Improving Repair Qualitv of Turbine Nozzles Using SA650 Braze Alloy

Wayne A. Demo, Stephen Ferrigno, David Budinger, and Eric Huron

GE Engine Services, Cincinnati, OH

Abstract:

Due to competitive pressures, airlines are requesting that engine manufacturers reduce cost of
ownership for their products. Developing repairs instead of replacement, and enhancing repairs already
available, are key methods to do this. Airfoil components of high pressure and low pressure turbines are
subject to wear and replacement due to thermal fatigue and oxidation. These are the highest cost items
for maintenance and replacement and thus repairs for these components were among the first to be
developed. Initially these parts were repaired by Gas Tungsten Arc (GTAW) welding, however, yields
were low and part performance was degraded by the metallurgical degradation of the weld heat affected
zone. The next improvement in repair was the development of the brazing process known as Activated
Diffusion Healing (ADH). By cleaning and brazing the cracked areas, many parts were successfully
repaired and returned to service. Now, GE Engine Services has developed a more advanced brazing
alloy, SA650, which is a significant improvement in strength over older brazing alloys while offering
superb resistance to high temperature oxidation. This provides higher tensile and creep strength in the
repaired component, allowing improved performance and increased time on wing before cracking re-
occurs and repair again becomes necessary. This is an example of the overall strategy of GE Engine
Services to expand the number and quality of repairs offered to its customers.

superalloys 2000
Edited byT.M. Pollock, R.D. Kissinger, R.R. Bowman,
K.A. Green, M. McLean, S. Olson. and J.J. Schim
TM.5 (The Minerals, Metals &Materials Society), 2000

