Welding system and welding process for fan impeller
By employing pulse output mode and AI model collaborative control in laser-arc hybrid welding equipment, the arc deviation problem was solved, improving welding quality and yield, especially the welding effect of large wind turbine impellers.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202511974363.X
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2025-12-25
- Publication Date
- 2026-01-27
AI Technical Summary
In existing technologies, laser-arc hybrid welding equipment is prone to arc deviation during the welding process due to detuning or resonance between the alternating electromagnetic field and the arc, which affects welding quality and yield.
By employing a pulsed output mode of laser, electric arc, and alternating electromagnetic field, and through coordinated control of the period and starting point mismatch between the laser pulse and the alternating electromagnetic field pulse, and combining an AI model to construct a transient model, the arc offset and welding quality can be precisely adjusted.
It significantly improves welding quality and yield, reduces welding materials and energy consumption, ensures welding depth and strength, and avoids leaks due to internal holes in the weld.
Smart Images
Figure CN121402829A_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This invention relates to the field of welding technology, and specifically to a welding system and welding process for a wind turbine impeller. Background Technology
[0002] Large factories' industrial production workshops are usually filled with gases and dust emitted from production equipment. To ensure production safety in these workshops, it is necessary to install large ventilation equipment such as fans that can operate safely and reliably for extended periods.
[0003] Due to the large size, long operating time, and low maintenance frequency of industrial fans, higher requirements are placed on the welding quality of the fan impellers. Consequently, these fan impellers are large, resulting in narrow and deep welds. Therefore, a laser-arc hybrid welding process is necessary to achieve sufficient yield for mass production. The laser-arc hybrid welding process uses laser welding as the initial welding method for deep and narrow welds, followed by arc welding to fill and cover the wide weld groove on the surface. This combination provides welding strength deep within the weld, thereby improving the overall structural strength of the fan impeller and making it more robust and durable.
[0004] However, when laser and electric arc act simultaneously on the molten pool, the arc plasma and the laser-induced metal vapor or plasma interfere with each other, causing the laser energy to be defocused or absorbed by the arc plasma (i.e., plasma shielding effect), which reduces laser efficiency. An external magnetic field needs to be introduced to guide the generated plasma cloud magnetically, directing it behind the molten pool.
[0005] The intervention of an external magnetic field can cause arc deflection. Moreover, the magnetic field can only guide charged particles, while neutral particles will still affect the efficiency of laser welding. Therefore, the existing technology uses an alternating electromagnetic field to limit the arc deflection by generating an alternating magnetic field. The alternating electric field adds volume force to the neutral particles in the plasma cloud that cannot be guided by the magnetic field, causing them to move. This partially resolves the plasma cloud and improves the efficiency of laser welding.
[0006] In actual production using the above-mentioned existing technologies, it was found that both the electric arc and the alternating electromagnetic field are limited by the equipment hardware or the stability of the power supply frequency. After a certain period of time, detuning or resonance will occur. The cumulative phase difference caused by detuning or resonance will lead to a larger shift in the electric arc, which will seriously affect the welding quality. Summary of the Invention
[0007] To avoid the problem of large arc deviation caused by detuning or resonance, the present invention provides the following technical solution: A welding process for a wind turbine impeller. The laser generator, arc generator, and alternating electromagnetic field generator of the laser-arc hybrid welding equipment are all set to pulse output mode to obtain laser pulses, arc pulses, and alternating electromagnetic field pulses output in the form of intermittent pulses. The period and starting point of the coordinated laser pulse and the alternating electromagnetic field pulse are matched so that each laser pulse period is matched with an electromagnetic field pulse period. Set the starting point of the electric arc pulse cycle to be misaligned with the starting point of the alternating electromagnetic field pulse cycle; Each pulse cycle is completed once, constituting one cycle. The start of each cycle is actively triggered by the central control command signal.
[0008] Preferably, the offset and direction of the arc welding within the arc pulse cycle are obtained by the monitoring mechanism of the laser-arc hybrid welding equipment. The AI large model set by the central control collects data to construct a transient model, so as to output the influence value of the arc offset within the alternating electromagnetic field pulse cycle. The pulse frequency and direction of the alternating electromagnetic field in the next pulse cycle are predicted and simulated through the transient model to reduce the arc offset.
