Method and system for restoring parent metal properties across welds

• Main Authors: CAIRO, RONALD RALPH, BOUSE, GREGORY K, CRUM, GREGORY ALLAN
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; French; German
• Published: 15.04.2009
• Subjects: CHEMISTRY; CLADDING OR PLATING BY SOLDERING OR WELDING; COMBINED OPERATIONS; CUTTING BY APPLYING HEAT LOCALLY, e.g. FLAME CUTTING; 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; SOLDERING OR UNSOLDERING; TRANSPORTING; UNIVERSAL MACHINE TOOLS; WELDING; WORKING BY LASER BEAM

A method, with an associated system, for providing a cast component comprises annealing heat treatment to reduce casting stresses; initial machining the cast component; initial nondestructive testing (NDT) the machined cast component to identify NDT indications in the cast component; treating and removing NDT indications from the machined cast component; weld upgrading the treated and removed NDT indications from the machined cast component, the weld upgrading providing stress relief; intermediate nondestructive testing the cast component to identify NDT indications in the weld upgraded cast component; normalizing and temper heat treatment of the cast component; second intermediate nondestructive testing the cast component to identify NDT indications in the cast component; further treating and removing NDT indications from the cast component; post-normalization and temper weld upgrading the treated and removed NDT indications providing stress relief; and final nondestructive testing the cast component to identify NDT indications in the cast component.