US-12626346-B2 - Testing of weld joints

Abstract

A method of testing a weld joint includes: preparing a part that includes at least one weld joint which joins at least two metal components with one another; machining at least one hole in the at least one weld joint; inserting, into the at least one port hole, a probe that includes a mirror attached to a camera; and reflecting an image of the weld joint off of the minor and to the camera while the probe is inserted into the at least one port hole. A method of analyzing a weld joint includes: machining a port hole in the weld joint; etching the weld joint; inserting a probe into the port hole, the probe including a minor; reflecting an image of the weld joint off of the mirror towards a camera; capturing the image with the camera; and analyzing the weld joint using the image captured by the camera.

Inventors

• Eric deNijs
• Pavlo PENNER
• Patrick Henri
• Jeff DEMELO
• Mark BONELLO

Assignees

• Eric deNijs
• Pavlo PENNER
• Patrick Henri
• Jeff DEMELO
• Mark BONELLO

Dates

Publication Date

20260512

Application Date

20211018

Claims (20)

1. 1 . A method of testing a weld joint, comprising: preparing a part that includes at least one weld joint which joins at least two metal components with one another; machining at least one port hole in the at least one weld joint; inserting, into the at least one port hole, a probe that includes a mirror attached to a camera; and reflecting an image of the weld joint off of the mirror and to the camera while the probe is inserted into the at least one port hole.
2. 2 . The method as set forth in claim 1 , further including etching an inner surface of the at least one port hole prior to inserting the probe into the at least one port hole.
3. 3 . The method as set forth in claim 2 , wherein etching the inner surface of the at least one port hole includes applying a mixture of ethanol and nitric acid to the inner surface.
4. 4 . The method as set forth in claim 3 , wherein the mixture of ethanol and nitric acid is applied to the inner surface of the at least one port hole using a cotton swab.
5. 5 . The method as set forth in claim 3 , wherein the mixture of ethanol and nitric acid is applied to only a portion of the inner surface of the at least one port hole.
6. 6 . The method as set forth in claim 1 , wherein machining the at least one port hole in the at least one weld joint involves using a first tool to initially form the at least one port hole and using a second tool to perform a finishing pass around the at least one port hole to improve a surface finish of an inner surface of the port hole.
7. 7 . The method as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the machining the at least one port hole in the at least one weld joint is using a computer numerical control (CNC) milling machine.
8. 8 . The method as set forth in claim 7 , wherein the machining at least one port hole in the at least one weld joint further includes machining a plurality of port holes into a plurality of weld joints.
9. 9 . The method as set forth in claim 1 , wherein the probe has a sidewall with an opening and wherein the mirror faces the opening and is angled relative to the camera such that, in use, the image enters the probe through the opening and is reflected off the mirror towards the camera.
10. 10 . A method of analyzing a weld joint, comprising: machining a port hole in the weld joint; etching the weld joint; inserting a probe into the port hole, the probe including a mirror; reflecting an image of the weld joint off of the mirror towards a camera; capturing the image with the camera; and analyzing the weld joint using the image captured by the camera.
11. 11 . The method as set forth in claim 10 , wherein etching the weld joint includes applying a mixture of ethanol and nitric acid to the weld joint that is exposed at the port hole.
12. 12 . The method as set forth in claim 10 , wherein etching the weld joint includes etching at least a portion of an inner surface of the port hole.
13. 13 . The method as set forth in claim 12 , wherein the at least a portion of the inner surface of the port hole includes an entirety of the inner surface of the port hole.
14. 14 . The method as set forth in claim 12 , wherein the etching the inner surface of the port hole includes applying a mixture of ethanol and nitric acid to the inner surface.
15. 15 . The method as set forth in claim 14 , wherein the mixture of ethanol and nitric acid is applied to the inner surface of the port hole using a cotton swab.
16. 16 . The method as set forth in claim 14 , wherein the mixture of ethanol and nitric acid is applied to only a portion of the inner surface of the port hole.
17. 17 . The method as set forth in claim 10 , wherein machining the port hole in the weld joint further includes machining a plurality of port holes into a plurality of weld joints.
18. 18 . The method as set forth in claim 10 , wherein the machining the port hole in the weld joint further includes machining the port hole using a computer numerical control (CNC) milling machine.
19. 19 . The method as set forth in claim 10 , wherein the machining the port hole in the weld joint includes using a first tool to initially form the port hole and using a second tool to perform a finishing pass around the port hole to improve a surface finish of an inner surface of the port hole.
