Nuclear Engineering and Design 206 (2001) 249– 259

www.elsevier.com/locate/nucengdes

Repair welding of cracked steam turbine blades using

austenitic and martensitic stainless-steel consumables
A.K. Bhaduri a,*, T.P.S. Gill a, S.K. Albert a, K. Shanmugam a, D.R. Iyer b
a
Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, Kalpakkam 603 102, India
b
Nuclear Power Corporation, Mumbai 400 084, India

Received 22 September 2000; accepted 24 November 2000

Abstract

The procedure for repair welding of cracked steam turbine blades made of martensitic stainless steels has been
developed using the gas tungsten arc welding process. Weld repair procedures were developed using both ER 316L
austenitic and ER 410 martensitic stainless-steel filler wire. The overall development of the repair welding procedure
included selection of welding consumables (for austenitic filler metal), optimisation of post-weld heat treatment
parameters, selection of suitable method for local pre-heating and post-weld heat treatment (PWHT) of the blades,
determination of mechanical properties of weldments in as-welded and PWHT conditions, and microsturctural
examination. After various trials using different procedures, the procedure of local PWHT (and preheating when
using martensitic stainless-steel filler wire) using electrical resistance heating on the top surface of the weldment and
monitoring the temperature by placing a thermocouple at the bottom of the weld was found to give the most
satisfactory results. These procedures have been developed and/or applied for repair welding of cracked blades in
steam turbines. © 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction cracking. A large number of blade cracking/fail-

In steam and gas turbines, the blades are sub-
jected to very high centrifugal and bending forces
during operation. In turbine stages prone to reso-
nance or near-resonance, the blades (usually made
from martensitic stainless steel) have to bear addi-
tional high stresses, and any relaxation in the
stringent specifications during fabrication, assem-
bly and quality assurance may lead to blade
* Corresponding author. Tel.: +91-4114-40232; fax: + 91-
4114-40381.
E-mail address: bhaduri@igcar.ernet.in (A.K. Bhaduri).
ures have been reported in the literature (Dewey
and Rieger, 1982, 1983; Dewey and McCloskey,
1983). The conventional remedial approach, re-
quiring replacement of the cracked blades, consid-
erably increases the duration of turbine outage,
and hence reduces the performance and availabil-
ity factor of the turbine. Weld repair of the blade,
however, can save considerable downtime re-
quired for blade replacement, and hence would be
highly economical for the competitive power util-
ity industry. Procedures for such repairs have
therefore been developed and implemented in
low-pressure (LP) steam turbine blades of Indian

