Patent ID: 7409869

Claim:
A method for evaluating thermal fatigue resistance for a welding consumable alloy, the method comprising: placing a test specimen of a welding consumable alloy in a testing device such that a tensile load and a compressive load can be introduced to the test specimen; heating the test specimen to a first temperature; applying a compressive force to the test specimen while heating the test specimen to the first temperature; cooling the test specimen to a second temperature; applying a tensile force to the test specimen while cooling the test specimen to the second temperature; and repeating the heating step, the applying a compressive force step, the cooling step and the applying a tensile force step until the test specimen fails, wherein at least one of the applying a compressive force step and the applying a tensile force step is repeated varying the force that is applied on the test specimen so that the test specimen deforms about the same percentage of its original diameter during an at least substantial portion of the method.