A compact, low cost, in- process welding defects detection system based on thermal plasma emission Navy SBIR FY2008.2 Sol No.: Navy SBIR FY2008.2 Topic No.: N08-178 Topic Title: A compact, low cost, in- process welding defects detection system based on thermal plasma emission Proposal No.: N082-178-0481 Firm: AlphaSense, Inc. 28 Hillstream Road Newark, Delaware 19711 Contact: Pengcheng Lv Phone: (302) 294-0116 Web Site: www.alphasense.net Abstract: In this proposal, AlphaSense, Inc. (AI) and the University of Michigan (UM) detail the development of a compact, portable, and low cost in-process weld defects detection system. Key innovations of the proposed system include: a) weld defects monitoring based on plasma emission characteristics; b) use the electron temperature of the plasma as an indicator of the weld quality, c) use multiple plasma emission lines to enhance the system sensitivity, and d) the development and application of a Continuous Wavelet Transform (CWT) based peak detection algorithm to enhance the sensor sensitivity, and to reveal plasma emission signatures associated with contaminations. With these innovations, we expect that the final product of this proposal will be a compact (~4x4x2 inches), light weight (~1lb), low cost (<$1K/ unit if produced in small volume), and wearable sensor. Benefits: The outcome of this research is coupled to a very clear commercialization path. The final product out of this proposal can be used in the Navy shipyards and the domestic ship building industry for real- time on-line weld quality monitoring. It can also be used by automobile industry for online weld monitoring. The size for the proposed sensor in these market sectors can easily exceed $10 million/year. Return