Patent ID: 7533795

Claim:
A process of forming a weldment in a cavity present in a surface of an article formed of a first precipitation-strengthened superalloy, the cavity having a root region and a cap region between the root region and the surface of the article, the process comprising the steps of: placing a solid body in only the root region of the cavity, the solid body being sized to occupy a central portion but not a peripheral portion between the central portion and side walls of the root region of the cavity, the solid body being formed of a superalloy composition; depositing by welding a first filler material in the peripheral portion of the root region such that in combination the solid body and the first filler material completely fill the root region but are not present in the cap region, the first filler material being formed of a solid solution-strengthened superalloy; depositing by welding a second filler material in the cap region of the cavity to form a weldment that fills the cavity and comprises the solid body and the first and second filler materials, the second filler material being formed of a second precipitation-strengthened superalloy; and then heat treating the weldment, wherein the heat-treated weldment contains the solid body and the first filler material which in combination completely fill the root region of the cavity and contains the second filler material in the cap region of the cavity.