Thesis (doctoral)--Lappeenranta University of Technology, 2004. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 115-120). Also available on the World Wide Web.

Thesis (MTech (Mechanical Engineering))--Peninsula Technikon, 1999 / The simulation of Plasma Arc Cutting is presented in this study. The plasma arc cutting process employs a plasma torch with a very narrow bore to produce a transferred arc to the workpiece. A technique for modelling plasma arc cutting has been developed by applying the thermo-metallurgical model to the process and integrating a model of material removal to this model. The model is solved using the finite element method using the FE package SYSWORLD, more specifically SYSWELD. The objective is to determine the minimum energy required to cut a plate of some thickness using this virtual model. The characteristics of the cut need to exhibit the characteristics of a "high quality cut". The model presented can predict the kerf size given certain process variable settings. The numerical results obtained are assessed by conducting experiments. By maintaining Ill1rumum energy input cost savings can be made through energy savings, limiting additional finishing processes and reducing expense of shortening the electrode and nozzle lifetimes. The modelling of the PAC process using virtual design techniques provides a cost-effective solution to the manufacturing industries with respect to process specification development. This plays an important role in South Africa's transition into a competitive global market. It is envisaged that the model will provide an alternative more efficient, non-destructive means of determining the optimum process variable settings for the plasma arc cutting process.

Automation of welding systems is often restricted by the requirements of spatial information of the seams to be welded. When this cannot be obtained from the design of the welded parts and maintained using accurate xturing, the use of a seam teaching or tracking system becomes necessary. Optical seam teaching and tracking systems have many advantages compared to systems implemented with other sensor families. Direct vision promises to be a viable strategy for implementing optical seam tracking, which has been mainly done with laser vision. The current work investigated direct vision as a strategy for optical seam teaching and tracking. A robotic vision system has been implemented, consisting of an articulated robot, a hand mounted camera and a control computer. A description of the calibration methods and the seam and feature detection and three-dimensional scene reconstruction is given. The results showed that direct vision is a suitable strategy for seam detection and learning. A discussion of generalizing the method used as an architecture for simultanious system calibration and measurement estimation is provided.

No description available.

This work was primarily motivated by the industrial need for control of problems associated with the Gas Tungsten Arc Welding (GTAW) of small bore titanium and austenitic stainless steel tubes. These include: pore creation and entrapment in the weld zone, and variability of the fusion zone geometry. The primary aim of this study was the development of a low current orbital plasma welding capability using a structured approach which could lead to defect minimisation. The methodology should also have the potential to be used in a number of different conditions, extending the use of plasma welding in both melt-in and keyhole modes for the orbital welding of small bore tubes. The project originally involved the modification of a totally enclosed orbital GTAW welding head for low current welding operations. It was established that for the current range required for small bore and small to medium thickness tubes, the use of a solid copper torch was sufficient to provide the required heat absorption. A stable arc was produced even for very low current values (down to 7A) while arc voltages were within the operating range of a standard GTA welding power source. Procedural (i.e. off line) control was adopted for identification and optimisation of welding parameters. Since no procedure was available for the proposed welds it was necessary to generate the parameters required for the production of consistent weld profiles. Simultaneously, an expert system has been developed for the determination of optimum process parameters based on empirical models, developed using statistical techniques. Parameter combinations were selected based on physical as well as statistical relevance, providing a measure of confidence when predicting the required weld bead output characteristics. The approach also indicates the influence of the major input parameters on weld bead geometry and defect formation, such as undercut. Two quality acceptance criteria were employed during this investigation, weld bead dimensional accuracy, and the type and seriousness of defects present (penetration / burn-through, porosity and undercut). Off line programming was utilised to control heat build up and to ensure welds were obtained with the desired geometry and minimal defect levels. The end result was the development of a prototype system for low current orbital plasma welding (in both melt-in and keyhole mode) of small bore tubes in a totally enclosed head. Tolerant procedures for low current orbital melt-in and particularly keyhole welding have been generated and a systematic methodology for the prediction and optimisation of welding procedures based on predetermined criteria has been developed.

