What Weld Process, 1950ish?
 

I saw this perfect weld on an Allison J33-A-35 jet engine in the Museo Nicolis museum near Verona (GREAT museum, btw!) The engine was made sometime between 1949 and 1955.


Can anyone identify the sheet metal of the combustion chamber? (Iconel? Monel? SS?)


What weld process was used? Was a rotating fixturing jig used, I assume?


Attachment 49557

Attachment 49558

Attachment 49559

I had a friend since passed on, fantastic welder.


He used to make go kart mufflers, welding them
with tig on a fixture that had a gear motor rotate
the part


I guess something similar in your pic

I'd be betting more likely either Waspaloy or Rene`41. Inconel wasn't patented until 1962.The J-33 was out of production by 1958.

Ron, Do you remember Joe Schiavone? He lives down here in NC now and mentions your name every once in a while when the subject of metal comes up.

Thank-you. I'm unfamiliar with those alloys.

classic example of rotary seam welding
 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PuGgHOfEVio
AKA "mash seam welding"

"rotary electrode seam welding"
Alloy looks like a nickel-chrome high temp alloy from that time period. Ideal for this tyype of leak-proof continuous welding. Probably has cobalt and titanium added in. (Alloy engineering in the US got a big sudden boost after June of 1947.) Wizardry sort of stuff.

Great video, Kent! Thanks for the link. I'd never seen that done before.

Yes a new one to me too. Never too old to learn.:)

Is that when we got our alien metal

Hi,

I do "hot section" and tail pipe repairs on the J-47 engine used in the North American F-86 Saber. We have several customers around the world, that we do this for. On the earlier engine, the inner and outer combustion cans are made from 347s.s. On later engines, the inner cans are made out of inconel and the outer cans are still 347 s.s.

I can post pictures, if anyone is interested.

B