Repair of Cracked Welds

TM 5-5420-279-23

Sealing Joints

In order to avoid corrosion there must be no gaps at any of the joints. Occasionally, as indicated

on the welding illustration, it is not possible to seal joining edges with weld. In these cases the

gaps must be sealed with a sealing compound (Section 4 Table 4-1, Item ,15). Refer to relevant

paragraphs within repair manual for sealing of unwelded edges.

Repair of Cracked Welds

NOTE

A component may have been returned from service with a cracked weld or a weld

may have cracked during the welding of a new item for a repair at the depot. In

either case, the general procedure for repair of cracked welds on any component is

given below.

(1)

Prepare defective weld for inspection

(a)

Carry out preliminary visual inspection of cracked weld.

(b)

Remove paint coating (MIL-C053072B (ME) para. 3.6) and refer to Section 5

for the particular component.

(2)

Inspect defective weld

(a)

Inspect weld for extent of crack visually.

(b)

Note the type of joint and size of weld.

(c)

For a longitudinal crack measure the length of the crack and distances from

the ends of the crack to the ends of the weld. Mark up 1 in (25 mm) beyond each

end of the crack or at the end of the weld, whichever is nearer.

(d)

For a transverse crack measure the distance from the crack to each end of the

weld. Mark up 1 in (25 mm) each side of the crack or at the end of the weld,

whichever is nearer.

(3)

Prepare for weld repair

(a)

Hand mill/chip the weld material away from the parent metal between the two

marked up positions as described below.

Tools and Equipment. Assorted sized blocks and wedges will be

required for positioning the components. The principle tools required will be a

hammer and cold chisel plus straight and angled power tools fitted with solid

carbide burrs of various shapes and sizes. Also, other straight power tools

fitted with rotary stainless steel wire brushes. Occasionally, a conventional

hacksaw will be required. An over-head crane and a local 80 p.s.i. (551 kPa)

compressed air supply for power tools may be required.

ii.

Safety. The normally existing factory health and safety conditions will

apply. These include the use of welding screens and protective clothing.

Refer to TC 9-237 Chapter 2.

Appendix K Page 5