Diversas pesquisas em processos de soldagem para construção naval concentram-se em reduzir peso, aumentar a eficiência de energia, melhorar a resistência à corrosão e à tenacidade, bem como reduzir custos e tempo na construção dos navios. O aço naval microligado, AH36, apresenta boa correlação entre estrutura, propriedades mecânicas e soldabilidade. Estas características se devem principalmente a redução dos teores de carbono em função do uso de elementos microligantes como V, Nb e Ti, e do tipo de processo de obtenção das chapas pelo processo termomecânico seguido de resfriamento acelerado (em inglês: Thermomechanical control process -TMCP). Assim, o objetivo deste trabalho é avaliar a soldagem do aço naval AH 36 pelo processo de arco submerso com um e dois arames. Para tanto foram empregados os ensaios mecânicos de tração, de dobramento e de dureza. A tenacidade foi determinada pelo ensaio de Charpy com entalhe em V. Para caracterização metalográfica foram aplicadas as seguintes técnicas: Microscopia óptica (MO) e Microscopia eletrônica de varredura (MEV) e difração de raios X. Os resultados mostraram que as juntas soldadas apresentaram limite de resistência máxima de 561 MPa, com rompimento localizado no metal de base. No ensaio de microdureza foi observado que a região de crescimento de grão da zona afetada pelo calor, no experimento com a técnica Tandem, apresentou-se a região mais rígida das juntas analisadas, também o valor de microdureza no metal de solda foi 10% maior que no metal de base. Os resultados dos ensaios de impacto Charpy V mostraram que a temperatura de transição dúctil frágil do metal de base é de -30ºC. Da mesma maneira, o menor valor de energia absorvida foi para região do metal de solda. Através da análise da micrografia foi possível identificar diferentes morfologias de ferrita, a presença de perlita e pequenas regiões de martensita, bem como a presença de agregados MA. / Several researches in welding processes for shipbuilding has been focusing on reducing weight, increasing energy efficiency, improving corrosion resistance and toughness as well as reducing costs and time in the construction of ships. The microalloyed steel AH36 shipbuilding presents a good correlation among structure, mechanical properties and weldability. These features are mainly because reduction in carbon content due to the use of microalloying elements such as V, Nb and Ti, together with the process of steel plates by thermomechanical control process (TMCP), Therefore, the objective of this study is to evaluate the welding of shipbuilding steel AH 36 by submerged arc process with one and two wires. It was utilized tests such as: tensile, bending and hardness tests. The toughness was determined by Charpy V-Notch test. The metallographic characterization was carried out by the following techniques: optical microscopy (OM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-Rays diffraction. The results showed that the tensile test for welded joints presented maximum resistance limit of 561 MPa, and the rupture was located in the base metal. Microhardness test showed that the region of coarse grain of heat affected zone, in the tandem submerged arc welding (SAW), presented the hardest region of the welded joint, also the microhardness value in the weld metal was 10% greater than the metal base. Charpy V notch test tests depicted a ductile brittle transition temperature at about -30 ºC. In the same way, the lowest absorbed energy was identified in the weld metal region. Through microstructure characterization it was possible to identify different morphologies of ferrite, pearlite and the small presence of martensite, as well as, the presence of aggregates MA.

Thesis (M.S.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, 1982. / MICROFICHE COPY AVAILABLE IN ARCHIVES AND ENGINEERING / Includes bibliographical references. / by Miriam Zacksenhouse. / M.S.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, 1981. / MICROFICHE COPY AVAILABLE IN ARCHIVES AND ENGINEERING. / Includes bibliographical references. / by José Converti. / Ph.D.