713
Introduction: relieve stresses generated by the thermal fatigue;
they typically reach stable lengths and do not
Airlines are operating in an increasingly propagate to lengths sufficient to cause failure.
competitive environment. In response, gas However, after the engine reaches its next service
turbine engine manufacturers must offer solutions increment these cracks need to be repaired to
to reduce cost of ownership for their products. allow the part to be returned to service.
One of the key methods to do this is to provide
improved repairs for key gas turbine components.
Airfoil components of High Pressure and Low
Pressure turbines (HPT and LPT) are subject to
wear and replacement due to thermal fatigue and
oxidation. In the very early stages of repair
development, these parts were repaired by Gas
Tungsten Arc (GTAW) welding, however, yields
were low and part performance was degraded by
the metallurgical degradation of the weld heat
affected zone. Next, GE developed a brazing
process known as Activated Diffusion Healing
(ADH) (Reference 1). By cleaning and brazing the
cracked areas many parts were successfully
repaired and returned to service. Now, GE
Engine Services has introduced the Partitioned
Alloy Component Healing (PACH) process
(Reference 2) braze process, and has used this
process to apply a more advanced brazing alloy,
SA650. SA650 is a significant improvement in
25mm
strength and wide gap fill capability over older I,__-.
brazing alloys while offering superb resistance to
high temperature oxidation. This provides higher Figure 1: CFM56-3 Stage 1 HPT Nozzle showing
tensile and creep strength in the repaired typical thermal-mechanical fatigue cracks at airfoil
component allowing improved performance and trailing edge region
increasing time on wing before cracking re-occurs
and repair again becomes necessary. This Another common condition is oxidation,
improved brazing material is just one example of sometimes with sulfidation. The major impact of
the overall strategy of GE Engine Services to oxidation is to coat the surface of the part with an
expand the number and quality of repairs offered inert barrier that prevents any braze repair alloy
to its customers. from bonding to the metal; this condition is most
severe within the tight confines of small cracks.
Under severe exposures or after long service lives
and multiple service-repair-service-repair cycles,
Effect of Enqine Exposure on Turbine Nozzle base metal erosion can occur. The geometries of
Condition: the nozzle segments are carefully controlled to
provide the proper aerodynamic conditions in
The operating environment within a gas turbine order to achieve design performance of the gas
engine presents severe temperature and turbine. Thus the impact of cracking on part
environmental conditions. Cobalt-base and Ni- geometry and the buildup of oxidation or impact of
base superalloys are used for these components; erosion on the nozzle surfaces must be corrected
however, even components made from these by the repair process.
alloys are subject to degradation. A common
condition is cracking due to thermal fatigue. The requirements of the repair process are clear:
Figure 1 shows a typical example of this condition the part must be cleaned thoroughly before
in a HPT nozzle. The cracks occur in part to
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beginning the repair process; the oxidation within repairable limits are rejected; parts with repairable
cracks must be removed and cracks must be cracks are submitted into the production repair
healed with adequate strength to resist premature process. Some HPT nozzles have various
cracking in subsequent operation; the smooth coatings; these are removed by chemical
surface and dimensions of the airfoils must be stripping. The part may be hot-die formed to
restored to provide desired performance. correct any trailing edge bowing or nozzle platform
distortion. Wear surfaces on the nozzle platform
Repair Process Description: are machined in preparation for re-buildup of key
dimensional features.
The part most commonly repaired with this
process is the Stage 1 High Pressure Turbine One of the most important factors influencing
Nozzle (HPT) of engines such as the CFM56 and specific braze alloy development and braze repair
CF6-6, -50, and -80-series engines. This part is of cracks in general is the cleanliness of the
subjected to high temperatures and frequent cracks. GE developed the dynamic Fluoride Ion
thermal cycling during engine acceleration and Cleaning (FIC) process to address this problem
takeoff. Thermal-mechanical fatigue cracks occur (References 3 and 4). The early work on FIC
in the airfoil regions of the part. The typical repair developed the basic chemical process. The
process for this part will be used to show how process consisted of combining ammonium
brazing is used to repair these parts. fluoride with chromium powder to produce
chromous fluoride, CrF2 and ammonia. Then at
The repair process (Figure 2) begins with higher temperatures the CrF2 combined with
incoming inspection. The part is characterized for hydrogen to produce HF, which acted as the
location and size of defect. Parts with cracks over cleaning gas to reduce oxides of chromium,
titanium, and aluminum, effectively cleaning the
cracks. Subsequent work refined the process
Incoming Inspection including the development of specialized furnace
I equipment and methods for safely handling the
Strip Coating hydrogen and fluoride gases to allow direct
I introduction of HF gas. This produced the desired
Hot Form cleaning without the complications of the CrF2
powder. This process is now fairly common in the
I
Machine Wear Surfaces for Preforms superalloy repair industry, although process
parameters still require optimization depending on
I the alloys being cleaned. After FIC, a vacuum
Fluoride Ion Clean
clean then removes any residue and prepares the
I part for brazing.
Vacuum Clean
I After all initial cleaning and preparation for final
SA650 Braze Application & Preforms dimensional restoration steps are repaired, the
I part is ready for brazing. The braze alloy is
Diffusion Heat Treat applied as a powder mixture, within an organic
I binder to make a paste. Figure 3 shows an
Machine and Bench to Desired Dimensions example of a part after braze application. The
I paste is applied to the cracked areas. Pre-
Fluorescent Penetrant Inspection sintered preforms for wear dimensional buildup
I are applied as well. The entire part is brazed
Coating using a cycle that allows diffusion of the braze
I alloy into the part. After brazing, final dimensional
Final Inspection and Ship features are re-machined into the part.
Fluorescent Particle Inspection (FPI) is performed
Figure 2: Typical High Pressure Turbine nozzle to ensure successful crack repair. The part is re-
process map coated as appropriate, final inspected for
dimensional quality, and readied for shipment.
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 boron) was mixed with R’77 powder, mechanical
properties were too low for successful engine test.
However, a GE-developed composition, D15, with
2.3 w/o boron, showed good properties when
mixed with R’77. D15-Rene’77, D15-Rene’80,
D15X40, and D15 mixtures with other base alloys
were highly successful and were validated on a
number of components. The nominal composition
of D15 is 15.3Cr-10.3Co-3.45AI-3.4Ta-2.3B,
balance Ni (Reference 4).

This process was highly successful, however, over

time as HPT and LPT nozzles were cycled
through multiple service/repair/service cycles, the
boron content of the repaired crack regions (which
often occur in the same locations repeatedly) led
to reduced strength because of boron buildup.

