Section 18

Weld Repairs
18 Weld Repairs
18.1 Two specific areas
 Production.
 In-service.

The reasons for making a repair are many and varied, from the removal of weld
defects induced during manufacture to a quick and temporary running-repair to
an item of production plant. The subject of welding repairs is also wide and
varied and often confused with maintenance and refurbishment where the work
can be scheduled.

With planned maintenance and refurbishment, sufficient time enables the tasks
to be completed without production pressures being applied. In contrast,
repairs are usually unplanned and may result in shortcuts being taken to allow
production to continue so it is advisable for a fabricator to have an established
policy on repairs and to have repair methods and procedures in place.

The manually controlled welding processes are the easiest to use, particularly if
it is a local repair or carried out onsite. Probably the most frequently used is
MMA as it is versatile, portable and readily applicable to many alloys because of
the wide range of off-the-shelf consumables. Repairs almost always result in
higher residual stresses and increased distortion compared with first time
welds. With C-Mn and low/medium alloy steels, pre- and postweld heat
treatments may be required.

A number of key factors need to be considered before any repair, the most
important being it is financially worthwhile. Before this judgement can be made,
the fabricator needs to answer the following questions:

 Can structural integrity be achieved if the item is repaired?

 Are there any alternatives to welding?
 What caused the defect and is it likely to happen again?
 How is the defect to be removed and which welding process is to be used?
 Which NDT method is required to ensure complete removal of the defect?
 Will the welding procedures require approval/re-approval?
 What will be the effect of welding distortion and residual stress?
 Will heat treatment be required?
 What NDT is required and how can acceptability of the repair be
demonstrated?
 Will approval of the repair be required, if yes, how and by whom?

Weld repairs may be relatively straightforward or quite complex and various

engineering disciplines may need to be involved to ensure a successful
outcome.

It is recommended that ongoing analysis of the types of defect is carried out by

the QC department to discover the likely reason for their occurrence
(material/process or skill related).

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 In general terms, a welding repair involves:

 Detailed assessment to find out the extremity of the defect possibly using a
surface or sub-surface NDT method.
 Cleaning the repair area (removal of paint grease, etc).
 Once established the excavation site must be clearly identified and marked
out.
 An excavation procedure may be required (method used ie grinding, arc/air
gouging, preheat requirements, etc).
 NDT to locate the defect and confirm its removal.
 A welding repair procedure/method statement with the appropriate (suitable
for the alloys being repaired and may not apply in specific situations.)
welding process, consumable, technique, controlled heat input and interpass
temperatures, etc will need to be approved.
 Use of approved welders.
 Dressing the weld and final visual.
 NDT procedure/technique prepared and carried out to ensure that the defect
has been successfully removed and repaired.
 Any post repair heat treatment requirements.
 Final NDT procedure/technique prepared and carried out after heat
treatment requirements.
 Applying protective treatments (painting, etc as required).

Production repairs
Repairs are usually identified during production inspection. Evaluation of the
reports is by the Welding Inspector or NDT operator. Discontinuities in the
welds are only classed as defects when they are outside the range permitted by
the applied code or standard.

Before any repair a number of elements need to be fulfilled.

Analysis
As this defect is surface-breaking and at the fusion face the problem could be
cracking or lack of sidewall fusion. The former may be to do with the material or
welding procedure, if it is done the latter can be apportioned to the welder’s
lack of skill.

Assessment
As the defect is open to the surface, magnetic particle inspection (MPI) or dye
penetrant inspection (DPI) may be used to gauge the length of the defect and
ultrasonic testing (UT) to gauge the depth.

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 Figure 18.1 A typical defect.

Figure 18.2 Plan view of defect.

Excavation
If a thermal method of excavation is to be used, ie arc/air gouging it may be a
requirement to qualify a procedure as the heat generated may affect the
metallurgical structure, resulting in the risk of cracking in the weld or parent
material.

Figure 18.3 Thermal excavation using arc/air gouging.

To prevent cracking it may be necessary to apply a preheat. Depth to width

ratio shall not be less than 1 (depth) to 1 (width), ideally depth 1 to width 1.5.

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 W

Figure 18.4 Side view of excavation for slight sub-surface defect

Figure 18.5 Side view of excavation for deep defect.

Figure 18.6 Side view of excavation for full root repair.

Cleaning the excavation

At this stage grinding the repair area is important due to the risk of carbon
becoming impregnated into the weld metal/parent material and it should be
ground back typically 3-4mm to bright metal.

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 Figure 18.7 Cleaned excavations.