0029-5493/01/$ - see front matter © 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
PII: S 0 0 2 9 - 5 4 9 3 ( 0 0 ) 0 0 4 3 9 - 8
250 A.K. Bhaduri et al. / Nuclear Engineering and Design 206 (2001) 249–259
Pressurised Heavy Water Reactor (PHWR) power
plants. These turbines operate at temperatures
below 200°C, and their blades are made of
martensitic stainless steel. During planned shut-
down of one of the PHWR plants, the inspection
of LP-IV stage turbine revealed the presence of
cracks in two of its blades. These cracks were
located inside the lacing wire holes as schemati-
cally shown in Fig. 1. These cracks could only be
detected by Fluorescent Magnetic Particle Testing
(FMPT) and were not revealed by Dye Penetrant
Testing (DPT). These cracks were repair-welded
using austenitic stainless-steel (SS) filler wire ER
316L, while another procedure using martensitic
SS filler wire ER 410 was also developed.
The repair welding procedure with austenitic
filler wire was developed to avoid preheating of
the blade as also hydrogen induced cold cracking
and involved evaluation of two austenitic SS filler
wires, viz. ER 309L, ER 316L, and one Ni-base
alloy filler wire namely ER NiCr-3 (Inconel 82).
The thermal expansion coefficients of the
austenitic SS and Ni base alloys are about 18×
10 − 6 and 15 ×10 − 6°C − 1, respectively. The devel-
opment of the repair welding strategy involved
selection of welding consumables, optimisation of
Fig. 1. Schematic diagram showing the location of the cracks
in the repair-welded LP-IV stage turbine blades
post-weld heat treatment (PWHT) parameters,
and microstructural examinations. Optimisation
of PWHT parameters involved heat treatment of
the austenitic SS weldments at 600°C for different
durations between 0.5 and 5 h, and of the ER 410
martensitic SS weldment at different temperatures
between 700 and 775°C for different durations
between 0.25 and 1 h. This paper reports the
behaviour of various weldments before and after
PWHT, the development of repair welding proce-
dure, and the experience gained in actual execu-
tion of the repair welding of cracked turbine
blades.
2. Development of repair welding procedure
Most repair welding trials were carried out on
410 SS pipes of 88.9 mm diameter and 3.2 mm
thickness by gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW)
using 1.6 mm diameter ER 309L and ER 410, and
2 mm diameter ER 316L and ER NiCr-3 filler
wires. A few trials were carried out on actual
blade material using ER 410 filler wire. The chem-
ical composition of base and weld metals used
and the welding parameters employed are given in
Tables 1 and 2, respectively. No preheating was
employed for welding with austenitic SS and Ni-
base alloy filler wires, while preheating at 250°C
was used for welding with ER 410 filler wire. In
all cases, the shielding gas used had a purity of at
least 99.99% to minimise the probability of hydro-
gen-induced cold cracking in the weldments.
2.1. Mechanical testing of as-welded weldments
The results of tensile tests on as-welded samples
made with austenitic filler wires (ER 309L, ER
316L or ER NiCr-3) are given in Table 3. It was
observed that when fracture occurred in the
austenitic weld metal, the percentage elongation
was low because the deformation was confined to
the narrow weld metal region, while elongation
was measured over the full sample gage length. In
ER 316L and ER NiCr-3 weldments, tensile frac-
ture occurred in the weld metal, while in the ER
309L, weldment failure almost always occurred in
the base metal.
Table 1
Chemical composition of base materials under consideration (wt.%)

Element 410 SS pipe LP-IV stage blade LP-V stage blade ER 309L weld ER 316L weld ER NiCr-3 weld ER 410 weld
material material

C 0.127 0.13 0.13 0.012 0.018 0.006 0.091

Cr 12.8 11.8 12.2 23.20 18.52 19.27 12.3
Mn 0.34 0.52 0.57 1.71 1.64 3.00 0.55
Si 0.32 0.25 0.18 0.48 0.33 0.14 0.55
Mo 0.12 0.36 1.24 – 2.22 – B0.2
Ni 0.20 0.43 5.7 13.70 11.52 74.31 0.28
P 0.024 0.024 0. 024 0.015 0.028 B0.005 0.026
S B0.006 B0.006 0.015 0.014 0.013 0.002 0.017
Co 0.02 0.02 0.16 – – B 0.01 0.027
Cu – – 0.14 – – 0.24 0.14
Nb B0.015 B0.015 B0.07 – – 2.42 B0.07
V 0.024 0.019 0.10 – – – 0.016
Ta – – – – – B0.01 –
Ti B0.004 B0.004 B0.004 – – 0.39 B0.004
Fe Balance Balance Balance Balance Balance 0.09 Balance
Ferrite contenta – – – 12 FN 8 FN – –

a
Ferrite number (FN) estimated from WRC-92 diagram assuming N = 0.03 wt.%.
A.K. Bhaduri et al. / Nuclear Engineering and Design 206 (2001) 249–259
251
252 A.K. Bhaduri et al. / Nuclear Engineering and Design 206 (2001) 249–259

Table 2
Welding parameters employed for GTA welding

Welding parameters Wire diameter: 1.6 mm Wire diameter: 2.0 mm Wire diameter: 1.6 mm

