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U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Feedback control of arc welding using quantitative feedback theory

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:5872117

A feedback system has been developed for quality control in arc welding. This new system uses a high temperature fiber-optic cable to measure and control the amount of infrared light emitted from the back side of the weld. The cable is only 1/16 of an inch in diameter, so it can be inserted into any vessel which has a small opening at either end. The system also measures the travel speed of the part to make weld quality independent of part thickness and travel speed. Constant penetration has been demonstrated in tests with travel speeds ranging from 0 to 6 inches per minute, and with 200 percent changes in part thickness. The system also compensates for sharp discontinuities in heat sinking and arc length.

Research Organization:
Sandia National Labs., Livermore, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
DOE; USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
DOE Contract Number:
AC04-76DP00789
OSTI ID:
5872117
Report Number(s):
SAND-91-8201; ON: DE92004678
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English