Patent ID: 8158903
Filing Date: 2012-04-17
Classification: B23K,B23P,F01D,F05D,Y10T

Abstract:
1. A method of repairing a structural component, comprising the steps: a) providing a structural component that has a damaged section including damage, and that has a varying component thickness adjoining said damaged section; b) determining a desired welding thickness range of said structural component for a welding operation on said structural component; c) determining a separation line around said damaged section in said structural component such that said damaged section can be separated along said separation line and removed from a remainder of said structural component, wherein said separation line extends to a bounding surface of said structural component so that said separation line cannot form a first continuous closed loop within said structural component; d) adding supplemental material onto said bounding surface and extending said separation line into said supplemental material so that said separation line forms a second continuous closed loop within said structural component and said supplemental material; e) forming a separation seam along said separation line and thereby separating said damaged section from said remainder of said structural component along said separation line, and then removing said damaged section from said remainder of said structural component; f) removing material from said structural component in a first area along said separation line in which said varying component thickness comprises a first area thickness greater than said desired welding thickness range so as to reduce said first area thickness of said structural component in said first area along said separation line to fall within said desired welding thickness range, and/or adding material to said structural component in a second area along said separation line in which said varying component thickness comprises a second area thickness less than said desired welding thickness range so as to increase said second area thickness of said structural component in said second area along said separation line to fall within said desired welding thickness range; g) after said step e), arranging a replacement section fitting into said remainder of said structural component along said separation line to replace said damaged section that has been separated and removed, wherein said replacement section has, along said separation line, a thickness within said desired welding thickness range; h) after said steps f) and g), welding said replacement section to said remainder of said structural component along said separation line to form along said separation line a weld seam that joins said replacement section to said remainder of said structural component; and i) after said step h), adding material to said replacement section and to said structural component in said first area so as to form a first component surface contour in said first area wherein said thickness of said replacement section and said first area thickness of said structural component in said first area along said separation line are increased to greater than said desired welding thickness range, and/or removing material from said replacement section and said structural component in said second area so as to form a second component surface contour in said second area wherein said thickness of said replacement section and said second area thickness of said structural component in said second area along said separation line are reduced to less than said desired welding thickness range.