ER 309L ER 316L/ER NiCr-3 ER 410

Root pass Fill passes Root pass Fill passes Root pass Fill passes

Average current (A) 80 90 80 115 80 75

Average voltage (V) 10 11 10 13 9 10
Average welding speed (mm 70 115 95 135 63 56
min−1)
Preheating temperature (°C) None None None None 250 250
Inter-pass temperature (°C) Ambient 100 Ambient 100 250 250
Polarity DCSP DCSP DCSP DCSP DCSP DCSP
Purity of argon shielding gas 99.99 99.99 99.99 99.99 99.99 99.99
(%)
Ar shielding gas flow rate (l 25 25 25 25 7 7
min−1)
Ar backing gas flow rate (l 35 35 35 35 9 8
min−1)
Welding position 1G 1G 1G 1G 1G 1G

All as-welded samples passed the face and root
bend tests with the exception of one sample
welded with ER 309L filler wire, which failed
during the root bend test.
Visual examination of the fractured tensile- and
bend-test samples for the as-welded weldments
made with austenitic SS filler wires showed no
deformation in the heat-affected zone (HAZ),
with bands of undeformed HAZ being clearly
visible on either side of the weld. To study the
extent of HAZ hardening, as-welded samples of
weldments made with austenitic SS filler wires
were examined for hardness variations. In weld-
ments made with austenitic SS filler wires, the
hardness is appreciably higher in the HAZ than in
the weld metal and unaffected base metal (Table
4). Although the tensile properties of the as-
welded austenitic SS weldments are adequate, the
hard HAZ may have inferior ductility compared
to both the base metal and the austenitic SS weld
metal, and could lead to crack initiation during
service. In this respect, using ER 316L filler wire
would be favourable as the hardness of 316L SS
weld metal is very close to that of 410 SS base
metal (Table 4). However, use of austenitic SS
filler wires would be inadequate for repair welding
of the LP-V stage blade material, as the hardness
of the austenitic SS weld metals is considerably
lower than the base metal. Hence, the ER 410
martensitic SS filler wire was used, as the hardness
of the as-welded ER 410 weld metal is comparable
to that of the as-welded HAZ of LP-V stage blade
material. For this purpose, autogenous GTAW
runs were also made on both 410 SS (similar to
the LP-IV stage blade material) and on the LP-V
stage blade material, and the average hardness of
the weld metal, HAZ and base metal in as-welded
condition is presented in Table 4 for comparison.
2.2. Optimising post-weld heat-treatment
parameters
The PWHT temperature for the austenitic SS
weldments was selected as 600°C, based on metal-
lurgical and in-plant repair welding consider-
ations. To optimise the PWHT time, weldments
made with ER 309L, ER 316L and ER NiCr-3
filler wires were subjected to PWHT at 600°C for
0.5, 1, 2 or 5 h and then air-cooled. For optimis-
ing the PWHT parameters for welding with ER
410 filler wire, the autogenous weld on an actual
LP-V stage turbine blade was subjected to PWHT
at four different temperatures, viz. 700, 725, 750
and 775°C, for three different durations, viz. 0.25,
0.5 and 1 h, at each temperature.
 A.K. Bhaduri et al. / Nuclear Engineering and Design 206 (2001) 249–259 253

