Siemens Aktiengesellschaft

Siemens Westinghouse Power Corporation

Der-Yan Frank Roan

Michael Ott

Winfried Esser

Ralf Buergel

Paul John Zombo

Stefan Krause

During a solution heat treatment grain recrystallization may occur of a textured article, especially at the surface rim. The present invention provides a method for restoring the microstructure of a textured article, which comprises coating the surface of the article with a high temperature stable surface coating or by a controlled development of an oxide scale and subsequently performing a solution heat treatment, thereby maintaining said thermally stable surface coating.

Method for restoring the microstructure of a textured article and for refurbishing a gas turbine blade or vane

During a solution heat treatment grain recrystallization may occur of a textured article, especially at the surface rim. The present invention provides a method for restoring the microstructure of a textured article, such as a gas turbine engine blade, which comprises coating the surface of the article with a high temperature stable surface coating or by a controlled development of an oxide scale and subsequently performing a solution heat treatment, thereby maintaining said thermally stable surface coating.

A system with three parts: a testing apparatus, a computer system, and a communications line between the two. The testing apparatus has a device that emits x-rays into the sample, a device to position the sample relative to the x-rays and an electro-optical x-ray detector for detecting diffracted x-rays. The computer system has a computer, a computer program, a storage device, a database, and monitor or other means of announcing the results of a test. The computer program directs the computer to accept data from the sample testing system concerning the relationships of the devices, the x-rays, and diffracted x-rays. The computer program also directs the computer to compare this data with a database of previously determined relationships and possible diffraction patterns stored in the storage device. Based on the comparison, the computer program directs the computer to announce the results of the comparison via the monitor or other means, thereby revealing the crystallographic grain structures of the sample. The method encompasses positioning the sample in a path of x-rays projecting from an x-ray means, detecting x-rays that are diffracted by the sample with an electro-optical detector, analyzing the data and announcing the crystallographic grain structures of the sample based on the analyzing step.

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Maitland, FL, United States of America

Der-Yan Frank Roan