Method for automatic multi-layer welding

Abstract: In automatic multi-run welding of a butt joint (37), for example a V-type joint, U-type joint, a sensor (44) oscillating transverse to the weld joint scans at several joint portions (F₁, F₂) a number of points (41, 41a, 41b etc.) on the contour of the joint. The coordinates of the points are determined for two directions, preferably in the vertical direction and lateral direction of the joint. The points are corner points of a polygon whose area is nearly identical to the cross-sectional area of the joint. Welding parameters, for example the welding speed, which control the amount of welding material per unit of length in a bead to be deposited in the joint are determined for the different joint portions (F₁, F₂) as a function of the corresponding polygon area. By virtue of the adaptation of the parameters to the varying joint cross-section, the joint is filled uniformly despite deviations in the shape of the joint from the ideal shape. Moreover, these polygon areas are used to determine the required number of beads per layer and the condition for deposition of a top layer with which the welding is finished.

Description: The invention relates to a method for automatic multi-layer welding of a joint formed by two joint surfaces, in which method the contour of the joint is scanned by a sensor which emits signals corresponding to the shape of the joint, which signals, after evaluation, control the deposition of the weld beads by means of a continuously fed electrode which is movable in at least three directions, is directed towards a welding point in the joint by means of an arc weld head and is moved relatively along the joint, said sensor being oscillated in front of the weld head and at different portions of the joint transversely to the joint and is made to measure at said portions coordinates in two directions, preferably in the vertical direction and lateral direction of the joint, of points on the contour of said joint, which points define the cross-section of the joint, the area of the polygon defined by the coordinates of these points measured during one oscillating movement being calculated for determining welding parameters for each of the joint portions as a function of the corresponding polygon area, said parameters being determined to control the amount of welding material per unit of length in a bead to be deposited in the joint. In welding, account must be taken of the variations in the cross-sectional area of the weld joint along the joint. The cross-sectional area is determined, on the one hand, by the contour of the joint and, on the other hand, by a line which connects the two joint edges. The cross-section of the joint often differs from the ideal shape, for example a V-shape, U-shape etc. In the case of long joints, the width of the joint usually varies, and the joint edges are often offset relative to each other. The cross-sectional area along the joint therefore alters continuously on account of the geometric imperfections of the joint, which are essentially caused by production-engineering reasons, inter alia in the joint preparation. In automatic welding in particular, it must be possible for these variations in the joint cross-section along the joint to be recorded, so that the beads can be deposited with a chosen amount of welding material per unit of length, which finally results in a joint which is even and filled to the same level. In manual or semi-automatic welding, the weldor can vary the welding parameters, for exemple the welding speed, in order to compensate for irregularities in the weld joint. In the case of automatic welding, such adaptation of the welding to these variations must be effected entirely automatically. EP-B1-12,962 describes a procedure of the type mentioned in the preamble. On the basis of the actual joint width scanned by a sensor, the number of weld beads to be deposited alongside each other is selected automatically, and the transition from one bead to the next is carried out in accordance with a specific procedure. However, during the welding, no account is taken of the variations in the cross-section of the joint which is affected not only by the joint width, but also to a significant extent by the said joint offset. In another proposal - US-A-4,608,481 - the joint is filled by means of an oscillating movement of the electrode, in which respect the shape of the joint is scanned at the same time by means of, for example, measuring the arc voltage during the oscillating movement at certain relative positions of the welding burner in relation to the workpiece. This procedure requires additional arrangements for the oscillating movement and separate control equipment for this movement. To perform multi-layer welding while controlling automatically the position of a welding torch and welding conditions from the sectional shape of the groove to be welded is also previously known, see JP-A-61-67568 and JP-A-60-99485. In this case, however, the sensing operation is effectuated only during an interval between the deposition of two weld beads. This means that a number of measurements have to be done as the contour varies along the joint causing a delay in the welding operation. The aim of the present invention is to provide a multi-layer welding method in which the actual joint cross-section at different portions of the joint is taken as the basis for determination of a welding parameter or welding parameters affecting the amount of welding material to be deposited per unit of length as a function of the joint cross-section in question. The invention is characterized in that the welding parameters for the deposition of the subsequent layer for each joint portion are a function of a residual area calculated for each joint portion during the deposition of the bead that completes the layer in progress, this residual area being the difference between the calculated polygon area and the corresponding cross-sectional area of said bead whose deposition is in progress. For practical reasons the contour of the joint is scanned in a point-wise manner. The position of the points is defined by coordinates, preferably in the vertical and lateral directions of the joint. The points become corner points in a polygon, whose area can be easily calculated. In the case of simple joint shapes with plane joint surfaces, in general only the coordinates of a small number of points are needed for calculating the polygon area corresponding to the joint cross-section. It is conceivable to measure these coordinates during a half oscillating movement of the sensor, for example by moving the sensor from one joint edge to the other, so that the sensor can scan the contour of the joint between the joint edges. The sensor is advantageously moved in synchrony with the weld head, that is to say with the welding speed. During its oscillating movement the sensor is therefore also moved along the joint, and the oscillating movement and the measurement proceed within a specific portion of the joint. On account of this movement, the various points on the joint contour measured in the same operation belong to different cross-sections of the joint. The surface of the calculated polygon therefore becomes a type of mean value for the varying cross-sectional area within the joint portion. The length of the scanned joint portion is a function of the ratio between the speed of the oscillating movement and the welding speed. The greater the oscillating speed and the lower the welding speed, the smaller is the length of the scanned joint portion. The shorter the scanned joint portion is, the smaller are the variations in the cross-sectional area within the joint portion. The measurement method described above for determining a cross-sectional