2.2.1. Microhardness testing
The typical microhardness profiles across the
austenitic SS weld metal/410 SS interface (for the
weldments made with ER 316L filler wire) before
PWHT (as-welded) and after PWHT at 600°C for
0.5 –5 h are shown in Fig. 2. The hardness varia-
tion for the weldments made with ER 309L and
ER NiCr-3 filler wires are similar to that in Fig. 2.
When the hardness variation before PWHT is
compared with that after PWHT, it is noticed that
depending on dilution from the base metal, the
weld metal hardness varies with PWHT duration.
However, the reduction in hardness beyond 1 h of
heat treatment at 600°C is not very significant.
Hence, the optimum PWHT time was selected as
1 h.
Comparison of the average hardness of the
weld metal, HAZ and base metal of all the
austenitic SS weldments before PWHT (as-
welded) and after PWHT at 600°C for 1 h (Table
4) shows that the hardness of the HAZ reduces
from HV 440 – 485 before PWHT to HV 275 –290
after PWHT. The ER 316L weld metal shows
some localised regions of higher hardness due to
the presence of martensite.
The microhardness profiles across the weld in-
terface of the autogenous weldment of the LP-V
stage blade material before PWHT (as-welded)
and after PWHTs at 700 – 775°C for 0.25, 0.5 and
1 h are compared in Fig. 3(a – c). It is observed
from Fig. 3(a) that the average hardness level
across the weld metal and HAZ in the as-welded
condition of HV 544 and HV 499, respectively,
reduces to HV 333 –367 and HV 339 –367, respec-
tively, on PWHT at 700 –775°C for 0.25 h. It is
also observed that the average hardness across the
weld metal and HAZ increases with increase in
PWHT temperature from HV 333 and HV 339,
respectively, after 700°C/0.25 h PWHT to HV 367
after 775°C/0.25 h PWHT. As a substantial fur-
ther change in the hardness of the weld metal and
HAZ was observed on PWHT for a longer dura-
tion [Fig. 3(b) and (c)], the PWHT duration of
0.25 h was deemed to be inadequate.
It is observed from Fig. 3(b) that the average
hardness level across the weld metal and HAZ
decreases from that in the as-welded condition to
HV 296 –398 and HV 278 –401, respectively, on
PWHT at 700 –775°C for 0.5 h. It is also observed
that the average hardness across the weld metal
and HAZ increases substantially with increase in
PWHT temperature from HV 296 and HV 278,
respectively, after 700°C/0.5 h PWHT to HV 398
and HV 401, respectively, after 775°C/0.5 h
PWHT. However, the average hardness across
both the weld metal and HAZ is almost similar at
about HV 378 and HV 380 –389, respectively,
after the 725°C/0.5 h and 750°C/0.5 h PWHTs. In
view of the substantial change in hardness of the
weld metal and HAZ with change in PWHT

Table 3
Average transverse-weld tensile properties of 410 SS weldments made using austenitic and martensitic SS consumables

Filler wire used PWHT Ultimate tensile strength Yield strength Elongation (%) Location of
condition (N mm−2) (N mm−2) fracture

ER 309L As-welded 819 685 12 Base metal

795 629 11 Base metal
812 695 14.2 Base metal
779 449 5 Weld metal
ER NiCr-3 As-welded 699 426 6 Weld metal
726 450 7.6 Weld metal
ER 316L As-welded 808 612 7.6 Weld metal
819 574 7.6 Weld metal
600°C/1 h 747 – 15.3 Base metal
ER 410 735°C/1 h 774 – 13.7 Base metal
254 A.K. Bhaduri et al. / Nuclear Engineering and Design 206 (2001) 249–259

Table 4
Average microhardness (HV at 200 g load) values of different weldment regions before and after PWHT

Weldment PWHT condition Weld metal HAZ Base metal

410 SS/ ER 309L As-welded 175 450 250

600°C/1 h 330 275 265
410 SS/ ER 316L As-welded 235 485 250
600°C/1 h 230 280 250
410 SS/ ER NiCr-3 As-welded 175 455 250
600°C/1 h 170 275 250
410 SS autogenous As-welded 450 440 240
600°C/1 h 270 280 –
LP-V stage blade material autogenous As-welded 544 499 325
725°C/1 h 374 376 359
410 SS/ ER 410 735°C/1 h 269 261 249

