Methods for repairing gas turbine engine components

• Main Authors: MALLEY, DAVID R, KELLY, CARL E, SCHAEFER, ROBERT P
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; French; German
• Published: 28.11.2012
• Subjects: CHEMISTRY; COMBINED OPERATIONS; GENERAL DEVICES FOR HEAT TREATMENT OF FERROUS OR NON-FERROUSMETALS OR ALLOYS; MACHINE TOOLS; MAKING METAL MALLEABLE BY DECARBURISATION, TEMPERING OR OTHERTREATMENTS; METAL-WORKING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; METALLURGY; METALLURGY OF IRON; MODIFYING THE PHYSICAL STRUCTURE OF FERROUS METALS; OTHER WORKING OF METAL; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING; UNIVERSAL MACHINE TOOLS

Systems and methods for repairing Thermo-Span TM gas turbine engine components are described herein. Embodiments of these methods minimize post-weld residual stresses in a weld repaired Thermo-Span TM component by solution heat treating the component by heating the component to about 2000 DEG F +/- 25 DEG F, holding the component at about 2000 DEG F +/- 25 DEG F for about one hour; and cooling the component to below about 700 DEG F at a rate equivalent to cooling in air; and precipitation heat treating the component by heating the component to about 1325 DEG F +/- 25 DEG F, holding the component at about 1325 DEG F +/- 25 DEG F for about 8 hours, cooling the component to about 1150 DEG F +/- 25 DEG F at a maximum rate of about 100 DEG F/hour, holding the component at about 1150 DEG F +/- 25 DEG F for about 8 hours, and cooling the component at a predetermined cooling rate. Dimensions of the fully-machined and weld repaired component are maintained during solution heat treating and precipitation heat treating via custom designed furnace tools.