[0009] Preferably, the monitoring agency collects arc data during the window period between the end of the alternating electromagnetic field pulse cycle and the beginning of the arc pulse cycle in each cycle.
[0010] Preferably, the monitoring agency collects solder joint data during the window period between the end of each cycle and the start of the next cycle.
[0011] Preferably, the decision nodes of the transient model are co-matched with the starting point of each or multiple cycles apart.
[0012] Based on a general technical concept for solving the same technical problem, the present invention also provides another solution: A welding system for a wind turbine impeller includes a control terminal and a laser pulse control module, an arc pulse control module, and an alternating electromagnetic field pulse control module, which are respectively communicatively connected to the control terminal. The laser pulse control module is used to control the period and starting point of the laser output; The arc pulse control module is used to control the period and starting point of the arc output; The alternating electromagnetic field pulse control module is used to control the period and starting point of the alternating electromagnetic field output; The control terminal sends immediate start commands or delayed start commands to each module at a preset cycle frequency.
[0013] Preferably, the control terminal simultaneously sends an instant start command to the laser pulse control module and the alternating electromagnetic field pulse control module, and at the same time sends a delayed start command to the arc pulse control module, so that the arc pulse period is offset from the same period of the laser pulse and the alternating electromagnetic field pulse.
[0014] Preferably, it also includes a monitoring module that is communicatively connected to the control terminal. The control terminal instructs the monitoring module to collect arc data during the window period when the alternating electromagnetic field pulse cycle ends and the arc pulse cycle has not ended in each cycle, so as to obtain data on the area, shape and angle of the weld point caused by the arc being affected by the alternating electromagnetic field. And / or the control terminal instructs the monitoring module to collect weld point data during the window period between the end of each cycle and the start of the next cycle, in order to obtain real-time status data of the arc not being affected by the alternating electromagnetic field.
[0015] Preferably, the control terminal is also connected to an AI model computing unit. After acquiring the data uploaded by the monitoring module, the AI model computing unit performs simulation calculations and outputs correction results. The control terminal adjusts the operating parameters for the next sent command based on the correction results.
[0016] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows: The welding method provided by this invention employs pulse control technology to convert laser, electric arc, and alternating electromagnetic field into pulse periodic output modes. The pulse periods of the alternating electromagnetic field and the electric arc are staggered to avoid resonance, as the three elements have the most significant mutual influence. Simultaneously, the pulse periods of the laser and the alternating electromagnetic field, which have the most prominent synergistic gain, are matched to enhance the dissipation effect of the alternating electromagnetic field on the plasma cloud generated by laser welding. Furthermore, the high frequency and short duration of the pulses prevent the accumulation of deviations, making each pulse period in each cycle controllable and improving the welding quality of the laser-arc hybrid welding process. Especially when welding factory fan impellers with high quality and high strength requirements, the solution of this invention can further improve the yield rate and quality ceiling, ensure reasonable redundancy of laser welding depth and energy, and avoid the occurrence of internal holes and leaks in the weld. Attached Figure Description
[0017] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.
[0018] Figure 1 This is a logic block diagram of a welding system for a wind turbine impeller. Detailed Implementation
[0019] To further illustrate the technical means and effects of the present invention in achieving its intended purpose, the following detailed description of the specific implementation methods, structures, features, and effects of the present invention, in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and preferred embodiments, is provided below.
[0020] Please refer to Figure 1 This embodiment provides a welding process for a wind turbine impeller, as detailed below: The main body of the wind turbine impeller and the welded parts are positioned using a jig, and a constraint force is applied by a reinforcing fixture to ensure the stability of the weld and the calibration of the structure.
[0021] After positioning, bevel the weld and clean the weld.
[0022] Debug the laser generator for pre-focusing, adjust the arc generator and calibrate the position of the arc welding point, and adjust the distance between the laser focus point and the arc welding point to avoid the molten pool interfering with the laser focusing.