temperature, the PWHT duration of 0.5 h would 2.2.2. Microstructure

not be suitable. Detailed microstructural examination of all the
It is observed from Fig. 3(c) that the average austenitic SS weldments did not reveal any so-
hardness level across the weld metal and HAZ lidification cracks or hydrogen-induced cold
decreases from that in the as-welded condition to cracks either in the weld metal or in the HAZ.
HV 345 –392 and HV 332 – 397, respectively, on Two well-defined regions were identified in the
PWHT at 700 – 775°C for 1 h. It is also observed weld metal after etching with Vilella’s reagent.
that the average hardness across the weld metal One region showed etching behaviour similar to
and HAZ increases with increase in PWHT tem- that of the base metal, and the other region
perature from HV 345 and HV 332, respectively, remained unetched. The etched region consisted
after 700°C/1 h PWHT to HV 392 and HV 397,
of austenite, D-ferrite and martensite while the
respectively, after 775°C/1 h PWHT. However,
unetched region was only austenite. The extent of
the average hardness across both the weld metal
dilution from the base material decides the pres-
and HAZ remains unchanged at HV 345 and HV
ence of various phases in the weld metal. Since for
332, respectively, after both the 725°C/1 h and
750°C/1 h PWHTs. Hence, the PWHT at 7359
10°C for 1 h was chosen as the optimum PWHT
for the martensitic SS blade materials welded with
martensitic SS filler wire.
The microhardness profile across the 410 SS/
ER 410 weld metal interface of the procedure
qualification (WPQ) weldment after 735°C/1 h
PWHT was also measured [Fig. 3(c)], and it was
found that the average hardness of the WPQ
weldment was about HV 100 lower than that
across the autogenous weldment of LP-V stage
blade material subjected to the optimum PWHT.
This indicated that while ER 410 filler wire can be
used for repair welding of LP-IV stage blade
material (similar to Type 410 SS), alternative filler
material (with higher Ni and Mo content) has to Fig. 2. Microhardness variation across the 410 SS/ER316L
be used for repair-welding of LP-V stage blade weld metal interface before PWHT (as-welded) and after dif-
material (Bhaduri et al., 2000). ferent PWHTs.
 A.K. Bhaduri et al. / Nuclear Engineering and Design 206 (2001) 249–259 255

Fig. 3. Microhardness variation across the autogenous weld interface of LP-V stage blade material before PWHT (as welded) and
after different PWHTs for (a) 0.25 h (15 min.), (b) 0.5 h (30 min.), and (c) 1 h PWHTs. The microhardness profile across the 410
SS/ER410 weld metal interface (WPQ) after 725°C/1 h PWHT is shown in (c).

