Probabilistic approaches to compute uncertainty intervals and sensitivity factors of ultrasonic simulations of a weld inspection

For comprehension purpose, numerical computations are more and more used to simulate the propagation phenomena observed during experimental inspections. However, the good agreement between experimental and simulated data necessitates the use of accurate input data and thus a good characterization of the inspected material. Generally the input data are provided by experimental measurements and are consequently tainted with uncertainties. Thus, it becomes necessary to evaluate the impact of these uncertainties on the outputs of the numerical model. The aim of this study is to perform a probabilistic analysis of an ultrasonic inspection of an austenitic weld containing a manufactured defect based on advanced techniques such as polynomial chaos expansions and computation of sensitivity factors (Sobol, DGSM). The simulation of this configuration with the finite element code ATHENA2D was performed 6000 times with variations of the input parameters (the columnar grain orientation and the elastic constants of the material). The 6000 sets of input parameters were obtained from adapted statistical laws. The output parameters (the amplitude and the position of the defect echo) distributions were then analyzed and the 95% confidence intervals were determined.     

基于Stark展宽的TIG焊接电弧三维电子密度测量研究

焊接电弧三维电子密度的测量对于焊接质量控制具有重要意义,通过光谱仪采集电弧弦方向特征谱线轮廓,利用多项式拟合对径向采集数据进行降噪及平滑处理,通过Abel逆变换法重新构建径向光谱发射系数谱线轮廓,采用傅里叶变换从重建光谱轮廓中分离出Lorentz线形,获得Stark展宽,最终计算了TIG焊电弧等离子体电子密度的三维空间分布。     

Characterization of Kovar-to-Kovar laser welded joints and its mechanical strength

For the packaging of a pump laser in butterfly package, the most crucial assembly step is the fiber-to-laser diode coupling and attachment. The use of laser welding as the joining method offers several advantages if compared with the adhesive joints: strong joining strength, short process time and less contamination. This paper reports on laser welding process characteristics; weld strength and its fracture mode. The penetration depth and melt area of laser spot welds were found to be complicated functions of laser pulse energy, intensity, and beam diameter. Effects of pulse width, input power and size of the focal spot on the rate of energy input to the workpieces and consequently, the weld strength were reported. The weld strength was found to be dependent on the overlapping area between the two joining materials. Surface roughness, R_a, has influence on the fraction of energy absorbed, A, and therefore, affecting the penetration depth. Thermal analysis was carried out on the laser-welded joints and its heat-affected zone (HAZ) induced by various power densities was examined. These data are important in order to optimize and utilize the laser welding process as an effective manufacturing tool for fabrication of reliable pump laser.     

Relaxation mechanism of rotational type in fracture of weld joints for austenic steels

Studied is the mesoscale behavior of plastic deformation and fracture of weld joints for austenic steels. Large-scale rotational modes of deformation in heat affected zones are identified with the first stage of formation of band structures; it is related to the “traveling neck” phenomenon in the base metal. The second stage is connected with crack generation and the state of affairs in the heart-affected zone.     

A new technique for the identification of ultrasonic flaw signals using deconvolution

The identification of ultrasonic flaw signals is a difficult task in the angle beam ultrasonic testing of welded joints due to the presence of non-relevant signals from the geometric reflectors such as weld-roots and counter-bores. This paper describes a new approach to identify ultrasonic flaw signals in such a problematic situation. A similarity function is defined as the deconvolution of a target signal by a reference signal. The similarity functions for the same type of flaws/references are symmetric bandlimited impulse-like patterns with larger amplitudes while those for different types of flaws/references are asymmetrical broad patterns with relatively smaller amplitudes. Therefore, ultrasonic signals could be identified by the pattern of the similarity function. In the initial experiments, the proposed technique showed great potential for identifying ultrasonic flaw signals in the inspection of weld joints.     

