Automated Weld Integrity Analysis Using 3D Point Data

This paper describes a method for non-destructive evaluation of the quality of welds from 3D point data. The method uses a stereo camera system to capture high-resolution 3D images of deposited welds, which are then processed in order to extract key parameters of the welds. These parameters (the weld angle and the radius of the weld at the weld toe) can in turn be used to estimate the stress concentration factor of the weld and thus to infer its quality. The method is intended for quality control applications in manufacturing environments and aims to supplement, and even eliminate, the manual inspections which are currently the predominant inspection method. Experimental results for T-fillet welds are reported.