Robust sensing of arc length

During arc welding, the arc heats and melts the work-piece as heat flux. When the welding current is given, the distribution and the intensity of the heat flux are determined by the length of the arc. The measurement and control of the arc length are fundamental in robotic and automated welding operations. Length of welding arc determines the distribution of the arc energy and thus the heat input and width of the weld. This work aims at improving the measurement accuracy of arc length using the spectrum of arc light at a particular wavelength during gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW) with argon shield. To this end, effects of welding parameters on spectral distributions were studied. To verify the effects of base metal and arc length, the arc column was also sampled horizontally as layers for spectral analysis. Results show that spectral lines of argon atoms are determined by arc length, independent of welding parameters other than the current. Based on these findings, a compact arc light sensor has been designed to measure the arc length with adequate accuracy. A closed-loop arc length control system has been developed with the proposed sensor.