Advanced Welding Processes: Technologies and Process Control

238
Advanced welding processes
300 metres
Shipboard
surface control station
Power
source Dry habitat
Interface
Umbilical
Pipe Welding head
Pipe
Control
system
11.8 Automatic hyperbaric GTAW system for orbital pipe welding.
on the sea bed). The process is controlled from a ship-board computer interface,
which allows the welding parameters to be ‘downloaded’ to the welding
system. The welding sequence is performed automatically with visual (CCTV)
and process parameter monitoring being carried out by the remote operator
on the surface. A diagrammatic overview of the system is shown in Fig. 11.8.
This system has been proved technically and economically in production on
more than 30 pipe welds in pipe diameters from 250 to 900 mm at depths of
110 to 220 m.
Dedicated automatic systems have also been developed for nuclear
applications, [282, 283] for example to weld circumferential seams in beryllium
containers; a computer-controlled system incorporating a transistor series
regulator GMAW power source was used in this case.
11.9 Advances in welding automation
Power and control
Sea bed
Advances have been made in the development of systems and applications
for welding automation, in particular:
∑ adaptive control;
∑ flexible manufacturing systems;
∑ simulation and off-line programming;
∑ integrated automation systems;
∑ rapid prototyping;
∑ wear replacement.