Underwater cladding with laser beam and plasma arc welding

Journal Article · Wed Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1997 · Welding Journal

OSTI ID:419750

White, R A; Fusaro, R; Jones, M G; Solomon, H D ^[1]; Milian-Rodriguez, R R ^[2]

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1. General Electric Corporate Research and Development Center, Schenectady, NY (United States)
2. GE Nuclear Energy, San Jose, CA (United States)

Two welding processes, plasma arc (transferred arc) (PTA) and laser beam, were investigated to apply cladding to austenitic stainless steels and Inconel 600. These processes have long been used to apply cladding layers , but the novel feature being reported here is that these cladding layers were applied underwater, with a water pressure equivalent to 24 m (80 ft). Being able to apply the cladding underwater is very important for many applications, including the construction of off-shore oil platforms and the repair of nuclear reactors. In the latter case, being able to weld underwater eliminates the need for draining the reactor and removing the fuel. Welding underwater in reactors presents numerous challenges, but the ability to weld without having to drain the reactor and remove the fuel provides a huge cost savings. Welding underwater in reactors must be done remotely, but because of the radioactive corrosion products and neutron activation of the steels, remote welding would also be required even if the reactor is drained and the fuel removed. In fact, without the shielding of the water, the remote welding required if the reactor is drained might be even more difficult than that required with underwater welds. Furthermore, as shall be shown, the underwater welds that the authors have made were of high quality and exhibit compressive rather than tensile residual stresses.

• OSTI ID: 419750
• Journal Information: Welding Journal, Journal Name: Welding Journal Journal Issue: 1 Vol. 76; ISSN 0043-2296; ISSN WEJUA3
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
CLADDING
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
INCONEL 600
LASER WELDING
MICROSTRUCTURE
NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS
OFFSHORE PLATFORMS
PROTECTIVE COATINGS
RESIDUAL STRESSES
STAINLESS STEEL-304
STELLITE
UNDERWATER OPERATIONS