area which is a mean value for a specific joint portion has been found to be completely sufficient for a satisfactory welding result in automatic multi-layer welding. Within the scope of this invention it is also conceivable to have the sensor scan a cross-sectional area without the sensor being moved in synchrony with the weld head. This provides a correct value for the cross-sectional area at a specific point in the joint. However, the next measurement can only be carried out a distance further on in the joint, since account must be taken of the continuous movement of the weld head. The individual measurements of the joint cross-section must in this case be taken as a basis for a mean calculation of the cross-sectional area between the different measurement times, and the result is very similar to the result obtained with a sensor moved in synchrony with the weld head. Calculation of the polygon area corresponding to the cross-sectional area also requires the coordinates of a point on each joint edge. Since a direct scanning of the position of the joint edges is difficult to carry out with the sensor, in a preferred embodiment of the invention the sensor is made to measure a coordinate in the vertical direction of a respective point on each topside of the joint, and a line is calculated between two points on each joint side, in which respect the point of intersection of the line with the plane defined by the topside of the joint is a point of the joint edge of the corresponding joint side or a point of the polygon. According to preferred embodiment of the invention, the sensor is oscillated during on-going deposition of the second layer in which respect the first layer in the joint comprising at least one bead is deposited with a certain amount of welding material per unit of length, which amount is preferably identical for each joint portion. It has been found to be advantageous to scan the whole joint before the welding parameters for the next bead are determined. However, the welding and scanning of the joint should take place simultaneously in order to minimize the overall time for the welding work. When the first bead, which normally is identical with the first layer, is deposited and the sensor arranged in front of the weld head scans the contour of the joint, there are therefore no measurement values for determining the welding parameters for this first bead. The first bead is therefore deposited with a predetermined amount of welding material per unit of length, which amount is preferably identical along the whole joint. It may be advantageous for practical reasons to initially deposit as many beads as necessary for the completion of the first layer with a certain predetermined amount of welding material per unit of length. Further it is advantageous that only one welding parameter is determined for each joint portion as a function of the polygon area, namely either the welding speed or the feed speed of the electrode. Preferably the welding speed is chosen as welding parameter. According to the invention it is also advantageous that a mean welding speed for deposition of a certain amount of welding material is determined in relation to the mean value of the polygon areas of the joint portions, and that the welding speed for each joint portion is calculated as a function of the ratio between the polygon ares of each joint portion and the mean value of the polygon areas. A value giving optimum or close to optimum welding quality is selected as the mean value of the welding speed. The welding speed in the various joint portions is calculated with regard to the deviation of the joint portion from the said mean value. In cases where there are considerable variations in the contour of the joint, these deviations are also quite considerable. It is therefore also advantageous according to the invention for a warning signal to be triggered when the welding parameter for any joint portion has a value lying outside a predetermined value range including a maximum and minimum value and also the mean value for the welding parameter. The warning signal informs the operator that, on account of the shape of the joint, the welding parameter at one or more joint portions has a value which means that the welding result can no longer be regarded as acceptable. The operator can intervene in the on-going welding work and correct this error in a number of ways. According to a further embodiment of the invention, the welding speed is a function of the residual area calculated for the joint portion and a function of the welding speeds which have been calculated for the two adjoining joint portions. Since only one polygon area is calculated for each joint portion, there is only a discrete sequence of values of calculated welding speeds. The transition between these welding speeds must be effected continuously. For the required change in speed, a suitable acceleration or deceleration is selected, in which respect account must be taken of the mass whose speed is to be changed. In automatic multi-layer welding, the number of beads must be determined for each layer. According to one embodiment of the invention, a second bead is deposited in the joint alongside the first bead in order to form an intermediate layer, when the mean of values corresponding to the width of the joint in the various joint portions at the level of this intermediate layer is greater than a predetermined value. Intermediate layer here refers to all weld layers in the joint with the exception of the root layer and the top layer. It is also advantageous for the value corresponding to the width of the joint to be equal to a product k.b₁, in which k is a factor between 0.5 and 1.0 and b₁ is the joint width at the actual joint base, and for the given value to be a certain distance in the lateral direction of the joint between the electrode tip and the joint surface. The joint width is determined by the sensor at each joint portion by means of the measured coordinates. As has been described above, the measurement method employed provides for each joint portion a certain mean value of the width dimension, which here is the joint width at the actual joint base. The introduction of only this mean value of the joint width within each joint portion does not in practice affect the desired result, to obtain an indication of when two beads are to be deposited in the joint. The factor k is dependent on the shape of the joint and on the welding parameters, and is determined by testing. The distance between the electrode tip and the joint surface is chosen with regard to the desired penetration zone in the base material. The filling of the joint should also be uniform in the case of an edge offset. At the joint side with the higher joint edge, a greater amount of welding material must be deposited than at the other joint side. According to the invention it is advantageous for the polygon defined by the coordinates of the measurement points to be divided by a centre line through the joint into a first and a second subpolygon, which include the measurement points on each respective joint side and joint edge, and for the welding parameters, for the weld bead which is to be deposited against the respective joint side, to be determined for the joint portions as a function of the corresponding subpolygon area. The amount of welding material per unit of length for the two beads is thus adapted to the actual cross-sectional area of a joint with varying edge offset. As has been described above, the deposition of two beads per layer is determined only as a function of the width of the joint at the level of the layer. In contrast, the deposition of three or more beads per layer is determined as a function of the cross-section of the layer. According to the invention