Characterization of the Micro-Welding Process for Repair of Nickel Base Superalloys

Micro-welding is a low-heat input process whereby a metal or cermet, is deposited by the generation of a low-power arc between a consumable electrode and a substrate. The low-heat input of this process offers unique advantages over more common welding processes such as gas tungsten arc, plasma arc, laser, and electron beam welding. At present, the repair of turbine blades and vanes commonly involves gas tungsten arc welding and these components are susceptible to heat affected zone cracking during the weld repair process; vacuum brazing is also used but mainly on low-stress components such as stators. In this study, the low-heat input characteristic of micro-welding has been utilized to simulate repair of Inconel (Trade Mark of Special Metals) 625, Inconel 718, and Inconel 722 filler alloys to a cast Inconel 738 substrate. The effect of micro-welding process parameters on the deposition rate, coating quality, and substrate has been investigated.