Optimization of Welding Parameters for Repairing NiAl Bronze Components

Abstract

The objective of this study is to determine an optimal welding procedure that can be implemented to repair damaged Nickel Aluminium Bronze (NAB) components. NAB is commonly used in marine applications where components are subject to a constant corrosive environment and high stresses. Research into ideal NAB microstructure for a marine application, was performed in order to gain a baseline for experimental analysis of potential welding procedures. The results indicated that the welding repair can be performed with a wide range of heat input. The effect of post-weld heat treatment (PWHT) on the microstructure and mechanical properties in the heat affected zone (HAZ) and weld metal was also investigated in this research. The dominant microstructure in weld metal at as-welded condition is coarse Widmanstatten type structure with high hardness; post-weld heat treatment resulted in significant grain refinement and hardness reduction in weld metal.