it is advantageous for at least three beads to be deposited in an intermediate layer, when the mean of a value, determined for each joint portion, of the cross-sectional area of the said intermediate layer is greater than a predetermined value, for the number of beads in the intermediate layer to be a function of the mean value, and for the cross-sectional area of the third bead and where appropriate further bead in this layer to be a function of the cross-sectional area of the first two beads in this layer deposited against the joint sides. The calculated value of the cross-sectional area of the intermediate layer in each joint portion is calculated as a function of the width of the intermediate layer, and the mean value of a measured height h₁ of the bead deposited first in this intermediate layer and against the one joint side, at a certain distance from the joint side, and of a calculated height h₂ of the bead deposited immediately thereafter against the other joint side, where h₂ = (h₁.a₂)/a₁ , in which a₁ and a₂ are the cross-sectional areas of the two deposited beads. For determining the number of beads, it is advantageous to start from a calculated value of the area of the intermediate layer. When all the beads have finally been deposited in this intermediate layer its actual cross-sectional area generally differs somewhat from the calculated theoretical value. For calculating the theoretical value, the height h₁ is determined by means of the sensor, whereas the height h₂ is calculated, since the sensor has not been able to measure the height of the second bead before depositing the third bead, as is explained hereinafter. When calculating the cross-sectional area of the intermediate layer, the width dimension chosen is advantageously a dimension which represents a mean value of the joint width at this layer. For practical reasons, the value of the area of the intermediate layer is also calculated before deposition of the 4th, 5th etc. bead in the said intermediate layer in the same way as has been described above with a calculated value of h₂, despite the fact that the actual height dimension h₂ can be determined before the deposition of these beads. In the case of an edge offset, in order to achieve an even distribution of the amount of welding material per unit of length in the three or more beads in the layer, the polygon defined by the coordinates of the measurement points is divided by a centre line through the joint into a first and a second subpolygon, which include the measurement points of each respective joint side and joint edge, and the welding parameter for the weld bead which is to be deposited against the one joint side or other joint side, respectively, is determined for each joint portion as a function of the corresponding subpolygon area, and of the cross-sectional area of the last-deposited bead in the underlying layer, in which respect the cross-sectional areas for the further beads in the same intermediate layer are obtained by interpolation with respect to the two beads deposited against the joint sides, and the corresponding welding speeds are inversely proportional to the cross-sectional areas. In the case of an edge offset, the amount of welding material per unit of length in a joint portion is different in the two outermost beads deposited against the joint side. Therefore, in the intermediate beads, an amount of welding material will be deposited which is obtained by interpolation of the two amounts of welding material which have been deposited against the joint sides. The corresponding welding speed is inversely proportional to the value of the cross-sectional area corresponding to the amount of welding material. In this way the distribution of the deposited welding material is uniform in the whole layer. Before a subsequent layer is deposited, a check is always made to ascertain whether this subsequent layer will be a top layer with which the welding is finished. According to the invention it is therefore advantageous, after deposition of an intermediate layer in the joint and before deposition of the next layer, to calculate the quotient from the mean value of the polygon areas of the joint portions of the remaining joint cross-section and the mean value of the cross-sectional areas of the last-deposited intermediate layer in all joint portions, and for the top beads for a top layer to be deposited in the joint on this intermediate layer when the quotient is less than a predetermined value, preferably less than 0.7, in which respect the number of beads in the top layer is preferably increased by one, compared to the number in the last-deposited intermediate layer. Thus, after finishing each layer, a comparison of the value of the abovementioned quotient with a predetermined value is carried out to determine whether the next layer will be a top layer. The invention will now be described in greater detail with reference to the attached drawing which shows an exemplary embodiment. Further advantages of the invention will emerge from this description. Figs. 1a, 1b and 1c show a section through a slightly deformed V-type joint at different times during welding. Figs. 2a, 2b and 2c show the edge offset in a butt joint in cylindrical workpieces. Figs. 3a and 3b show two types of square butt joint. Fig. 4 shows, somewhat diagrammatically, a sensor for scanning a joint contour. Fig. 5 shows the same sensor as seen from above. Fig. 4 is a section along IV-IV in Fig. 5. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a U-type joint. Fig. 6a shows a section through Fig. 6. Fig. 7 shows a section through a V-type joint. Fig. 8 shows a V-type joint for clarification of certain terms used in the description. Fig. 9 shows a diagram of calculated welding speeds in different joint portions. Fig. 10 shows a correct V-type joint in the case of deposition of a layer with two beads. Fig. 11 shows a V-type joint with an edge offset, in the case of deposition of a layer with two beads. Fig. 12 shows a diagram of calculated welding speeds for two beads which are to be deposited in the same layer of a V-type joint with an edge offset. Fig. 13 shows a correct V-type joint in the case of deposition of a layer with three beads. Fig. 14 shows a V-type joint with an edge offset, in the case of deposition of a layer with three beads. Fig. 15 shows a V-type joint before deposition of a top layer. Fig. 16 shows diagrammatically an arrangement for automatic multi-layer welding. Fig. 1a shows a section through a V-type joint between two workpieces 1a, 1b with a gap 2, joint sides 3a, 3b, joint edges 4a, 4b, root sides 5a, 5b and topsides 6a, 6b. The workpieces 1a and 1b are shown slightly offset in the vertical direction with respect to the joint edges 4a, 4b. The cross-sectional area A o of the joint is delimited by the joint sides 3a, 3b, the gap 2 and an imaginary line 7 between the two joint edges 4a, 4b. Fig. 1b shows the same joint with a root bead 8. The cross-sectional area of the joint is now smaller and is designated by A₁. In some cases the penetration of the bead into the base material on the root side of the joint is not satisfactory, and an additional root bead must be deposited, which is usually carried out on the underside of the joint after the complete welding of the rest of the joint. In this respect it is usual to turn the workpieces round in order to facilitate the welding work. The question regarding the need for an additional root bead is not discussed here and does not constitute part of the invention. The root bead 8 is deposited along the whole joint with fixed welding parameters. In this respect it should be noted that the cross-section of the joint varies along the joint on account of manufacturing tolerances, especially as regards the joint width, the edge