GE undertook the development of SA650 to build

on the success of the demonstrated ADH
technique with improved strength and to improve
Figure 3: Appearance of part after braze yields for multiple repair cycles. The overall goal
application. Cracks are repaired with braze paste. of the SA650 braze is to produce a final brazed
Stop off paste is applied to prevent braze run in joint with improved high temperature properties
areas not needing restoration. due to reduced boron content. SA650 was also
designed with application for single crystal and
directionally solidified airfoils, and the low boron -
Characteristics of SA650 Braze Alloy: content results in minimal impact on single crystal
and directionally solidified base alloys. The
GE has used an alloy called ADH (Activated nominal composition of SA650 can be tailored for
Diffusion Healing) for many years (Reference 1). the specific application, in particular depending on
ADH alloys have various compositions depending whether the part to be repaired is a Co-based part
on the base alloy being repaired, but work on the or a Ni-base part. SA650 has a similar base
same principle of a two-component system. A composition to D15 but has additional refractory
slurry is applied to the part consisting of a high elements for strength, and lower boron level
melting point superalloy powder, usually the same (Reference 2). The increased strengthening
composition as the alloy being repaired, and the element content and the lower B content result in
ADH alloy, which has lower melting point substantially improved high temperature
(achieved with B or Si) powder. The slurry is properties, but unfortunately these composition
mixed together and suspended in typical industry- modifications negatively impacted brazeability.
standard organic-based brazing binders. GE’s
ADH alloys have achieved their low melting point The need to achieve good brazeability with a
primarily using boron. composition higher in refractory elements and
reduced boron required some additional
The boron level must be balanced between a complication in the powder mixture. The ADH
minimum level for braze flow, acceptable crack alloys were simple two-component blends: usually
filling, and reasonably low braze process D15 blended with alloy powder of the same
temperature on one side, against excessive composition as the part being repaired. When
impact on mechanical properties on the other attempting to develop a lower overall boron
side. The initial ADH alloy development content, however, achieving good flowability was
(Reference 5) evaluated a range of Boron content not straightforward. Instead, SA650 was
alloys. When AMS 4778 powder (nominal 3.2 w/o developed as a Partitioned Alloy Component
Healing (PACH) alloy, having at least three
716
components. The nominal SA650 composition R80 alloy. This allows restoration of cracks with
range for Ni alloys is 15-25C0, 2-30Cr, 0.5-4.OAI, properties much closer to the original new make
2-llTi, l-3M0, 1.5-4W, O.l-0.3Hf, 0.5-6Nb, l-4Ta, part and enhances life after component repair.
and up to 1 B (Reference 2). The compositions of
the components and their relative amounts in the
mixture are tailored depending on the composition
of the alloy being brazed and other factors such
as temperature cycle limitations due to coating or
other process steps. In general the first
component has a high melting composition and is
rich in W and MO. The second component is
lower in melt point and typically contains Cr, Al,
and Ni or Co. The third component contains a
eutectic alloy with a much lower melting
temperature. The elements Si or B are
concentrated in the eutectic alloy. For some
applications more than four components have
been found to improve the balance of flowability
vs. final strength. The separation of the elements
into multiple powder components allowed the
eutectic alloys to promote flowability of the higher
melt point powders into cracks, followed by
melting and diffusion of those alloys, in a process
similar to liquid phase sintering. The end result
was adequate flowability for crack filling with lower
overall boron content. Si can also be added. The
multi-component nature of SA650 has other
advantages as well. The delay in melting of the
high melt alloy allows relatively wide gaps to be
brazed. This significantly enhances repair yields.

Typical microstructures of cracked regions

repaired by SA650 are shown in Figure 4. Note
the excellent fill of braze alloy along the crack and
minimal porosity.

Extensive property testing has been done to

evaluate SA650 mechanical properties. SA650 is
considerably stronger than the earlier generation
ADH composition (Figure 5). In fact, SA650
approaches the strength of the R’80 base alloy
(Figure 6). For some alloys such as X40 the
braze joint exceeds the strength of the parent
metal. This is verified by test bars which break
away from the braze joint.

Similarly, stress rupture shows the same trends as

tensile data (Figure 7). SA650 has significantly Figure 4: Typical microstructure of crack repaired
improved rupture performance over the earlier using SA650 braze repair. Note excellent alloy fill
ADH braze compositions, and comes very close to and minimal porosity.
the stress rupture properties of the base substrate

717
 Strength Data, SA650 vs ADH Braze Repair, 871C
Stress Rupture Data

1000.0
900.0
800.0
2 700.0
z 600.0
q urs
5 500.0
B 400.0 ElrnO.P% YS
g 300.0
200.0
100.0
0.0
24 26 28 30
SA850 ADH Larson Miller Parameter
AIIOY T(2otl0gt)xo.001

Figure 5: Comparison of SA650 Braze Strength Figure 7: Stress Rupture Comparison Between
with ADH Braze Strength. SA650 is considerably SA650 braze alloy, ADH braze alloy, and R80
stronger. Base metal. The improvement offered by SA650
is clear.
Strength Data, SA650 Braze Repair vs R80 Base Alloy, SA650 LCF Data, 982C
927c

