Abstracts Health Sciences

Analysis of the Effect of Thermal Gradients on the Real-time 2D Imaging of the Spot Weld Process

by Andrew Ouellette

Many monitoring processes have been proposed for the spot weld process, but most of these techniques involve the use of post weld verification methods. An ultrasonic phased array has been shown to be a viable method for the monitoring the spot weld in 2D, however the presence of thermal gradients generated during the welding process can result in a loss of resolution and accuracy within the image. In this report these effects were investigated and the device’s imaging ability improved. It was found that the imaging abilities of the device are not severely degraded and that a 0.9 mm resolution is attainable using a 10 MHz phased array. Additionally the maximum 0.2 mm offset of the focused wave generated by heating was found to be correctable by monitoring of the copper water boundary. These results indicate that good potential exists in the future applications of this device. Advisors/Committee Members: Maev, Roman.