offset and changes in shape during welding. When the first bead is deposited at a constant welding speed v s and a constant feed speed v e of the welding electrode, the cross-section a sn of the deposited bead is identical along the whole joint, namely a sn = (a e .v e )/v s , in which a e is the cross-sectional area of the welding electrode. The cross-sectional area A o of the joint at the position examined decreases to A₁ = A o -a s1 or, in general terms, the cross-section at a position n of the joint becomes A 1n = A on - a s1n . As has already been stated, A 1n varies along the whole joint. Fig. 1c shows the same joint after deposition of a further three beads 9, 10, 11. The remaining cross-sectional area becomes A₄ = A o - (a s1 +a s2 +a s3 +a s4 ) in which a s2 to a s4 is the cross-sectional area of the second to the fourth bead at the position examined. In general, A nn = A on - (a s1n +....a sn2 ) , that is to say the cross-sectional area A nn at the position n of the joint is the difference between A on and the sum of the cross-section of the beads at this position. The welding speed upon deposition of the following bead is a function of the residual cross-section which is to be filled with welding material. If the cross-section is less than a mean value, the welding speed should be greater, and conversely. A uniform filling of the joint is obtained in this way. In practice, an exact determination of the joint cross-section is not possible. In addition, the specified values for the cross-sectional area of the bead are not completely reliable, since the feed speed of the electrode is not constant. A summation of these cross-sectional areas can lead to an error accumulation. An edge offset generally occurs on butt-joint welding of large pipes or cylindrical containers. The cross-sections of the pipe or container parts which are to be welded together always differ slightly from a circle shape and are elliptic or oval. When welding such workpieces together, it is not generally possible to bring the axis systems of the elliptic or oval cross-sections into coincidence with each other. The result of this is an edge offset in the joint, which changes continuously along the whole joint. Fig. 2a shows, slightly exaggerated in the axial direction, two cylindrical workpieces 12a, 12b with elliptic cross-section in the butt-joint position. The edge offset along the section I-I (Fig. 2b) of the two workpieces 12a, 12b is the opposite of that along the section II-II (Fig. 2c). As can be seen, the edge offset varies continuously around the periphery. In most cases only one root bead is applied on in the joint base, filling the entire width of the joint. This is true in particular for V-type joints, U-type joints and similar joints. In the case of narrow square-butt joints, which are used in narrow-gap welding, the square-butt joint is provided on the root side (Fig. 3a) for example with a lip 13 delimiting a narrow gap 14. In another embodiment, the joint is prepared as an open square-butt joint (Fig. 3b), a backing strip 15 serving as a weld support and being welded against the underside of the joint. In these joints, two base beads 16 and 17 are applied alongside each other. These two base beads are welded at a predetermined welding speed, and a calculation of the welding speed on the basis of the calculated cross-sectional area in the joint portion is first started in conjunction with the deposition of the second bead, in which respect information for the third bead is obtained. It is advantageous to measure the contour of the joint using a sensor which, upon point contact with the joint contour, emits signals corresponding to the coordinates of these points in the vertical and lateral directions of the joint. The sensor 18 shown slightly diagrammatically in Figs. 4 and 5 is provided with a feeler rod 19 with a ball-shaped tip 20. The feeler rod is fixed in a column 21 which is rotatable in a housing 22. The column is connected to a drive motor 23 and can be rotated slightly more than 180°, as is shown by the broken lines indicating the two end positions 24a, 24b of the rotational movement. In another possible embodiment, the feeler rod is much longer and the rotational movement is limited to a smaller swing angle. A guide 25 with a rack 26 is secured to the housing 22, and a gear wheel 28 driven by a motor 27 is in engagement with the rack 26. The guide 25 is displaceable in the vertical direction in a guide groove 29 in a bracket 30, which supports the motor 27. The bracket is connected securely to a welding burner 31 (indicated here only diagrammatically) which is provided with a feed mechanism (not shown here) for a welding electrode 32, whose position has been indicated with broken lines. The direction of welding is shown by an arrow 32a. Several beads 34 have already been deposited in the joint 33, and an additional bead, which cannot be seen in Fig. 4, is deposited using the electrode 32. During welding, the sensor scans the contour of the joint, that is to say the sides 35a, 35b and the base 36 of the joint. For determining a specific point, the sensor 18 is lowered until the tip 20 makes contact with the base 36 of the joint, that is to say the topside of the deposited beads 34 or the joint side 35a, 35b. The height coordinate of the point is scanned by means of the rotational position of the motor 27. The coordinate of the point in the lateral direction of the joint is obtained from the rotational position 19 of the feeler rod. A U-type joint 37 shown in perspective in Fig. 6 is partially filled with a first bead 38. The deposition of a second bead 39 by means of an electrode 40 is in progress. A number of points 41 on the base 42 and on the sides 43a, 43b of the joint, whose positions are scanned by the sensor shown here only by means of its feeler rod 44, are marked by a +. The sensor starts an oscillating movement at the base 42 of the joint at a point 41a, is moved to the one joint side 43a and is moved upwards along the latter and past the joint edge 45a. At each point, the movement of the sensor as described above is repeated for determination of the coordinates of the point. When the sensor has passed the joint edge 45a, the feeler rod upon its rotation in the lateral direction no longer makes contact with the workpiece, and no coordinate in the lateral direction can be determined. In contrast, a height coordinate is scanned for a point 41y on the topside 46a. As soon as this information is available, the sensor returns to a starting position 41b at the base 42 of the joint. From there, the same measurement procedure is repeated on the joint base 42 and the other joint side 43b (not shown here) including a point 41z on the topside 46b, after which the sensor is returned to a new starting position 41c. During the measurement, the sensor has been moved along the joint at a specific and where appropriate variable welding speed, and the scanned points do not therefore lie in one plane transverse to the longitudinal direction of the joint. Between the points 41a and 41c there extends a joint portion F₁ within which the sensor effected the oscillating movement described above. For as satisfactory as possible a determination of the cross-section of the joint, the coordinates of at least one point on each joint edge are required. A scanning of the exact position of the joint edge by means of the sensor is difficult to carry out. It is considerably simpler to determine this point by means of calculating a line 47 through two points 41₁, 41₂ set by its coordinates in the vicinity of the joint edge 45a. The point of intersection between this line 47 and the plane which is represented by the topside 46a of the joint is a point 48a on the joint edge 45a. The calculation of the coordinates of