Patent ID: 8122600

Claim:
A method for restoring blade dovetails to their original shape comprising the steps of: removing damaged material only from a contact surface of a blade dovetail at a damage site; said removing step comprising removing said damaged material to a depth sufficient to fully eradicate surface distress; restoring said contact surface by performing vapor deposition of a metal only at said damage site on said contact surface in an amount sufficient to replace said removed damaged material; said vapor deposition performing step comprising depositing a metal having near parent material chemistry and near parent material properties; and machining said blade dovetail to said original shape, wherein said performing vapor deposition of said metal is performed at a rate between 10 and 50 micrometers per minute, wherein said removing said damaged material comprises the step of machining said dovetail to an approximate depth between five and fifteen mils; and performing the additional step of shot peening said blade dovetail.