Study on the Localization of Defects in Typical Steel Butt Welds Considering the Effect of Residual Stress

When using magnetic memory detection technology to locate weld cracks and porous defects, the traditional zero-point polarity theory leads to misjudgments in defect location and difficulty in distinguishing between the residual stress and the magnetic signals generated by defects due to the influence of external noise and residual stress. Therefore, this paper considers the different mechanisms of magnetic signal generation in areas where crack- and porosity-type defects and residual stresses are located and discusses research focused on the detection of weld defect localization considering the influence of residual stresses. Using the mechanism of magnetic signal generation as a starting point, the three-dimensional magnetic modulus gradient polarity determination method is proposed to distinguish residual stress and defects’ magnetic signals. Through the COMSOL simulation of a welding defect’s finite element magnetic signal, the resulting magnetic signal is converted into a characteristic determination formula for characterization. To verify the accuracy of the simulated characterization, the 3D magnetic signal is extracted and verified manually. Finally, a double orthogonal wavelet transform is introduced to eliminate the random noise in the gradient of the three-dimensional magnetic modulus. The results show that the theoretical analysis, numerical simulation, and experimental results agree with each other. The three-dimensional magnetic modulus gradient values of cracks and pores are much higher than that of the defect-free residual stress area. The three-dimensional magnetic gradient modulus can locate defects and characterize the lengths of defects. The dual orthogonal wavelet eliminates noise interference while improving the accuracy of locating three-dimensional magnetic modulus gradient defects.