this point is simple to carry out. The points 41₁ and 41₂ and the associated joint edge 45a must lie in one plane. A point 48b is obtained on the other joint edge 45b in the same way. The measured points include only the vertical and lateral coordinates. The points can therefore be placed in the plane defined by the coordinate axes and become in this plane the corner points of a polygon 49 (Fig. 6a). Fig. 6a is thus a section through all the points 41 in the joint portion, in which respect the points have been projected onto the coordinate plane. The deviation of the polygon from the geometric shape of the joint, here the U-type joint, is generally quite small. By choosing a sufficiently large number of measurement points, the polygon 49 represents a mean value of the cross-sectional area of the joint for the whole of the joint portion scanned, which mean value is satisfactory for determining the welding parameters. When the sensor has effected its oscillating movement transverse to the joint, the next oscillating movement is advantageously started within a joint portion F₂ from the finishing position 41c of the sensor. It is also possible for there to be pauses between the oscillating movements of the sensor, for example when scanning those joints which have only small variations in the joint cross-section between joint portions. In joints with a simple geometric contour with plane joint sides, for example a V-type joint (Fig. 7a), only the scanning of a small number of points on the contour of the joint is required, since the deviations of the joint from the ideal shape generally relate only to the width of the joint and an edge offset. The workpieces 50a, 50b are to a slight extent mutually offset in the vertical direction. The joint surfaces 51a, 51b are plane, and their contour can be determined simply by means of two points per joint side. Before welding is started, the sensor is swept over the joint in order to determine a starting position 52 approximately above the middle of the joint. From this starting position the sensor begins all the oscillating movements in conjunction with the joint scanning. It should be noted in this respect that the starting position is moved along the joint at the welding speed. The sensor is moved from the starting position firstly to the one topside 53a and then to the other topside 53b, and the coordinates of the points 54y, 54z on the topsides are determined. The sensor is thereafter moved to the one joint side 51b, and a point 54b is scanned near the joint edge 55b, after which the sensor is moved to the root of the unfilled joint. Because of the ball-shaped tip of the sensor, it is only possible to obtain a measurement value of a point 54r in the vicinity of the root. A narrow gap 55 is not scanned at all. Therefore, when calculating the cross-sectional area of the joint, it is expedient to make an addition to the calculated area. The addition should correspond to the approximate value of the area which the sensor cannot scan. The coordinates of the remaining points can be determined with great accuracy, since it is possible to take account of the shape of the tip in the determination of the position of each point. The sensor is then moved from the root upwards along the other joint side 51a, where a point 54a is measured, from where the sensor returns to its starting position 52 which, as mentioned above, has meanwhile been moved along the joint a certain distance depending on the welding speed. The points 54m, 54n on the two joint edges are determined by calculating as described in conjunction with Fig. 6. The point 54m, 54n is the point of intersection between the line defined by the points (54a, 54r; 54b, 54r) and the plane defined by the topside. When the joint is filled with several beads 56 (Fig. 7b), the joint contour is scanned in a similar manner as for the unfilled joint. The topside 57 of the welding material is scanned at least by means of two points 58a, 58b which indicate the position of the bead edge on the joint side. Since the topside 57 of the deposited welding material can be uneven, it may be expedient to scan several points on this topside. The enclosed area 59 of the joint 60 (Fig. 8) will generally represent a polygon area P sn , where the first index refers to the cross-sectional area which is scanned in conjunction with the deposition of the s:th bead and n refers to the n:th joint portion, where the scanning was carried out. Thus, for example, P₁₃ refers to the mean value of the cross-section in the third joint portion, when the first bead is deposited. Since the scanning of the joint takes place before deposition of the bead, P₁₃ also refers to a polygon area without any bead in the joint. The first bead is deposited at a constant welding speed and a constant feed speed of the welding electrode. The cross-sectional area of the first bead is therefore identical in size in all joint portions and is here designated by a 1n , in which the first index refers to the number of the bead and the second index to the number of the joint portion. Therefore, as regards the first bead, the following generally applies: a₁₁ = a₁₂ .... = a 1n The corresponding cross-section residual areas for the determination of the welding parameter for the second bead are therefore in the different joint portions: R₂₁ = P₁₁ - a₁₁, R₂₂ = P₁₂ - a₁₂ .... R 2n = P 1n - a 1n P₁₁,P₁₂...P 1n are measured polygon areas, a₁₁,a₁₂...a 1n are the cross-sectional area of the first bead deposited which, in accordance with the above, is calculated from the feed speed of the electrode, the cross-section of the electrode and the welding speed. From these residual areas R 2n thus calculated, a mean value R 2m is formed, for which there is determined a corresponding welding parameter which controls the amount of the deposited welding material per unit of length. Here, the welding speed is chosen as a variable welding parameter, while the feed speed of the electrode is kept constant during the whole welding procedure. A welding speed v 2m corresponds to the mean value R 2m . Upon deposition of the second bead, the welding speed v 2n in the respective joint portion is calculated: V 2n /V 2m = R 2m /R 2n On the basis of the different values of P sn , the welding speed is different from one joint portion to the other. In Fig. 9 the welding speed is shown as a function of the joint portions. The mean value of the speed v sm has been chosen with regard to the mean value R sm of the residual areas. For welding technology reasons, the variations in the welding speed should be kept within certain limits, which have been designated here by v max and v min . The calculation is effected such that a mean value for the welding speed is chosen so that if possible the welding speeds for all joint portions, as calculated according to the above formula, lie within the range defined by v max and v min . In Fig. 6, for example, the speed in joint portion 3 has a value which is greater than v max . In such cases a signal is triggered which, for example, informs the operator, before the bead is deposited, that the welding speed at one or more joint portions has too high or too low a value. A number of measures can be taken in order to rectify this problem. For example, the welding speed in these joint portions can be limited to the permissible upper or lower limit value, since it can be expected that there will be a compensation upon deposition of the subsequent bead. However, large differences indicate a considerable error upon joint preparation, which in many cases is corrected simply by means of a manual welding operation in the joint portion concerned, in which respect the automatic welding operation must be interrupted and started up again after this joint correction. On the basis of the