[0023] After the basic preparations are completed: The existing laser-arc hybrid welding process uses an alternating electromagnetic field as an external force field to intervene in the welding area. The initial magnetic field direction is perpendicular to the laser direction and parallel to the weld direction. This ensures that the plasma generated at the laser focus point during welding is guided by the electromagnetic field through the molten pool to the welded part behind it and dissipates. This avoids the plasma from accumulating at the laser focus point to form a cloud, causing problems such as laser scattering and blocking, which result in energy loss.
[0024] The microstructure of the molten material at the weld pool is affected by the alternating electromagnetic field, generating eddy currents and increasing its temperature. Furthermore, the microstructure of the molten material, after being processed by the alternating electromagnetic field, exhibits significantly improved bonding strength, thus enhancing the welding effect.
[0025] The problem with this existing technology is that: Because the magnetic field exerts a lateral effect on the electric arc, producing an almost blowing effect, it causes a significant angle of arc deflection. As the alternating electromagnetic field outputs at alternating frequencies, the phase of its output frequency easily deviates from the initial setting, resulting in detuning. Within a perceptible second, the high-frequency changing arc rapidly accumulates a large amount of detuning deviation, i.e., phase shift, until the two phases coincide and resonance occurs. Due to the extremely high speed, this leads to arc instability. The arc deflection causes the weld point to deviate from the weld groove, significantly affecting the welding effect and reducing the yield.
[0026] Due to the shortcomings of the existing technology, this embodiment, through continuous summarization and experimental verification during actual production, focuses on how to prevent the accumulation of detuning into resonance. After extensive experimental verification, it was found that outputting lasers, electric arcs, and alternating electromagnetic fields in pulse form has minimal impact on the welded structure, and error accumulation can be avoided by actively controlling the start point of each pulse cycle. This solution, which avoids error accumulation by intermittently maximizing efficiency, is quite practical. It can effectively reduce the number of resonances, greatly improve the yield rate of wind turbine impeller welding, and reduce the costs of welding materials, energy consumption, and labor.
[0027] In addition, a millisecond-level time difference can be generated by the high-frequency intermittent output of the pulse, so that the molten pool generated by the laser and the electric arc, which have significant mutual influence, are staggered or the coexistence time is reduced, thereby reducing the focusing effect of the molten pool on the laser. This makes it easier for the laser to concentrate its energy to act on the deeper part of the weld, or to more completely weld the deeper part of the weld.
[0028] Meanwhile, since the alternating electromagnetic field is mainly used to assist laser welding, it has a better effect on guiding and dispersing plasma clouds. Since the magnetic field is the main factor affecting arc deflection, the starting point of the alternating electromagnetic field pulse period is set to be consistent with the laser pulse period, and the pulse periods are also set to be the same. This makes the state of the molten pool and plasma relatively stable and regular, allowing the alternating electromagnetic field to exert its gain effect during a more suitable time window and reducing its impact during time windows where side effects are significant. This can also significantly improve the yield rate of wind turbine impellers.
[0029] It is worth mentioning that the misalignment matching of the arc pulse period and the alternating electromagnetic field pulse period can be a combination of partial overlap or no overlap at all. Generally, to ensure welding efficiency, a matching method with partial overlap or even only a single-digit phase difference is adopted. Based on production sample verification, the amount of overlap between the two pulse periods can be adjusted according to the specific material of the fan impeller to be welded.
[0030] After addressing the mutual influence between laser and electric arc, and the mutual influence between alternating electromagnetic field and electric arc, to improve laser welding depth and the performance of deep welding, in order to further improve the welding strength of the wind turbine impeller and the accuracy of the weld bevel filling, it is also necessary to introduce closed-loop control to adjust the arc welding point, so that the edge of the weld is neater and the bevel filling is free of leaks.
[0031] Normally, monitoring sensors are used to collect weld data, which is then fed back to adjust the arc generator. However, the strong interference created by the introduction of an external alternating electromagnetic field can severely affect data acquisition, especially visual data, which is the best method for inspecting weld performance. Furthermore, since the output of the arc generator needs to be synchronized with the pulse periods of the laser and the alternating electric field, the points where feedback adjustment is implemented also need to be adapted to changes in the pulse period.
[0032] Based on this, in one embodiment, an AI large model is introduced to construct a transient model. By using the trend of historical data, the offset of the arc welding point under the current parameters for one or several pulse cycles is obtained. After obtaining a positive result, the instruction intervenes to adjust at the starting point of the next pulse cycle, so that the impact of feedback adjustment on the pulse cycle coordination effect is minimized.