LIBS对钛合金焊缝中成分的原位统计分布分析表征

钛合金凭借其强度高、耐蚀性好、耐热性高等特点已经被广泛应用于航天、海洋、生物医药等诸多领域,其中Ti-6Al-4V（TC4）合金的耐热性、强度、塑性、韧性、成形性、可焊性、耐蚀性和生物相容性均较好,已成为钛合金工业中的王牌合金。钛合金在激光焊接时,加入表面活性剂可以增加焊缝熔深、提高焊接效率、改善焊缝微观组织的不均匀性,但是可能会改变熔合区和焊缝区中元素含量及其分布状态,从而可能会对材料的性能产生一定的影响。运用LIBS分析技术对TC4钛合金焊接试样表面进行面扫描同步获得多元素成分信息,同时结合原位统计分布分析方法（OPA）,实现了对钛合金母材、熔合区、焊缝成分及其分布状态的快速表征,为活性剂的选择和焊接后钛合金的材料性能提供一种新的评价手段。选取了两个使用不同活性剂进行焊接的TC4钛合金薄板试样,选取焊缝纵切面方向作为分析面,采用320目的氧化铝砂纸进行表面处理,利用LIBSOPA系统进行成分分布统计表征。首先,对激发光斑和剥蚀条件进行条件优化,最终选择200 μm的激发光斑、10个预剥蚀脉冲10个剥蚀脉冲进行实验,并建立了钛合金中C,Al,V,Fe,Si和Ti六个元素的校准曲线（其中Si元素主要来自活性剂）;然后对钛合金焊接样品进行了区域扫描,并对元素含量和分布状态进行了统计表征。同时,在钛合金焊接样品的不同部位进行分区取样,采用高频红外法分析C元素含量,并与LIBSOPA结果进行比对,两种测试方法结果吻合。元素Al,V,Fe,Si和Ti分布结果与微束X荧光光谱法对应性较好。运用LIBSOPA 技术实现了对钛合金母材、熔合区、焊缝中多元素的成分分布表征,为快速判定钛合金焊缝中成分及分布状态提供了全新的评价表征手段。     

Effect of heat input on microstructure and properties of hybrid fiber laser-arc weld joints of the 800 MPa hot-rolled Nb-Ti-Mo microalloyed steels

Hybrid fiber laser-arc welding (HLAW) process was applied to a novel hot-rolled Nb-Ti-Mo microalloyed steels of 8 mm thickness. The steel is primarily used to manufacture automotive and construction machinery components, etc. To elucidate the effect of heat input on geometry, microstructure and mechanical properties, different heat inputs (3.90, 5.20 and 7.75 kJ/cm) were used by changing the welding speeds. With increased heat input, the depth/width of penetration was decreased, and the geometry of fusion zone (FZ) changed to “wine cup-like” shape. In regard to the microstructural constituents, the martensite content was decreased, but granular bainite (GB) content was increased. The main microstructural difference was in the FZ cross-section at 7.75 kJ/cm because of the effect of thermal source on the top and bottom. The microstructure of the top part consisted of GB, grain boundary ferrite, and acicular ferrite, while the bottom part was primarily lath martensite. The hardness distribution was similar for different heat inputs. Hardness in FZ, coarse-grained HAZ and mixed-grained HAZ was higher than the base metal (BM), but for the fine-grained HAZ was similar or marginally less than the base metal (BM). Tensile strain was concentrated in the BM such that the fracture occurred in this region. In summary, the geometry, microstructure, and mechanical properties of weld joints were superior at heat input of 5.20 kJ/cm.     

Relationship between weld quality and optical emissions in underwater Nd: YAG laser welding

In underwater laser welding (LBW), the weld quality is very dependent on the shielding conditions of the local dry cavity when other welding parameters are fixed. Thus, diagnosing the stability of the local dry cavity is the key to monitoring of underwater LBW. In this work, a sensing system containing two optical sensors was set up to detect the infrared and ultraviolet waveband of the optical emissions induced in the welding. The effect of water on the laser welding was studied first by conducting direct underwater welding, which was performed without any method to exclude the water from the welding zone. A kind of plasma that has strong ultraviolet emission formed if the water depth was more than several millimeters, which considerably reduced the penetration depth. Then a gas-shielding nozzle was used to form a local dry cavity for underwater LBW. The relationship between the optical signals and the weld quality with various shielding conditions were investigated. The results show that the detected signal well reflects the shielding condition variations of the local dry cavity. The optimal shielding condition could be determined by signal stability.     

Flow analysis of the weld line formation during injection mold filling of thermoplastics

To study the weld line formation of colliding flow fronts the filling of a mold cavity was simulated. The thermo-rheological findings were used to investigate the sources of weld line weakness. In this way critical areas of the interface in regard to the lack of interdiffusion and the inappropriate molecular orientation were found to be placed near the surface of the finished parts. The main source for the weld line weakness seems to be the V-notch that arises due to the poorly bonded region near the surface in combination with the large shrinkage as a result of extremely high molecular orientations induced at the end of the filling. Furthermore, the empirical knowledge was confirmed that weld lines are rather more sensitive to the local flow situation than the global processing conditions. Melt and mold temperatures can be considered to be the most important factors which influence the weld line strength.In part presented at the 6th European Conference on Rheology, Erlangen, 2002