speed calculated for these joint portions, the change from one to the other joint portion should be effected in skips, as shown in Fig. 9. In practice, the speed is controlled in such a way that there is an undisturbed transition from the one speed to the other, in which respect it is desired that the mean value of the speed in each joint portion should be equal to v sn . The difference between the calculated speeds of two adjoining joint portions is generally small, and a transition between the speeds, adapted to this difference, is also selected inter alia with regard to the masses which must be accelerated or decelerated. It should be noted that the length of the joint portions is generally not equal. Since the sensor is moved along the joint at a variable welding speed, the distance along the joint, along which the sensor effects its oscillating movement, is also of unequal length. In the case of weld joints in which the weld width increases from the root to the topside, the number of beads per layer must be increased, the closer one comes to the topside. In the V-type joint (Fig. 10) a deposited bead 61, 62 is shown in the first and second layer. At the third layer the joint width is so great that two beads must be deposited in order to fill the whole layer. The distance of the tip 63 of the electrode from one of the joint sides will be a predetermined value S, when the bead 64 adjoining the joint side is deposited. If the distance is greater than the predetermined value, the penetration of the bead into the base material is poor. When the third bead 64 is deposited against the one joint side with the electrode at a distance S from the joint side, the polygon area P 3n is measured simultaneously. This gives a value for a width b₁ between the bead edges 65, 66 of the underlying bead 62. It has been found that only one bead per layer is required when k.b₁ < S, in which b₁ is the abovementioned joint width at the joint base in question, that is to say the topside of the bead 62, before a new layer is deposited, and k is a factor between 0.5 and 1.0. Lower values for k are chosen in the case of joints where the joint angle in the layer in question is small, for example square-butt joints. In addition, the choice of the value of k is determined by one or more of the welding parameters, namely welding voltage, welding current, welding speed and electrode speed. Smaller values for k give greater penetration, and vice versa. The value of k is determined by testing. Before the bead 64 is deposited, the points of the joint contour scanned by the sensor upon deposition of the bead 62 are taken as a basis for calculating a polygon area P 2n and a corresponding residual area R 3n according to R 3n = P 2n - a 2n , in which a 2n is the cross-section of the bead at joint portion n. The polygon area P 2n is the area 67 framed by broken lines. From the calculated residual areas for each joint portion, a mean value R 3m is calculated, for which a mean speed v 3m is chosen. These two values will be valid for both beads 64, 68 in this layer. These mean values are therefore designated by R pm and v pm , in which the index p designates the number of the layer - here the third layer. Before the bead 64 is deposited, it is not possible to establish whether an additional bead will be deposited in this layer. It is therefore advantageous for the calculation of the welding speed for all beads in the same layer to start from a common mean value for the layer, namely R pm and v pm . The welding speed for the beads in the layer is therefore: v pn = ( v pm . R pm )/ R pn , that is to say the welding speed in each joint portion is identical for both beads. The value of v pm is chosen again with regard to the spread of the different values of v pn in the different joint portions, so that if possible no value of v pn lies outside the range defined by v max and v min . Otherwise, a warning signal is triggered. In the case of joints with an edge offset, the above-mentioned calculation leads to unfavourable results, and the calculation of the welding speed must therefore be supplemented with a factor which takes account of the distribution of the welding material in the bead. In order to obtain a uniform distribution of the welding material in such a joint (Fig. 11), for each joint portion a polygon area is calculated for the left-hand and right-hand joint half. A centre line 69, which divides the polygon area into two subpolygons, is drawn from the centre point of the connection line between the joint edges to the joint centre at the root. The extent of this line is calculated with the aid of the coordinates scanned by the sensor. The subpolygons D 2n1 and D 2n2 , where D 2n1 +D 2n2 = P 2n , enclose the areas 70, 71 framed by the broken lines. The subpolygons are calculated when a new layer - here the third one - is to be deposited. The area of the subpolygons is reduced by half the cross-sectional area a 2n /2 of the last-deposited second bead 74, so that two partial residual areas are obtained: R 3n1 = D 2n1 -a 2n /2 and R 3n2 = D 2n2 -a 2n /2 The two subpolygons form the basis for the calculation of the welding speed in the joint portion n in the third layer of the joint, which comprises the two weld beads 72, 73. The calculation of the welding speed for the two beads which are deposited against the joint sides starts from the abovementioned calculation R pm and a related welding speed v pm for the two beads in the layer. With regard to the edge offset which is expressed by the disparity R pn1 = R pn2 , the welding speed for the two beads is now calculated in general as: v pn1 = ( v pm . R pm )/2. R pn1 , v pn2 = ( v pm . R pm )/2. R pn2 , or according to Fig. 11: v 3n1 = ( v 3m . R 3m )/2. R 3n1 , v 3n2 = ( v 3m . R 3m )/2. R 3n2 . It should be noted that the first index after underlined designations R and v refers to the number p of the layer, and after non-underlined references to the number s of the bead. A diagram (Fig. 12) shows an example of a relationship between calculated welding speeds for two beads in a layer at different joint portions F as well as the mean value v pm of the welding speed and the permitted limit values v max and v min . The calculated welding speeds in each joint portion are shown on the one hand by full lines v₁ for the one bead and by broken lines v₂ for the second bead. The bead which is deposited at a lower speed has a greater cross-section and is therefore applied against the joint side whose joint edge is situated higher. In joint portions 1 to 3, v₁ > v₂, and from joint portion 4 onwards v₂ > v₁, which indicates that the edge offset from joint portion 4 onwards is the opposite. It should be noted that the speeds shown here are calculated values. The transition between the calculated speeds of the joint portions is in practice effected continuously. The necessary change in speed is chosen with regard to the masses of the welding apparatus and/or workpieces which must be accelerated or decelerated. As a result of the above determination of the welding speed for the two beads, the joint is filled uniformly despite the existing edge offset. In a joint (Fig. 13) one bead 74 and one bead 75 have been deposited and two beads 76, 77 and 78, 79 in each respective layer. Two beads 80, 81 have already been deposited in the fifth layer. The cross-sectional area of the fifth layer is calculated as b₂.h, in which b₂ is a mean value of the width of the joint at the level of the beads 80, 81 and h = (h₁+h₂)/2 . The width of the topside of the layer formed by the beads 78, 79 has been measured by the sensor. The incline of the joint side within the layer which is to be deposited is also known. A mean value of the joint width in each joint portion can therefore be calculated. When the bead 81 is