Magnesium alloys are of interest to the automotive industry because of their high specific strength and potential to reduce vehicle weight and fuel consumption. In order to incorporate more magnesium components into automotive structures, efficient welding and joining techniques must be developed. Specifically, a method of making butt-joint welds must be found in order to use sheet magnesium alloys in the form of tailor-welded blanks for structural applications. The existing welding processes each have disadvantages when applied to magnesium alloy sheet. The double-sided arc welding (DSAW) process has been shown to produce high quality welds in aluminum alloy sheet, for tailor-welded blank applications. The DSAW process has not yet been applied to AZ31B magnesium alloy, which has thermo-physical and oxide forming properties similar to those of aluminum alloys. Therefore, this research explores the weldability of AZ31B magnesium alloy, using the DSAW process. Experimental, butt-joint configuration welds were made in 2 mm thick AZ31B-H42 magnesium alloy sheet. Acceptable welds have been produced using welding speeds ranging from 12 mm/s to 100 mm/s and welding powers from 1.6 kW to 8.7 kW. The influence of these parameters on the appearance, geometry, mechanical properties and microstructure of the resulting welds was investigated. Optimal appearance, geometric profile and mechanical properties were obtained at the lowest welding speeds and powers. Under these conditions, mechanical properties of the weld metal were equivalent to those of the fully annealed (0-temper) base metal. However, progressive deterioration in appearance, geometry and mechanical properties occurred at higher welding speeds. The deterioration in mechanical properties was associated with 2 microstructural defects that were observed at higher welding speeds: 1) the formation of larger amounts of Mg17Al12 -phase particles, at the grain boundaries, and 2) the formation of solidification shrinkage micro-porosity at these same inter-granular locations. This research demonstrates that the DSAW process is capable of producing acceptable quality, butt-joint welds in AZ31B magnesium alloy sheet at welding speeds up to 100 mm/s. However, in order to achieve the highest quality welds, low welding power, and, low welding speed, should be used. The highest quality welds were produced at welding speeds of 12 mm/s.