the etched region, the Ac1 temperature could be
below the PWHT temperature, the hardness did
not vary with duration of PWHT. For the second
region, where dilution from base metal was less,
the microstructure consisted of austenite and D-
ferrite. PWHT did not affect the hardness of this
region, as no significant amount of precipitation
of hard phases would have occurred from the
austenite present during PWHT. The behaviour of
316L and 309L weld metals was similar except
that the formation of hard phases was much less
in the 316L weld metal. This clearly indicated that
sound welds could be obtained with ER 316L
filler wire, and that PWHT of the weldments
would not introduce any microstructural features
that could degrade the weldment properties.
Microstructural examination of 410 SS weld-
ments made with ER 410 filler wire after 735°C/1
h PWHT showed a typical tempered martensitic
microstructure with no well-defined fusion
256 A.K. Bhaduri et al. / Nuclear Engineering and Design 206 (2001) 249–259
boundary. This is expected in view of the nearly
matching composition of both the base metal and
weld metal (see Table 1).
2.3. Selection of welding consumable for
repair-welding ( for austenitic weld metal)
Among the three austenitic SS filer wires evalu-
ated, the important advantages that would result
from using the ER 316L filler metal for repair
welding the blade include: (1) welding possible
without preheating and (2) superior microstruc-
tural stability after PWHT compared to that with
ER 309L filler wire. The ER NiCr-3 filler wire was
not found to be suitable for this application,
because of the lower strength and hardness of its
weld metal compared to those of the austenitic SS
weld metal. Further, as the temperature of opera-
tion of the turbine is below 200°C, the benefit of
lower thermal expansion coefficient of the Ni-base
alloy would not be significant. Hence, based on all
these factors, it was decided to use ER 316L filler
wire for repair welding of the cracks in the steam
turbine blades
2.4. Mechanical properties
The average tensile properties after optimised
PWHT of 410 SS weldments made with ER 316L
and ER 410 filler wires are also presented in Table
3. In both cases, the tensile properties were found
to be satisfactory. Both these weldments also
passed the face and root bend tests.
3. In-plant repair-welding of cracked blades
Thus far, cracks in two blades in steam turbines
of Indian nuclear power plants have been success-
fully repair-welded with ER 316L filler wire, using
the procedure discussed below. The repair-weld-
ing procedure with ER 410 filler wire has been
developed for future repair-welding of blades hav-
ing a composition similar to AISI 410 SS (e.g. the
LP-IV stage blade material in Table 1) and where
it would be feasible to employ pre-heating. Before
attempting repair-welding and PWHT of blade
cracks, extensive in-plant mock-ups were carried
out to gain confidence in the procedure devel-
oped. The mock-ups were done on 50 mm wide
410 SS strips from a pipe of 88.9 mm diameter
and 3.2 mm thickness.
3.1. Remo6al of the crack and groo6e preparation
The cracks were completely removed by grind-
ing with special tools, and edge preparation was
carried out. The groove angle was kept as close to
70° as possible and conformed to the qualified
procedure.
3.2. Repair-welding
The repair-welding using ER 316L by the
GTAW process was carried out for the blade
cracks. The welding parameters were maintained
as per the qualified procedure. With ER 316L
filler wire, no pre-heating was employed, and the
inter-pass temperature was not allowed to exceed
100°C. DPT was performed after the root pass
and after completion of welding. Only after the
welds passed DPT were they taken up for PWHT.
3.3. Local PWHT
3.3.1. PWHT trials on mock-ups
A number of alternative procedures were tried
on a mock-up assembly simulating actual blade
geometry. After various trials, the procedure of
local PWHT using electrical resistance heating on
the top surface of the weldment and monitoring
the temperature by placing a thermocouple at the
bottom of the weld was found to give the most
satisfactory results. A schematic diagram of the
local PWHT set-up is shown in Fig. 4. In order to
limit the heating of the blades to very narrow
regions, the blades on either side of the repair
weldment were continuously cooled by water (by
placing water-soaked linen). The temperature be-
yond damp linen was constantly monitored and
was allowed to be only marginally higher than the
ambient temperature. Following the above proce-
dure, the 410 SS mock-up weldment made using
ER 316L was given PWHT at 600°C for 1 h. DPT
on both the weldments did not reveal any discon-
tinuities. The microhardness profiles across this
 A.K. Bhaduri et al. / Nuclear Engineering and Design 206 (2001) 249–259
Fig. 4. Schematic of set-up for PWHT by electrical resistance
heating.
weldment after PWHT (Fig. 5) were found to be
satisfactory.
3.3.2. PWHT of repair welds
All the repair welds were subjected to PWHT in
accordance with the procedure developed and de-
scribed above. Fig. 6 shows the time – temperature
record during an actual local PWHT of a repair
welded turbine blade. It should be noted that
generally during the duration of PWHT, the tem-
Fig. 5. Microhardness variation across 410 SS/316L weld
metal interface on a mock-up weld after local PWHT com-
pared with a pipe weld sample after PWHT in a furnace.
257
