Patent ID: 9273562
Filing Date: 2016-03-01
CPC Classification: B23K,B23P,F01D,F05D,Y10T

Claim Text:
1. A method for joining superalloy structures, comprising: forming a recess in a superalloy component substrate having a recess profile defined by the remaining substrate; forming a mating superalloy splice having a splice projection, with a projection profile conforming with the substrate recess profile along a corresponding mutual contact surface; inserting and capturing the splice within the recess, so that the projection and recess are in abutting contact along the contact surface; compressing the substrate and splice projection together along the contact surface at a selected pressure; conductively contacting the substrate and splice with separate electric resistance welding electrodes; applying selected compression pressure and passing current at a selected flow rate and application time period through the substrate and splice projection between the electrodes until localized melting occurs along the contact surface, ejecting a volume of localized melted material out of the mutual contact surface that avoids, or crack-inducing shrinkage stresses or solidification cracking during post-weld cooling, ceasing further current flow after the substrate and splice projection are mutually affixed to each other along the contact surface and; wherein the recess and splice projection conforming profiles form an outwardly diverging gap for initiating melting proximate a narrower portion of the gap, and for promoting melt front formation and ejection outwardly towards a wider portion of the gap and out of the recess during said ejecting; avoiding, after cessation of current flow, crack-inducing shrinkage stresses or solidification cracking during subsequent contact surface cooling or during post-weld heat treatment.