Patent ID: 8918996

Claim:
A process of fabricating a component having at least first and second regions with different grain structures, the process comprising: providing first and second precipitation-strengthened alloys, the first precipitation-strengthened alloy differing from the second precipitation-strengthened alloy by having a higher grain refiner content of at least one grain-refining element, the first and second precipitation-strengthened alloys having solvus temperatures that are within 25° C. of each other; fabricating first and second preforms individually corresponding to the first and second regions of the component, each of the first and second preforms comprising an interface surface at which the first and second preforms can be joined together, the first and second preforms being formed of the first and second precipitation-strengthened alloys, respectively; joining the first and second preforms together to form an article comprising first and second portions formed by the first and second preforms, respectively, and corresponding to the first and second regions of the component, respectively, and so that the interface surfaces of the first and second preforms form a joint located between the first and second portions of the article; and then performing a supersolvus heat treatment on the article to cause greater grain growth in the second portion than in the first portion; and wherein the supersolvus heat treatment heats the article to a temperature above the solvus temperatures of the first and second precipitation-strengthened alloys.