Measurement and Control of Dynamic Weld Pool Surface in Gas Metal Arc Welding

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The objective of this research is to (1) simultaneously measure the three-dimensional shape of weld pool surface and the growth, detachment and trajectory of molten metal droplets in gas metal arc welding, and (2) use the simultaneous measurements to test the hypothesis that the weld pool surface is controlled by the arc and droplet characteristic parameters. The approach is to (1) image the specular reflection of a projected laser from the weld pool surface to simultaneously measure the weld pool surface and droplet characteristic parameters, (2) use the arc and droplet characteristic parameters to adjust the weld pool surface shape, and (3) use the required arc and droplet characteristic parameters to determine how to change the welding parameters.Gas metal arc welding is the most widely used process in automatic welding. The completion of the research will be of significant help in better understanding this complex process and provide the foundation to develop next generation intelligent welding machines. The multi-disciplinary research and collaborative activities will provide participating graduate and undergraduate students with opportunities to lead the change of manufacturing industry from being a "low-tech" to high-tech industry. Also, a high school senior would join in the challenging research and thus may be attracted to the engineering field. The research would also provide excellent materials for senior design projects. The development of the special website will provide a step-by-step procedure to guide researchers around the world to build the sensor for their research.