Sample entropy-based quantitative assessment of the arc magnetic field spectrum for improved arc welding quality

Abstract

Arc magnetic field analysis is a valuable approach for assessing the stability of the arc welding process, yet existing methods lack the ability to effectively quantify the disorder within the process. Through an investigation into the characteristics of the arc magnetic field signal, it was observed that the occurrence of low-frequency random fluctuations in arc magnetic field power, induced by unstable factors such as bubbles or short circuits, contributed to increased complexity and randomness in the arc magnetic field signals. To visualise the arc magnetic field signals in a time-frequency domain, a spectrogram was employed, revealing a strong correlation between the distribution of maximum power spectral density (PSD) in the spectrogram and the stability of the arc welding process. Furthermore, a novel method based on sample entropy was introduced to provide a quantitative measure of this relationship. A comprehensive quantitative assessment indicator called arc magnetic field sample entropy (AMFSE) was proposed. This indicator effectively mitigates the influence of varying parameters on the quantitative results, enabling a more accurate and consistent representation of the stability of the arc welding process. The proposed method was validated through testing, yielding an accuracy rate exceeding 90%.