Deep Bore Defect Repair Using Welded Complementary Patches
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional repair techniques are inadequate for addressing defects within hard-to-reach locations, such as bores, in aircraft engine components, often leading to the scrapping of parts due to limited access for tools.
Innovation Solution
A method involving defect detection, geometry measurement, preparation of a complementary patch, and directed welding using a welding beam to repair the defect, ensuring minimal heat input and precise alignment to restore the intended geometry.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional repair techniques are used for defects in bores, then the repair process is simple and accessible, but the part must be scrapped when defects are in hard-to-reach locations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical repair tools with a welding beam system that can deliver energy through the bore from the external surface. This substitution enables repair of deep defects without requiring physical access to the defect location, resolving the contradiction between part salvageability and repair technique complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a patch as an intermediary element that is first positioned against the internal surface at the defect location, then welded in place through the bore. This intermediary approach allows the welding beam to repair defects from the external surface while maintaining structural integrity, enabling salvage of parts with deep bore defects.
2Manufacturing precision
If a welding beam is directed through the bore to weld the patch, then the patch can be welded to deep defects, but heat input to surrounding material increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by concentrating the welding energy precisely at the defect location through the patch, rather than heating the entire bore. The patch acts as a localized target for the welding beam, ensuring that heat input is confined to the immediate repair area while minimizing thermal effects on surrounding material.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs preliminary action by first positioning the patch against the defect before applying the welding beam. This preliminary placement creates a localized heat sink that confines the thermal energy to the defect area, preventing excessive heat input to surrounding material while enabling precise repair.
3Ease of operation
If the patch is welded from outside the bore, then access to deep defects is enabled, but precise alignment of the patch with the defect is required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies self-service by designing the patch with features that enable it to self-align with the defect during insertion. The patch automatically positions itself against the internal surface at the defect location, reducing the need for complex external alignment procedures and enabling easy access to deep defects while maintaining precise alignment.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This method allows for effective repair of defects in hard-to-reach areas, reducing the need for part scrapping and minimizing disruptions in engine production by restoring the intended geometry of the bore while maintaining the integrity of the surrounding material.
Implementation Method 1
directing a welding beam from outside the bore, through the bore and onto the patch to weld the patch to the bore
Implementation Method 2
a first crystallization zone with a metallurgical crystal structure indicative of a melted material of a defect patch
Implementation Method 3
a second crystallization zone with a metallurgical crystal structure indicative of a heat effected zone
Implementation Method 4
a third crystallization zone with a metallurgical crystal structure indicative of native material joins the second crystallization zone at a second boundary, the second boundary including an annealed zone having a finer grain structure
Data Source
AI summary
A method of repair for a metallic part of an aircraft engine includes detecting a defect inside a bore of the metallic part wherein the defect represents a departure from an intended geometry of the bore, the bore having a diameter and defining a longitudinal axis, and wherein the defect is located within the bore at a depth of at least greater than one diameter along the longitudinal axis. The method also includes measuring a geometry of the defect, preparing a patch with a complementary geometry to fill the geometry of the defect, placing the patch in the bore with the complementary geometry of the patch seated against the geometry of the defect, directing a welding beam from outside the bore, through the bore and onto the patch to weld the patch to the bore, and removing a portion of the patch to provide the intended geometry for the bore.