Comparative analysis of spectrogram-based transformations for acoustic classification of SMAW weld quality using machine learning

Abstract

This study evaluates the feasibility of acoustic signal analysis using different spectrographic transformation methods as a tool for assessing the quality of welding beads produced through the Shielded Metal Arc Welding (SMAW) process. Acoustic emissions were recorded during manual welding operations under controlled experimental conditions, using E6013 electrodes on A36 carbon steel plates. From the acoustic recordings of 400 welding samples, previously classified as accepted or rejected, two fundamental acoustic descriptors were extracted: the fundamental frequency (F0) and the harmonic-to-noise ratio (HNR). These were analysed using parametric and non-parametric metrics to evaluate their discriminative capability. In addition, multiple supervised classifiers were trained and validated using stratified eight-fold cross-validation. The proposed framework enables a systematic comparison of different signal transformations and classification models for the evaluation of SMAW welding quality. Among the evaluated models (SVC, Gradient Boosting, and Extra Trees), precision rates of 90–95% were observed using Spectral Contrast, MEL, and CQT transformations. The results demonstrate that the implementation of various acoustic signal-based models and transformations for welding inspection offers a scalable and cost-effective solution for industrial quality control.