deposited, the polygon area P 8n , which is shown as enclosed area 82, is scanned. The height h₁ of the bead 80 is determined with the aid of the coordinates which applied for the determination of the polygon area P 8n and P 7n . P 7n is the polygon area which was scanned at the same time as the deposition of bead 80. The height h₁ is determined from these polygon areas at a certain distance from the joint side. The distance is advantageously equal to the distance S, which is the stated distance of the tip of the electrode in the lateral direction from the joint side upon deposition of a bead adjoining the joint side. A height h₂ of the bead 82 deposited against the other joint side cannot be determined in the same way, when only three beads are to be deposited in the layer. Determination of h₂ requires information on the polygon area P 9n , which is however not available. It has been found that a calculation of the height h₂ according to the formula h₂ = h₁.a 8n /a 7n gives a satisfactory result for the calculation of the degree of filling. a 7n and a 8n are the known cross-sectional areas of the beads 80 and 81 which have been deposited at a certain speed. In Fig. 13 the ratios are such that the number of beads in the layer is three. The number of beads in the layer is advantageously calculated as follows: Z = 2.b₂h/(a 7n + a 8n ) In Fig. 13 this value lies between 2.5 and 3.5. The value is rounded off in a known manner to 3. It may be advantageous to select the number of beads on the basis of a rounding-off calculation other than the normal one. Z = H + d , in which H is the integer and d the decimals. It may be advantageous to choose (H+1) beads already when d>0.35 and not only when d>0.5. The cross-sectional area of the third bead 83 indicated here in the layer or the in-total ninth bead in the joint is a 9n . Advantageously a 9n = (a 7n +a 8n )/2 . The corresponding welding speed is proportional to the reciprocal value of a 9n . At the transition from one layer with three or more beads to a layer with an additional bead, it is possible to determine the height h₂ of the bead deposited against the other joint side from the data on the contour of the joint which include the bead deposited against the other joint side and which are obtained in conjunction with the deposition of the third bead in the same layer. However, for practical reasons, the same calculation method is used as in the deposition of the third bead, that is to say the height h₂ is determined according to the formula given above. In the case of a joint with an edge offset (Fig. 14) and several beads per layer, the welding speed is determined for the two beads 84, 85 adjoining the joint side in a new layer as a function of each subpolygon area, which is derived from the polygon area which was calculated in conjunction with the deposition of the last bead 86 in the last layer. The polygon area is divided by the centre line 87 into two halves which in Fig. 14 have an area enclosed by a line 88, 89. If the number of beads in the last layer is an odd number - in this case three - each subpolygon area is reduced by half the cross-sectional area of the last-deposited bead 86, which in such a case is always applied in the joint centre, and the speed for the beads 84, 85 is inversely proportional to these residual areas. If the number of beads in the last layer is an even number, the polygon area within which the main part of the last bead lies is reduced by the whole of the cross-sectional area of this bead in order to obtain a residual area, while the other subpolygon area is not reduced at all. If the number of beads is even, the last bead lies to a very large extent or completely within a single subpolygon area. The residual areas corresponding to the welding speed of the two outermost beads in the new layer are made up in one case of the whole subpolygon area and in another case by the subpolygon area which has been reduced by the cross-sectional area of the cross-section of the last bead falling within the subpolygon. The two possibilities for calculating the partial residual areas R pn1 and R pn2 for determination of the welding speed are thus as follows: A) An odd number of beads has been deposited in the last layer P sn = P sn1 +P sn2 , R pn = P sn -a sn R pn1 = P sn1 -a sn /2, R pn2 = P sn2 -a sn /2 in which s is the number of the last bead and p is the number of the new layer. B) An even number of beads has been deposited in the last layer and the last bead has, for example, been deposited within the other subpolygon area P sn = P sn1 +P sn2 , R pn = P sn -a sn R pn1 = P sn1 , R pn2 = P sn2 -a sn . All these values of the areas according to A) and B) are present before the deposition of the first bead in the new layer. Before the deposition of the first bead in the new layer, a mean value R pm of all the residual areas R pn of the joint portions is calculated, and a certain welding speed is related to R pm , in which respect account is taken of the range within which the welding speed of all joint portions between v max and v min is to be situated. The welding speed for the two outermost speeds in the new layer is then v pn1 = ( v pm . R pm )./2 R pn1 , v pn2 = ( v pm . R pm ) /2. R pn2 The cross-sectional areas corresponding to v pn1 and v pn2 are a₁ and a₂. For the beads which are to be deposited between the outer beads, the cross-sectional areas are calculated by linear interpolation, and corresponding welding speeds are inversely proportional to these cross-sectional areas. When the welding of a layer has been finished, a check is made to ascertain whether the next layer is to be a top layer with which the welding operation is finished. The mean value R pm of the residual areas R pn of the joint portions, which is shown by the enclosed area 90 in Fig. 15, is calculated, after which a quotient is calculated from this mean value R pm and the mean value of the cross-sectional areas of the last-deposited intermediate layer in all joint portions. Such as cross-sectional area is shown by the crossed area 91 in Fig. 15. When this quotient is less than 0.7, the next layer is the top layer. Since the top layer will also cover the joint edges, the number of beads is preferably increased by one compared to the underlying intermediate layer. Upon deposition of the two outer beads 92, 93, the electrode tip 94 is held at a distance S₁ in the lateral direction from the joint surface 95 or its imagined extension above the topside, which distance is less than the abovementioned distance S, that is to say S₁ < S (Fig. 10). The distance S depends on the joint shape and is determined by testing. All the abovementioned calculations are carried out in a microprocessor 96 (Fig. 16) which constitutes part of the welding equipment. The sensor 98 connected securely to a welding burner 97 emits signals, corresponding to the scanned point coordinates, to the microprocessor 96 which, on the basis of this information, calculates, according to a program, inter alia the values for the welding speed in each joint portion, the number of beads per layer etc. The results are converted to signals which are transmitted to the supply unit 99 of the welding burner and to the welding burner 97 which is provided with a feed mechanism (not shown here) for the welding electrode 100. Moreover, the position of the sensor and of the welding burner in relation to the joint is checked continuously, for example for determining the position of the joint portions as the scanning of the coordinates for calculation of the polygon areas progresses. According to the above, the sensor carries out in each joint portion a comprehensive measurement program for determining the contour of the joint. These measurement values are also used for guiding the welding burner along the joint.