Fig. 6. An actual post-weld heat-treatment cycle employed
after repair welding one of the cracked turbine blades.
perature of the weldment was kept in the range
6109 10°C for the weldments made using ER
316L filler wire. After PWHT, DPT was per-
formed, and all the welds cleared this test.
3.4. Non-destructi6e examination of repair welds
Besides DPT, which was carried out at various
stages as elucidated above, in-situ metallography
was conducted to ensure adequate tempering of
the HAZ. In order to check and document the
microstructural features of the repair welds, in-
situ metallography was performed on the mock-
up weldment made using ER316L filler wire.
In-situ metallography of the repair welds in the
as-welded condition was not performed, as it was
mandatory to carry out the PWHT immediately
after the welding.
The in-situ metallography was carried out using
a portable polishing unit, etching unit and micro-
scope. The surface of the weldment was polished
up to a diamond finish. The HAZ was etched in
Vilella’s reagent, while the weld was electrolyti-
cally etched in ammonium persulphate. The in-
situ microscopic observations indicated proper
tempering of the weldments. Subsequently, repli-
cas of the weldments were transferred on to plas-
258 A.K. Bhaduri et al. / Nuclear Engineering and Design 206 (2001) 249–259
tic films, which were then gold-coated to improve
reflectivity for further microscopic observations in
the laboratory.
The photomicrographs of the HAZ and weld
metal after PWHT in the mock-up weldments
made using ER316L filler wire are shown in Fig.
7(a) and (b), respectively. Fig. 8(a) and (b) show
the typical microstructural features in the HAZ
and weld metal after PWHT in the repair weld on
the turbine blades made using ER 316L filler wire.
Figs. 7 and 8 show that the typical microstruc-
tural features after PWHT observed in the repair
welds are similar to those observed in the mock-
up weldments. Further, it is noticed that the HAZ
has been effectively tempered by the PWHT,
which is indicated by the presence of carbides at
grain boundaries (shown as black regions in the
photomicrographs). Based on the above results,
the quality of repair welds made using ER 316L
filler wire was considered to be satisfactory for the
intended service.
4. Conclusions
1. Repair-welding procedures using the GTAW
process have been developed for repair of
cracked steam turbine blades using austenitic
Fig. 7. In-situ metallography microstructures of a mock-up weldment made with ER316L filler wire after PWHT at 600°C for 1 h:
(a) weld interface and (b) weld metal.
ER 316L and martensitic ER 410 filler wires.
Neither the 316L nor the 410 weld metal after
PWHT failed during tensile tests in the weld
metal, but the rupture took place in the 410 SS
base metal.
2. Local PWHT and preheating (when using ER
410 filler wire) by electrical resistance heating
was found to be the most suitable. The opti-
mum PWHT for the weldments made using
ER 316L filler wire is 610910°C for 1 h,
while that made using ER 410 filler wire is
7359 10°C for 1 h.
3. The repair-welding procedure with ER 316L
filler wire has been successfully employed for
repairing two cracked blades in steam turbines
of Indian PHWR power plants. In-situ metal-
lography performed after PWHT of a mock-
up and an actual repair weld showed that the
repair weld is satisfactory for the intended
service.
4. The repair-welding procedure with martensitic
ER 410 filler wire can be applied for repair-
welding of blade materials with a composition
similar to Type 410 SS. However, an alterna-
tive filler material with higher Ni and Mo
content would have to be used for repair-weld-
ing of blade materials with a composition sim-
ilar to the LP-V stage blade material used in
this study.
 A.K. Bhaduri et al. / Nuclear Engineering and Design 206 (2001) 249–259
Fig. 8. In-situ metallography microstructures of a repair weld made with ER316L filler fire on a 410 SS turbine blade after PWHT
at 600°C for 1 h: (a) weld interface and (b) weld metal.
Acknowledgements
The authors gratefully thank Ch. Surendar,
B.K. Bhasin, and S. Krishnamoorthy of Nuclear
Power Corporation of India Ltd., and Dr Baldev
Raj and K. Balachander of Indira Gandhi Centre
for Atomic Research (IGCAR), Kalpakkam for
their wholehearted support and encouragement in
completing the work in time. Thanks are also due
to V.P. Sampath of M/s TEAM Co. Ltd., Chen-
nai for their support during the procedure devel-
opment phase of the work. The technical support
given by V. Ramasubbu, P. Sukumar and R.
Gnanasekaran of IGCAR, Kalpakkam during the
execution of the repair work is also gratefully
acknowledged. Last, but not least, the authors
from IGCAR, Kalpakkam would like to place on
record their indebtedness to Dr Placid Rodriguez,
259
Director, IGCAR who trained them in their for-
mative years, which has stood them in good stead
now.
References
Bhaduri, A.K., Gill, T.P.S., Albert, S.K., Ramasubbu, V.,
Shanmugam, K., Balachander, K., 2000. Repair welding
procedure for steam turbine components using matching
composition consumables. In: Proceedings of the Sympo-
sium on Joining of Materials. Welding Research Institute,
Tiruchirapalli, India, pp. 182– 191.
Dewey, R.P., McCloskey, T.H., 1983. Analysis of Steam Tur-
bine Blade Failures in the Utility Industry. ASME, Paper
No. 83-JPGC-Pwr-20.
Dewey, R.P., Rieger, N.F., 1982. Steam Turbine Blade Reli-
ability. EPRI, Boston, MA.
Dewey, R.P., Rieger, N.F., 1983. EPRI, RP 1856-1.