Confirmation of excavation
NDT must confirm that the defect has been completely excavated from the
area.

Rewelding of the excavation

Prior to rewelding a detailed repair welding procedure/method statement shall
be approved.

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 Typical side view of weld repair

Figure 18.8 Weld repair and typical side view.

NDT confirmation of successful repair

After the excavation has been filled the weldment should undergo a complete
retest using the NDT techniques previously used to establish the original repair
to ensure no further defects have been introduced by the repair welding
process. NDT may need to be further applied after any additional PWHT.

In-service repairs
Most in-service repairs are very complex as the component is likely to be in a
different welding position and condition than during production. It may have
been in contact with toxic or combustible fluids so a permit to work will be
needed prior to any work. The repair welding procedure may look very different
to the original production procedure due to changes.

Other factors may be taken into consideration such as the effect of heat on
surrounding areas of the component, ie electrical components, or materials that
may be damaged by the repair procedure. This may also include difficulty in
carrying out any required pre- or post-welding heat treatments and a possible
restriction of access to the area to be repaired. For large fabrications it is likely
that the repair must also take place on-site without a shutdown of operations
which may bring other considerations.

Repair of in-service defects may require consideration of these and many other
factors so are generally considered more complicated than production repairs.

Joining technologies often play a vital role in the repair and maintenance of
structures. Parts can be replaced, worn or corroded parts can be built up and
cracks repaired.

When a repair is required it is important to determine two things: The reason

for failure and, can the component be repaired? The latter infers that the
material type is known. For metals, particularly those to be welded, chemical
composition is vitally important. Failure modes often indicate the approach
required to make a sound repair. When the cause-effect analysis, is not
followed through the repair is often unsafe, sometimes disastrously so.

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 In many instances, the Standard or Code used to design the structure will
define the type of repair that can be carried out and give guidance on the
methods to be followed. Standards imply that when designing or manufacturing
a new product it is important to consider a maintenance regime and repair
procedures. Repairs may be required during manufacture and this situation
should also be considered.

Normally there is more than one way of making a repair, for example, cracks in
cast iron might be held together or repaired by pinning, bolting, riveting,
welding or brazing. The choice will depend on factors such as the reason for
failure, material composition and cleanliness, environment and the size and
shape of the component.

It is very important that repair and maintenance welding are not regarded as
activities which are simple or straightforward. A repair may seem undemanding
but getting it wrong can result catastrophic failure with disastrous
consequences.

Is welding the best method of repair?

If repair is needed because a component has a local irregularity or a shallow
defect, grinding out any defects and blending to a smooth contour might be
acceptable. It is if the steel has poor weldability or fatigue loading is severe. It
is often better to reduce the so-called factor of safety slightly than risk putting
defects, stress concentrations and residual stresses into a brittle material.

Brittle materials, including some steels (particularly in thick sections) as well as

cast irons, may not withstand the residual stresses imposed by heavy weld
repairs, particularly if defects are not totallyl removed, leaving stress
concentrations to initiate cracking.

Is the repair like earlier repairs?

Repairs of one sort may have been routine for years but it is important to check
that the next one is not subtly different, the section thickness may be greater;
the steel to be repaired may be different and less weldable or the restraint
higher. If there is any doubt, answer the remaining questions.

What is the composition and weldability of the base metal?

The original drawings usually give some idea of the steel involved although the
specification limits may then have been less stringent and the specification may
not give enough detail to be helpful. If sulphur-bearing free-machining steel is
involved, it could give hot cracking problems during welding.

If there is any doubt about the composition, a chemical analysis should be

carried out, to analyse for all elements which may affect weldability (Ni, Cr, Mo,
Cu, V, Nb and B) as well as those usually, specified (C, S, P, Si and Mn).

The small cost of analysis could prevent a valuable component being ruined by
ill-prepared repairs or save money by reducing or avoiding the need for preheat
if the composition is leaner than expected. Once the composition is known, a
welding procedure can be devised.

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 What strength is required from the repair?
The higher the yield strength of the repair weld metal the greater the residual
stress level on completion of welding, risk of cracking, clamping needed to
avoid distortion and more difficulty in formulating the welding procedure. The
practical limit for the yield strength of conventional steel weld metals is about
1000N/mm2.

Can preheat be tolerated?

A high level of preheat makes conditions more difficult for the welder and the
parent steel can be damaged if it has been tempered at a low temperature. The
steel being repaired may contain items damaged by excessive heating. Preheat
levels can be reduced by using consumables of ultra-low hydrogen content or
non-ferritic weld metals. Of these, austenitic electrodes may need some
preheat, but the more expensive nickel alloys usually do not but may be
sensitive to high sulphur and phosphorus contents in the parent steel if diluted
into the weld metal.

