Challenges
Elimination of destructive testing for weld nugget quality inspection
Short Description:
A solution is sought to assess the quality of the nugget weld during the process of spot welding to eliminate the destructive testing process and reduce the dependency on skilled operators.
Challenge Details
Spot welding is generally used to weld steel sheets. The integrity of the weld is dependent upon the size and quality of the weld nugget. Achieving the ideal nugget size and strength depends on a several factors, including the condition of spot-welding electrodes and the stability of the current used during the welding process.
Currently the quality of the weld nuggets is assessed by producing standard weld nuggets for every type of sheet specification that requires welding. This pair of welded sheets is subjected to destructive evaluation to verify the tensile strength and diameter of the nugget. Additionally, carbon test is also conducted to gauge the electrode’s footprint, providing an additional assessment of the nugget’s diameter. All these testing procedures not only take time but also require skilled operators.
A solution, therefore, is sought to assess the quality of the nugget weld during the process of spot welding to eliminate the destructive testing process and reduce the dependency on skilled operators.