Dual-phase (DP) sheet steels have recently been used for automotive manufacturing to reduce vehicle weight and improve fuel economy. Dual-phase steels offer higher strength without reduced formability when compared to conventional high strength low alloy (HSLA) steels and so thinner gauge DP sheet steel can be used to meet the same design requirements. The DP steel microstructure is comprised of dual-phase mixture hard martensite particles, which provide strength, in a soft ferrite matrix, which provides ductility. Fusion welding processes, such as gas metal arc welding (GMAW), are used to join DP sheet steels; however, the heat input from fusion welding can cause the martensite islands to decompose into softer islands of tempered martensite. This can reduce the joint efficiency and cause premature localized necking in the region where tempered martensite forms. The weldability of coated 1.65 mm Cr Mo DP600 (dual-phase 600 MPa) sheet steel welded using the pulsed gas metal arc welding (GMAW-P) process was assessed. Processes with a range of GMAW P weld heat inputs were developed to make full penetration bead-on-plate welds that had similar bead geometry. The range of weld heat input was between 193 J/mm and 347 J/mm. Uniaxial transverse weld tensile tests of welds that were made at high heat input fractured in the heat affected zone (HAZ), welds that were made at low heat input fractured in the base metal (BM), which is most desirable, and at intermediate welding heat inputs, fracture locations were mixed. Heat input was compared to corresponding weld HAZ half-width measurements and it was shown that as heat input increased, HAZ half-width increased as well; this followed an expected linear trend. The ultimate tensile strength (UTS) was not diminished in specimens that exhibited BM fracture and 100% joint efficiency was achieved. Welded DP600 specimens that failed in the HAZ had minimal (< 5%) reduction of UTS. During the welding process development phase, the same range of heat input was used to make bead-on-plate full penetration welds onto coated 1.80 mm HSLA (high strength low alloy) sheet steel to assess its weldability. It was found that all of the welds fractured in the BM during uniaxial transverse weld tensile testing and, therefore, had achieved 100% joint efficiency. It was shown that by increasing the strength grade of DP sheet steel to DP780 and DP980, 100% joint efficiency was not retained. To better understand why high heat input welding caused HAZ fracture, low heat and high heat input welds that had consistently fractured in the BM and HAZ, respectively, were used to assess the differences between BM and HAZ fracture mechanisms. Fractographic analysis of BM and HAZ fracture surfaces of the dual-phase steels showed that fracture had occurred due to micro-void coalescence for both types of failure; however, the HAZ fracture had greater reduction of cross-sectional area and the surface had more numerous and smaller shear tearing ledges. Examination of the microstructure showed that there were decomposed martensite islands in the region the HAZ fracture; these likely increased ductility and led to a more significant tri-axial stress state. However, decomposed martensite was also found in the HAZ of welds that had BM fracture. The low and high heat input welds had similar reduction of martensite percentage (~3 – 4%) in the subcritical (SC) region of the HAZ; immediately below the Ac1 temperature where transformation from a BCC ferrite to FCC austenite occurs. Each weld HAZ was assessed with an average through-thickness microhardness (ATTH) profile. Four distinct regions of hardness were identified: hard intercritical (IC), which was formed by heating between Ac1 and Ac3 temperatures, soft subcritical (S SC), hard subcritical (H SC), and base-metal (BM). The width of the S-SC was slightly larger (~10%) for the HAZ fracture weld; however, the degree of softening (~8 – 11 VHNATTH/200g) compared to BM hardness was similar for both. It appeared that HAZ fracture could be shifted to the BM by reducing the width of the S SC so that the surrounding hard IC (+40 – 50 VHNATTH/200g) and H-SC (+5 – 10 VHNATTH/200g) could support the S SC and prevent a tri-axial stress state from developing; this is similar to increased strength of brazed joints caused by optimal gap width. Using this knowledge base, new welds were made onto different sheet thickness (1.20 mm and 1.80 mm) Cr-Mo DP600 sheet steels and onto higher strength grades of 1.20 mm Cr-Mo DP780 and 1.20 mm Mn –Si DP980 sheet steels. These were compared with the heavily studied 1.65 mm Cr Mo DP600 sheet steel described above. The 1.80 mm DP600 sheet steel (welded with the same range of heat input) fractured in the BM during all uniaxial transverse weld tensile tests; this was caused by a 4% increase in sheet thickness. The majority of thinner 1.20 mm welds fractured in the HAZ; there was one BM fracture for the DP600 sheet steel. Only the DP980 had a significant drop in UTS (~28%), and the DP600 and DP780 approached 100% joint efficiency (based on the UTS). The same distinct regions of hardness were observed for Cr Mo DP600 and Cr-Mo DP780. The Mn Si DP980 did not exhibit an H SC and had a significantly wider S SC (~80% wider) when compared to welds of similar heat input and sheet thickness. This suggested that the presence of an H SC region could improve joint efficiency. It also suggested that material chemistry played an important role in reducing the extent of softening during welding; however, the martensite percentage for the DP600, DP780, and DP980 were different (approximately 7.5%, 20%, and 46%, respectively) and this could also have affected the observed S SC widths. It was concluded that GMAW-P welded DP600 sheet steel shifted from a HAZ fracture to a more desirable BM fracture location during uniaxial transverse weld tensile testing as the S-SC region of hardness was narrowed. A narrow S-SC was supported by the adjacent hard IC and H-SC regions, which limited diffuse necking in the vicinity of the S-SC region. Diffuse necking continued to thin out material in the BM region, where there was a greater reduction in cross-sectional area prior to the onset of localized necking, and, therefore, the BM entered a state of higher stress than the S-SC and failed once it reached UTS. This was not observed for a higher strength grade of DP780 sheet steel, which had higher degree of softening, because, diffuse necking was not sufficient to reduce the BM cross-sectional area and hence the level of stress in the S-SC reached the UTS before the UTS was reached in the BM.