Can softening or hardening of the HAZ be tolerated?

Softening of the HAZ is likely in very high strength steels, particularly if they
have been tempered at low temperatures. It cannot be avoided but its extent
can be minimised. Hard HAZs are particularly vulnerable where service
conditions can lead to stress corrosion. Solutions containing H2S (hydrogen
sulphide) may demand hardness below 248HV (22HRC) although fresh aerated
seawater appears to tolerate up to about 450HV. Excessively hard HAZs may,
require PWHT to soften them provided cracking has been avoided.

Is PWHT practicable?
Although desirable, PWHT may not be possible for the same reasons preheating
is not. For large structures local PWHT may be possible but care should be
taken to abide by the relevant codes because it is easy to introduce new
residual stresses by improperly executed PWHT.

Is PWHT necessary?
PWHT may be needed for several reasons and the reason must be known before
considering whether it can be avoided.

Will the fatigue resistance of the repair be adequate?

If the repair is in an area highly stressed by fatigue and particularly if it is of a
fatigue crack, inferior fatigue life can be expected unless the weld surface is
ground smooth and no surface defects left. Fillet welds in which the root cannot
be ground smooth are not tolerable in areas of high fatigue stress.

Will the repair resist its environment?

Besides corrosion it is important to consider the possibility of stress corrosion,
corrosion fatigue, thermal fatigue and oxidation in-service.

Corrosion and oxidation resistance usually requires filler metal to be at least as

noble or oxidation resistant as the parent metal for corrosion fatigue the repair
weld profile may need to be blended.

To resist stress corrosion, PWHT may be necessary to restore the correct

microstructure, reduce hardness and the residual stress left by the repair.

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 Can the repair be inspected and tested?
For onerous service, radiography and/or ultrasonic examination are often
desirable, but problems are likely if stainless steel or nickel alloy filler is used.
Such repairs cannot be assessed by MPI as it is very important to carry out the
procedural tests very critically, to ensure there is no risk of cracking nor
likelihood of serious welder-induced defects.

For all repair welds it is vital to ensure that welders are properly motivated and
carefully supervised.

As-welded repairs
Repair without PWHT is, normal where the original weld was not heat treated
but some alloy steels and many thick-sectioned components require PWHT to
maintain a reasonable level of toughness, corrosion resistance, etc. However,
PWHT of components in-service is not always easy or even possible and local
PWHT may cause more problems than it solves except in simple structures.

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 Weld Repairs Objective

When this presentation has been completed you

will be able to establish effective methods of
repair when required and methods of excavation.

Weld Repairs

Section 18

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Weld Repairs Weld Repairs

A weld repair can be a relatively straight forward  Is welding the best method of repair?
activity, but in many instances it is quite complex,  Is the repair really like earlier repairs?
and various engineering disciplines may need to be  What is the composition and weldability of the
involved to ensure a successful outcome. base metal?
 What strength is required from the repair?
 Can preheat be tolerated?
Analysis of the defect types may be carried out by  Can softening or hardening of the HAZ be
the Q/C department to discover the likely reason tolerated?
for their occurrence, (material/process or skill  Is PWHT necessary and practicable?
related).  Will the fatigue resistance of the repair be
adequate?
In general terms, a welding repair involves what!  Will the repair resist its environment?
 Can the repair be inspected and tested?

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Weld Repair Related Problems Weld Repairs

 Heat from welding may affect dimensional  Cleaning the repair area, (removal of paint, grease, etc).
stability and/or mechanical properties of  A detailed assessment to find out the extremity of the
repaired assembly. defect. This may involve the use of a surface or sub
surface NDE method.
 Due to heat from welding, YS goes down =
 Once established the excavation site must be clearly
danger of collapse. identified and marked out.
 Filler materials used on dissimilar welds may  An excavation procedure may be required (method used
lead to galvanic corrosion. ie grinding, arc-air gouging, preheat requirements etc).
 Local preheat may induce residual stresses.  NDE should be used to locate the defect and confirm its
removal.
 Cost of weld metal deposited during a weld joint
repair can reach up to 10 times the original weld  A welding repair procedure/method statement with the
appropriate* welding process, consumable, technique,
metal cost! controlled heat input and interpass temperatures etc will
need to be approved.