[0033] It is worth mentioning that since arc deflection mainly depends on the frequency and intensity of the alternating electromagnetic field, the primary objective of feedback regulation is to control the pulse frequency and direction of the alternating electromagnetic field. This is achieved by matching the command input node with the starting point of the alternating electromagnetic field pulse cycle in the next one or more cycles. Constructing transient models is a common method for predicting trends based on large AI model computations. Its decision efficiency is generally at the millisecond level, which can perfectly adapt to the pulse cycle. Therefore, the decision cycle of the transient model can be integrated into each or every few cycles to achieve a closed loop.
[0034] Monitoring equipment, limited by interference from alternating electromagnetic fields, typically employs acoustic sensors to detect weld joint conditions. However, this results in fuzzy data processing and significant deviations, making it difficult to guarantee the precision required for high-precision feedback adjustment. The new technology, however, addresses this issue by staggering the alternating electromagnetic field pulse cycle with the arc pulse cycle. This creates a window period where the arc is present but the alternating electromagnetic field is absent, along with intermittent gaps between pulse cycles. This allows for the application of various sensor devices susceptible to electromagnetic interference. It enables the comprehensive collection of data on the impact of the presence or absence of the alternating electric field on the arc weld joint offset, the weld joint's own offset, and intermittent states during a single cycle. By combining and comparing various data, more accurate conclusions are obtained, leading to optimized output structures in the transient model and more precise feedback adjustment outputs.
[0035] In another embodiment, a welding system for a wind turbine impeller is also provided, including a control terminal and a laser pulse control module, an arc pulse control module and an alternating electromagnetic field pulse control module, which are respectively communicatively connected to the control terminal. The laser pulse control module is used to control the period and start point of the laser output; The arc pulse control module is used to control the period and start point of the arc output; The alternating electromagnetic field pulse control module is used to control the period and start point of the alternating electromagnetic field output; The control terminal sends immediate start commands or delayed start commands to each module at a preset cycle frequency.
[0036] This system adds pulse control modules to the basic control framework of laser-arc hybrid welding equipment for each control node. These modules coordinate the timing of the pulse period and pulse start-up, with the control terminal acting as the central hub to sequence the various control nodes. Considering the millisecond-level variation frequency of the pulse period, controlling the timing of command transmission via the control terminal could introduce errors. Therefore, the control terminal employs synchronous command transmission, incorporating delay parameters into the commands for control nodes requiring delayed start-up, thus precisely controlling the start-up of each pulse period.
[0037] In one embodiment, the control terminal simultaneously sends an instant start command to the laser pulse control module and the alternating electromagnetic field pulse control module, and at the same time sends a delayed start command to the arc pulse control module, so that the arc pulse period is misaligned with the same period of the laser pulse and the alternating electromagnetic field pulse.
[0038] To accurately monitor the arc under the influence of alternating electromagnetic fields, a comprehensive monitoring approach is required. For the portion where the alternating electromagnetic field pulse cycle overlaps with the arc pulse cycle, acoustic sensors are used to acquire parameters. Then, during the window period where the alternating electromagnetic field pulse cycle ends but the arc pulse cycle continues, visual monitoring is used to acquire parameters of the isolated arc. After all pulse cycles in a cycle have stopped, visual monitoring is used again to acquire weld state parameters. This provides comparative data on the influence of alternating electromagnetic fields on the arc within a single cycle and confirms the final weld appearance. By inputting this data into a large AI model to construct a transient model, a relationship mapping is established by comparing and tracing the control parameters of each node. Integrating data from multiple cycles yields the trend of arc changes under the influence of alternating electromagnetic fields, and problematic parameters can be accurately located and corrected.
[0039] In one embodiment, a monitoring module connected to the control terminal is also included. The control terminal command monitoring module collects arc data during the window period when the alternating electromagnetic field pulse cycle ends and the arc pulse cycle has not ended in each cycle, so as to obtain data on the area, shape and angle of the weld point caused by the arc being affected by the alternating electromagnetic field. The control terminal command monitoring module collects weld point data during the window period between the end of each cycle and the start of the next cycle to obtain real-time status data of the arc unaffected by the alternating electromagnetic field.