600.0 ,
I 350
500.0
E- 400.0 --
5 q UTS
5 300.0 --
P I n 0.2% YS
2 200.0 -__
5
100.0 --

SA650 braze repair R80 base alloy 200 -

Alloy 10 1000 100000 lE+07

kgure 6: Strength comparison between SA650 Cycles to Failure

braze repair alloy and baseline R80 properties.
SA650 braze strength in the repaired regions of
he part approaches that of the substrate alloy Figure 8: Low Cycle Fatigue properties of SA650
being repaired. braze repair compared to baseline R80 properties
Results of fatigue testing are presented in Figure
8. Here the data is compared to R’80 base metal key melt point depressant used in braze alloys.
and properties approach common equiaxed airfoil The boron level of LPMTM IN738 (Reference 6) is
alloys for the narrow gap test specimens which similar to that of SA650, and SA650 displays
had braze gaps up to 0.13 mm, while properties similar failure modes. Boron has been found to
were slightly lower for the wide gap specimens. influence porosity in Ni-base powder superalloys
The excellent fatigue performance is achieved (Reference 7 and 8), thus it would be of interest to
despite the minor porosity typical of braze alloy compare LCF properties with brazeability across
shrinkage. boron levels for the same base braze composition.
However, extensive testing, characterization, and
LCF failures typically occur at pores. This is field experience have shown that typical porosity
common in braze repair alloys (Reference 6) due levels associated with these alloys allow good
to the inherent nature of the process, Boron is a performance.

718
Quality control evaluations on PACH-repaired
hardware include metallurgical cutup to ensure
proper braze flow and acceptable porosity for
each batch. A typical repaired part is shown in
Figure 9. General Electric often subjects parts to
Furnace Cycle Testing (FCT) at aggressive cycle
conditions to verify performance prior to release
for engine application. Figure 10 shows a typical
part after FCT test. The regions in the part that
had prior cracks that were repaired did not fail
prematurely in the test. Other regions of the part
that had not been repaired showed distress and
ultimate failure occurred away from brazed areas.
This validates the ability of brazing, with proper
alloy selection, to produce good component life
after a repair. SA650 has proven itself in repair
with over 100,000 airfoil components repaired
successfully. The reduced metallurgical impact to
the base alloy, made possible by the lower boron 20mm
content, both improves the properties of the parts I_----I
after the initial repair and allows multiple repairs to
the components to be made, greatly reducing Figure 10: Results of FCT testing of an advanced
operating costs for airlines. Parts repaired by braze alloy. This part had been engine run in
SA650 are now performing successfully on a daily service, repaired using techniques described in
basis. the text, and Furnace Cycle tested. Eventual part
failure occurred at a crack away from any previous
repaired regions, demonstrating the capability of
braze repair.

References:

1 .Wayne A. Demo and Stephen J. Ferrigno,

“Brazing Method Helps Repair Aircraft Gas-
Turbine Nozzles”, Advanced Materials and
Processes, March 1992, pp. 43-45.

2.S. J. Ferrigno, M. Somerville, and W. R. Young,

U. S. Patent 4,830,934, May 16, 1989.

3.D. L. Keller and W. R. Young, Cost Effective

Repair Techniques for Turbine Airfoils -
Volume 1, Air Force Report AFWAL-TR-81-
4009, Volume 1, Contract F33615-78-5134,
Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, 45433, June
1981).
25mm
I----I 4.D. L. Keller and D. L. Resor, U.S. Patent
4,098,450, Superalloy Article Cleaning and
Figure 9: Typical part at completion of repair Repair Method, July 4, 1978.
process.
5.D. L. Keller and W. R. Young, Cost Effective
Repair Techniques for Turbine Airfoils -
719
 Volume 2, Air Force Report AFWAL-TR-81-
4009, Volume 2, Contract F33615-78-5134,
Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, 45433, April
1982)

6.Keith A. Ellison, Joseph Liburdi and Jan T.

Stover, “Low Cycle Fatigue Properties of
LPMTMWide-Gap Repairs in lnconel 738”, in
Superalloys 1996, ed. by R. D. Kissinger et.
al., TMS-AIME, 1996, pp. 763-773.

7.E. S. Huron, R. L. Casey, M. F. Henry, and D. P.

Mourer, “The Influence of Alloy Chemistry and
Powder Production Methods on Porosity in a
P/M Nickel-Base Superalloy, in Superalloys
1996, ed. by R. D. Kissinger et. al., TMS-
AIME, 1996, pp. 763-773.

8. E. S. Huron, U.S. Patent No. 5584,948, Method

for Reducing Thermally-Induced Porosity in a
Polycrystalline Nickel-Base Superalloy Article,
December 17,1996.

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