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18-1
 Weld Repairs Weld Repairs

A weld repair may be used to improve weld In the event of repair, it is required:
profiles or extensive metal removal:  Authorisation and procedure for repair.
 Repairs to fabrication defects are generally  Removal of material and preparation for repair.
easier than repairs to service failures because  Monitoring of repair weld.
the repair procedure may be followed.
 Testing of repair - visual and NDT.
 The main problem with repairing a weld is the
maintenance of mechanical properties.
 During the inspection of the removed area prior
to welding the inspector must ensure that the
defects have been totally removed and the
original joint profile has been maintained as
close as possible.

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Weld Repairs Weld Repairs

The specification or procedure will govern how Weld repairs can be divided into 2 specific areas:
the defective areas are to be removed. The 1. Production repairs.
method of removal may be: 2. In service repairs.
 Grinding.
 Chipping.
 Machining.
 Filing.
 Oxy-Gas gouging.
 Arc air gouging.

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Production Weld Repairs Production Weld Repairs

Production repairs Before the repair can commence, a number of

 Are usually identified during production elements need to be fulfilled:
inspection.  If the defect is surface breaking and has occurred
at the fusion face the problem could be cracking or
 Evaluation of the reports is usually carried out lack of sidewall fusion.
by the Welding Inspector or NDT operator.  If the defect is found to be cracking the cause may
be associated with the material or the welding
procedure.
 If the defect is lack of sidewall fusion this can be
apportioned to the lack of skill of the welder.
 In this particular case as the defect is open to the
surface, MPI or DYE-PEN may be used to gauge
the length of the defect and U/T inspection used to
gauge the depth.

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18-2
 In Service Weld Repairs In Service Weld Repairs

Service repairs Other factors to be taken into consideration:

 Can be of a very complex nature, as the Effect of heat on any surrounding areas of the
component is very likely to be in a different component ie electrical components, or materials that
welding position and condition than it was during may become damaged by the repair procedure.
production.
This may also include difficulty in carrying out any
 It may also have been in contact with toxic, or
required pre or post welding heat treatments and a
combustible fluids hence a permit to work will
possible restriction of access to the area to be
need to be sought prior to any work being
repaired.
carried out.
 The repair welding procedure may look very For large fabrications it is likely that the repair must
different to the original production procedure also take place on site and without a shut down of
due to changes in these elements. operations, which may bring other elements that need
to be considered.

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Weld Repairs Weld Repairs

There are a number of key factors that need to be  What will be the effect of welding distortion and
considered before undertaking any repair: residual stress?
 The most important - is it financially worthwhile?
 Will heat treatment be required?
 Can structural integrity be achieved if the item is
repaired?  What NDE is required and how can acceptability
 Are there any alternatives to welding?
of the repair be demonstrated?
 What caused the defect and is it likely to happen again?  Will approval of the repair be required – if yes,
 How is the defect to be removed and what welding how and by whom?
process is to be used?
 What NDE is required to ensure complete removal of the
defect?
 Will the welding procedures require approval/re-
approval?

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Weld Repairs Weld Repair Decision Tree

 Use of approved welders. Has nature of NO NDE + Determine the Determine welding
the defect been Destructive filler material standards
 Dressing the weld and final visual. determined? tests

 A NDT procedure/technique prepared and carried YES Train the Qualify the
welder welder
out to ensure that the defect has been successfully Is repair the Replace
removed and repaired. right decision? NO the part NO

 Any post repair heat treatment requirements. Is welder

qualified?
Establish repair
procedure
Determine base Choose the
 Final NDT procedure/technique prepared and metal weldability welding process YES
carried out after heat treatment requirements.
Perform welding Prepare the
Inspection
 Applying protective treatments (painting etc as repair defect area
required). Has repair been NO
Procedure problem Fix problem
successful?
 (*Appropriate’ means suitable for the alloys being
YES
repaired and may not apply in specific situations) Protect and
return to service Welder problem

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18-3
 Weld Repairs Production Weld Repairs

Side View of defect excavation

W

Plan View of defect

Side View of repair welding

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Costs of Weld Repairs

Original weld Cost Repair weld Extra cost

Cut, prep, tack weld

Welder time
£

£
Inspector Repair report (NCR etc)

Inspector Identify repair area

££

££ Any Questions
Consumable & gas £ Inspector Mark out repair area ££

Visual inspection £ Welder Remove defect ££

?
NDT ££ Inspector Visual inspection of excavation ££

Documentation £ Inspector NDT area of excavation ££

Inspector Monitor repair welding ££

Welder time £

Consumable & gas £

Inspector Visual inspection ££

NDT ££

Extra repair Documentation £

Penalty % NDT ££

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