Investigation on arc sound and metal transfer modes for on-line monitoring in pulsed gas metal arc welding

The arc sound was found to be strongly related to both process parameters and weld quality, like voltage and current signals, in gas metal arc welding. In this investigation, the acquired welding arc sound signal along with current and voltage signals were analyzed in time domain as well as frequency domain to correlate them with the various process parameters and metal transfer modes. The arc sound of continuous as well as pulsed gas metal arc welding at various process parameters was also compared. A major variation of auxiliary arc sound frequency peaks was observed due to change of pulse shape as evidenced by frequency domain analysis. The arc sound was also used to detect welding defects.