确拼装,通过取板机械手、变位机、焊接机器人的联合作业,实现塔靴自动焊接,现场试用情况表明该自动焊接系统可自动拼装焊接多种型号的塔靴,且焊接效率高、焊接质量好。     

Optimization of weld bead geometry in GTAW of CP titanium using imperialist competitive algorithm

This paper aims to use a novel optimization algorithm called imperialist competitive algorithm (ICA) in order to optimize the weld bead geometry in the gas tungsten arc welding process. This algorithm offers some advantages such as simplicity, accuracy, and time saving. Experiments were conducted in order to collect welding data and obtain a relationship for the bead geometry as a function of welding current, arc voltage, welding speed, and arc length. Furthermore, a regression equation for depth of penetration and bead width was obtained using the least squares method, and the equations were optimized using ICA. Ultimately, the value of the input variables to obtain minimum bead width and maximum depth of penetration was calculated using ICA. Computational results indicate that the proposed algorithm is quite effective and powerful in optimizing the cost function.