[0040] The control terminal is also connected to an AI model computing unit. After the AI model computing unit obtains the data uploaded by the monitoring module, it performs simulation calculations and outputs correction results. The control terminal adjusts the running parameters for the next command based on the correction results.
[0041] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention in any way. Although the present invention has been disclosed above with reference to preferred embodiments, it is not intended to limit the present invention. Any person skilled in the art can make some modifications or alterations to the above-disclosed technical content to create equivalent embodiments without departing from the scope of the present invention. Any simple modifications, equivalent changes and alterations made to the above embodiments based on the technical essence of the present invention without departing from the scope of the present invention shall still fall within the scope of the present invention.
Claims
1. A welding process for a wind turbine impeller, characterized in that: The laser generator, arc generator, and alternating electromagnetic field generator of the laser-arc hybrid welding equipment are all set to pulse output mode to obtain laser pulses, arc pulses, and alternating electromagnetic field pulses output in the form of intermittent pulses. The period and starting point of the coordinated laser pulse and the alternating electromagnetic field pulse are matched so that each laser pulse period is matched with an electromagnetic field pulse period. Set the starting point of the electric arc pulse cycle to be misaligned with the starting point of the alternating electromagnetic field pulse cycle; Each pulse cycle is completed once, constituting one cycle. The start of each cycle is actively triggered by the central control command signal.
2. The welding process for the wind turbine impeller according to claim 1, characterized in that: The monitoring mechanism of the laser-arc hybrid welding equipment obtains the offset and direction of the arc welding within the arc pulse cycle. The AI large model set by the central control unit collects data to construct a transient model, which outputs the influence value of the alternating electromagnetic field on the arc offset within the pulse cycle. The transient model is then used to predict and simulate the pulse frequency and direction of the alternating electromagnetic field in the next pulse cycle, so as to reduce the arc offset.
3. The welding process for the wind turbine impeller according to claim 2, characterized in that: The monitoring agency collects arc data during the window period between the end of the alternating electromagnetic field pulse cycle and the beginning of the arc pulse cycle in each cycle.
4. The welding process for the wind turbine impeller according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that: The monitoring agency collects solder joint data during the window period between the end of each cycle and the start of the next cycle.
5. The welding process for the wind turbine impeller according to claim 4, characterized in that: The decision nodes of the transient model are matched with the starting points of each or multiple cycles apart.
6. A welding system for a wind turbine impeller, characterized in that: It includes a control terminal and a laser pulse control module, an arc pulse control module, and an alternating electromagnetic field pulse control module, which are respectively communicatively connected to the control terminal; The laser pulse control module is used to control the period and starting point of the laser output; The arc pulse control module is used to control the period and starting point of the arc output; The alternating electromagnetic field pulse control module is used to control the period and starting point of the alternating electromagnetic field output; The control terminal sends immediate start commands or delayed start commands to each module at a preset cycle frequency.
7. The welding system for a wind turbine impeller according to claim 6, characterized in that: The control terminal simultaneously sends an instant start command to the laser pulse control module and the alternating electromagnetic field pulse control module, and at the same time sends a delayed start command to the arc pulse control module, so that the arc pulse period is offset from the same period of the laser pulse and the alternating electromagnetic field pulse.
8. The welding system for the wind turbine impeller according to claim 7, characterized in that: It also includes a monitoring module that is connected to the control terminal. The control terminal instructs the monitoring module to collect arc data during the window period when the alternating electromagnetic field pulse cycle ends and the arc pulse cycle has not ended in each cycle, so as to obtain data on the area, shape and angle of the weld point caused by the arc being affected by the alternating electromagnetic field. And / or the control terminal instructs the monitoring module to collect weld point data during the window period between the end of each cycle and the start of the next cycle, in order to obtain real-time status data of the arc not being affected by the alternating electromagnetic field.
9. The welding system for a wind turbine impeller according to claim 8, characterized in that: The control terminal is also connected to an AI model computing unit. After acquiring the data uploaded by the monitoring module, the AI model computing unit performs simulation calculations and outputs correction results. The control terminal adjusts the operating parameters for the next sent command based on the correction results.