Signature image processing

Weld quality assurance is the use of technological methods and actions to test or assure the quality of welds, and secondarily to confirm the presence, location and coverage of welds. In manufacturing, welds are used to join two or more metal surfaces. Because these connections may encounter loads and fatigue during product lifetime, there is a chance they may fail if not created to proper specification.

Methods of weld testing and analysis are used to assure the quality and correctness of the weld after it is completed. This term generally refers to testing and analysis focused on the quality and strength of the weld, but may refer to technological actions to check for the presence, position and extent of welds. These are divided into destructive and non-destructive methods. A few examples of destructive testing include macro etch testing, fillet-weld break tests, transverse tension tests, and guided bend tests. Other destructive methods include acid etch testing, back bend testing, tensile strength break testing, nick break testing, and free bend testing. Non-destructive methods include fluorescent penetrate tests, magnaflux tests, eddy current (electromagnetic) tests, hydrostatic testing, tests using magnetic particles, X-rays and gamma ray based methods and acoustic emission techniques. Other methods include ferrite and hardness testing.

X-ray-based weld inspection may be manual, performed by an inspector on X-ray-based images or video, or automated using machine vision.

Inspection may be manual, conducted by an inspector using imaging equipment, or automated using machine vision. Since the similarity of materials between weld and workpiece, and between good and defective areas, provides little inherent contrast, the latter usually requires methods other than simple imaging.

One (destructive) method involves the microscopic analysis of a cross section of the weld.

Ultrasonic testing uses the principle that a gap in the weld changes the propagation of ultrasonic sound through the metal. One common method uses single-probe ultrasonic testing involving operator interpretation of an oscilloscope-type screen. Another senses using a 2D array of ultrasonic sensors. Conventional, phased array and time of flight diffraction (TOFD) methods can be combined into the same piece of test equipment.

Acoustic emission methods monitor for sound created by the loading or flexing of the weld.

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