Development of a laser-based weld flaw identification system

Abstract

In this paper, a laser-based flaw identification system is presented for non-destructive inspection of welds. The laser sensor design is based on the laser triangulation principle and the output is a two-dimensional profile of a target sample, which contains basic dimensional information: height and width of the weld. This two-dimensional profile is then processed by a specially devised algorithm based on the local maxima of the sym8 wavelet coefficients accumulation. The positions of artificially created features (notches representative of weld flaws such as surface breaking cracks) on the sample are thereby calculated. It is shown that the laser-based weld flaw identification system is able to reliably and accurately identify and locate surface features 1/3 mm wide. (2012) by the British Institute of Non-Destructive Testing. All rights reserved.