Claims: A method for automatic multi-layer welding of a joint (33; 37) formed by two joint surfaces, in which method the contour of the joint is mechanically scanned during a running welding operation by a sensor (18; 44) which emits signals corresponding to the contour of the joint, which signals, after evaluation, control the deposition of the weld beads by means of a continuously fed electrode (32; 40) which is movable in at least three directions, is directed towards a welding point in the joint by an arc weld head (31) and is moved relatively along the joint, said sensor being oscillated in front of the weld head and at different portions (F₁, F₂) of the joint transversely to the joint and is made to measure at said portions coordinates in two directions, preferably in the vertical direction and lateral direction of the joint, of points (41) on the contour of said joint, which points define the cross-section of the joint, the area of the polygon defined by the coordinates of these points measured during one oscillating movement being calculated for determining welding parameters for each of the joint portions as a function of the corresponding poylgon area, said parameters being determined to control the amount of welding material per unit of length in a bead to be deposited in the joint, characterized in that the welding parameters for the subsequent layer for each joint portion (F₁, F₂) are a function of the residual area calculated for each joint portion during the deposition of the bead that completes the layer in progress, this residual area being the difference between the calculated polygon area and the corresponding cross-sectional area of said bead whose deposition is in progress. Method according to Claim 1 , characterized in that the sensor is oscillated during on-going deposition of the second layer in which respect the first layer in the joint comprising at least one bead is deposited with a certain amount of welding material per unit of length, which amount is preferably identical for each joint portion. Method according to Claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the sensor is made to measure a coordinate in the vertical direction of a respective point (41y; 41z) on each topside (46a; 46b) of the joint, and a line (47) is calculated between two measurement points (41₁, 41₂) on each joint side (43a), in which respect the point of intersection of the line with the plane defined by the topside of the joint is a point (48a; 48b) of the joint edge (45a; 45b) of the corresponding joint side or a point of the polygon. Method according to any one of Claims 1 to 3, characterized in that only one and the same welding parameter is determined for each joint portion as a function of the polygon area, in which respect the welding parameter is preferably either the welding speed or the feed speed of the electrode. Method according to Claim 4, characterized in that the welding parameter is the welding speed. Method according to Claim 5, characterized in that a mean welding speed, corresponding to the mean value of the polygon areas of the joint portions, for deposition of a certain amount of welding material per unit of length is determined, and in that the welding speed for each joint portion is calculated as a function of the ratio between the polygon area of the each joint portion and the mean value of the polygon areas. Method according to Claim 6, characterized in that a warning signal is triggered when the welding speed for any joint portion has a value lying outside a predetermined value range comprising a maximum and minimum value. Method according to one of Claims 6 or 7, characterized in that the welding speed is a function of the residual area calculated for the joint portion and a function of the welding speeds which have been calculated for the two adjoining joint portions of the same layer. Method according to any one of Claims 1 to 8, characterized in that a second weld bead (68) is deposited in the joint alongside the first bead (64) in order to form an intermediate layer, when the mean value of the values corresponding to the width of the joint in the various joint portions at the level of the said intermediate layer is greater than a first predetermined value. Method according to Claim 9, characterized in that the value corresponding to the width of the joint is equal to k.b₁, in which k is a factor between 0.5 and 1.0 and b₁ is the joint width at the bottom of the joint in question, and in that said first predetermined value is a specific distance in the lateral direction of the joint between the electrode tip (63) and the joint surface. Method according to Claim 9 or 10, characterized in that the polygon defined by the coordinates of the measurement points is divided by a centre line (69) through the joint into a first and second subpolygon (70, 71) comprising the measurement points on each respective joint side and joint edge, and in that the welding parameters for the weld bead to be deposited against the respective joint side are determined for the joint portions as a function of the corresponding subpolygon area and of the cross-sectional area of the last-deposited bead (74) in the underlying layer. Method according to any one of Claims 1 to 8, characterized in that at least three beads are deposited in an intermediate layer, when the mean of a value determined for each joint portion of the cross-sectional area of the said intermediate layer is greater than a predetermined value, in that the number of beads in the intermediate layer is a function of the mean value, and in that the cross-sectional area of the third bead and where appropriate further bead in this layer is a function of the cross-sectional area of the first two beads (80, 81) in this layer which is deposited against the joint sides. Method according to Claim 12, characterized in that the determined value of the cross-sectional area of the intermediate layer in each joint portion is calculated as a function of the width (b₂) of the intermediate layer and the mean value of a measured height h₁ of the bead (80) deposited first in this layer and against the one joint side at a specific distance (S) from the joint side, and of a calculated height h₂ of the bead (81) deposited immediately thereafter against the other joint side, in which respect h₂ = (h₁.a₂)/a₁ , in which a₁ and a₂ are the corresponding cross-sectional areas of the two deposited beads. Method according to Claim 13, characterized in that the cross-sectional area of the intermediate layer is b₂.h, in which respect b₂ is the width of the said intermediate layer and h = (h₁+h₂)/2 , and in that the number of beads per layer Z is calculated as follows: Z = 2.b₂h/(a₁+a₂) in which respect Z is rounded off to the nearest integer. Method according to any one of Claims 12 to 14, characterized in that the polygon defined by the coordinates of the measurement points is divided by a centre line (86) through the joint into a first and second subpolygon (87, 88) comprising the measurement points of each respective joint side and joint edge, and in that the welding speed for the weld bead (83, 84) to be deposited against the one joint side or the other is determined for each joint portion as a function of the corresponding subpolygon area (87, 88) and of the cross-sectional area of the last-deposited bead (85) in the underlying layer, in which respect the cross-sectional areas of the further beads in the same intermediate layer are obtained by interpolation with regard to the cross-sectional areas of the two beads deposited against the joint sides, and the corresponding welding speeds are inversely proportional to the cross-sectional areas. Method according to Claim 11 or 15, characterized in that, upon deposition of two or more beads per layer, before deposition of the first bead in a new layer a mean value R pm of the residual areas R pn of the joint portions is calculated, and a specific welding speed v pm , which corresponds to the cross-sectional area a pm of the welding material, is related to the residual area R pm , and the welding speed v pn1 which corresponds to a cross-sectional area a pn1 , for the bead against the one joint side and v pn2 which corresponds to a cross-sectional area a pn2 for the bead against the other joint side is determined as functions of the corresponding residual areas which are a function of the subpolygon areas and the cross-sectional area of the last-deposited bead in the underlying layer R pn1 , or R pn2 , respectively, as follows: V = ( v pm . R pm )/2. R pn1 and v pn2 = ( v pm . R pm )/2. R pn2 , in which respect the cross-sectional areas for the welding material for the intermediate beads are obtained by interpolation, and the corresponding welding speeds are inversely proportional to these cross-sectional areas. Method according to any one of Claims 1 to 16, characterized in that, after deposition of an intermediate layer in the joint and before deposition of the next layer, the quotient is calculated from the mean value of the residual areas of the joint portions of the remaining joint cross-section (89) and the mean value of the cross-sectional areas (90) of the last-deposited intermediate layer in all joint portions, and in that top beads for a top layer are deposited in the joint on this intermediate layer, when the quotient is less than a predetermined value, preferably less than 0.7, in which respect the number of beads in the top layer is preferably increased by one compared to the number in the last-deposited intermediate layer.

Inventors: EKELOEF BENGT, HANSSON PEDER, EKELOEF, BENGT, HANSSON, PEDER, Ekelöf, Bengt
Applicants: ESAB AB, ESAB AKTIEBOLAG
Application year: 1990
Main classification: B23K9
IPC codes: B23K9