SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR ANALYZING WELD SIGNATURES USING PULSE FORENSIC FEATURES

• Main Author: Ivkovich Stephen P
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 16.03.2017
• Subjects: CLADDING OR PLATING BY SOLDERING OR WELDING; CUTTING BY APPLYING HEAT LOCALLY, e.g. FLAME CUTTING; MACHINE TOOLS; METAL-WORKING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; SOLDERING OR UNSOLDERING; TRANSPORTING; WELDING; WORKING BY LASER BEAM

Systems and methods for welding are described. The welding system can include, for example, a power source, a computer, and a welding torch. The computer and the welding torch can be operatively coupled to the power source. The power source controls a wire feed and one of a current or a voltage to the welding torch. When the welding torch is performing pulsed welding, the computer is configured to receive a weld signature. The computer is configured to synthesize features from the weld signature and to analyze the features for each pulse of the weld signature to determine whether particular limits have been exceeded or met. If particular limits are exceed or met, a weld fault condition is triggered which causes the welding system to stop or to modify the pulsed welding operation, and/or which causes the welding system to send out communications relating to the triggering of the weld fault condition.