20. 20 . The method as set forth in claim 10 , wherein the probe has a sidewall with an opening and wherein the mirror faces the opening and is angled relative to the camera such that, in use, the image enters the probe through the opening and is reflected off the mirror towards the camera.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This U.S. National Stage Patent Application claims the benefit of PCT International Patent Application Serial No. PCT/CA2021/051461 filed Oct. 18, 2021 entitled “TESTING OF WELD JOINTS” which claims the benefit of and priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 63/092,678, filed Oct. 16, 2020, titled “Testing Of Weld Joints,” the entire disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention is related generally to a process of testing weld joints. 2. Related Art When manufacturing large volumes of automotive parts, it is often necessary to periodically conduct destructive testing of weld joints to ensure that those weld joints meet strength and durability requirements. One known process of testing weld joints involves plasma cutting the welded product into smaller pieces then abrasive saw cutting each weld joint and extracting a coupon of the weld joint and analyzing that coupon in a laboratory setting. This process can be very resource and time consuming. For example, it may take multiple days from the time the coupon is cut out of the weld joint until the analysis of the coupon is completed. Such a long turn-around time can may require the part manufacturer to store multiple days' worth of inventory until the verification is completed before shipping it to a customer. There is a continuing need for an improved weld verification process which is less time and labor consuming. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present disclosure provides a method of testing a weld joint. The method includes: preparing a part that includes at least one weld joint which joins at least two metal components with one another; machining at least one hole in the at least one weld joint; inserting, into the at least one port hole, a probe that includes a mirror attached to a camera; and reflecting an image of the weld joint off of the mirror and to the camera while the probe is inserted into the at least one port hole. The present disclosure provides a method of analyzing a weld joint. The method includes: machining a port hole in the weld joint; etching the weld joint; inserting a probe into the port hole, the probe including a mirror; reflecting an image of the weld joint off of the mirror and towards a camera; capturing the image with the camera; and analyzing the weld joint using the image captured by the camera. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS These and other features and advantages of the invention will become more readily appreciated when considered in connection with the following description of the presently preferred embodiments, appended claims and accompanying drawings, in which: FIG. 1 is a top elevation view of an exemplary embodiment of a vehicle subframe that includes a plurality of weld joints; FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a portion of the subframe of FIG. 1; FIG. 3 is an image taken of a cross-section of one of the weld joints of the subframe of FIG. 1; FIG. 4 illustrates a CNC milling machine forming a plurality of port holes into the subframe of FIG. 1; FIG. 5 shows a portable microscope being used to capture one or more images of one of the weld joints through a port hole formed into the subframe of FIG. 1; FIG. 6 also shows the portable microscope being used to capture images of a weld joint and also schematically illustrates the structure of a probe that is fixedly attached with the portable microscope; FIG. 7 shows a cross-sectional diagram of the portable microscope; FIG. 8 illustrates an etching operation being conducted on one of the port holes of the subframe of FIG. 1; and FIG. 9 is a flow chart illustrating the steps of an exemplary embodiment of a process for analyzing a weld joint. DESCRIPTION OF THE ENABLING EMBODIMENT Referring to the Figures, wherein like numerals indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views, the present invention is related generally to the inspection of weld joints 20 such as the weld joints 20 on the vehicle subframe 22 shown in FIG. 1. While the exemplary embodiment shows a vehicle subframe 22, the part with the weld joints 20 to be analyzed could be a wide range of different automotive or non-automotive components and may be made of any suitable type of material for example, various steels, alloy steels, aluminum alloys, etc.). The weld joints 22 may be formed through any suitable type of welding operation (for example, gas metal arc welding [GMAW or MIG], tungsten inert gas [TIG] welding, laser welding, etc.). The part may also have any suitable number of weld joints 20 to be analyzed. FIG. 9 is a flow chart depicting the steps of an example method of analyzing a weld joint 20, such as any one or more of the weld joints 20 found on the subframe 22 shown in FIGS. 1-8. At step 800, a visual inspection is conducted on the weld joint 20 to look for visible problems with the weld joint 20. The visual inspection may be performed either aut