Research Information System
Sadhana - Academy Proceedings in Engineering Sciences, vol.50, no.3, 2025 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)
Inconel-718 components often require in-situ restoration of local cavities or cracks. The present study explores wire-fed electron-beam welding (EBW) as a low-heat-input repair technique and employs a Taguchi L9 orthogonal array to optimise voltage (28–32 kV), current (18–22 mA), welding speed (9–11 mm s−1) and wire-feed rate (25–35 mm s−1). Nine coupons (25.4 mm × 25.4 mm × 3.556 mm) with 9.271 mm blind holes were filled under high vacuum. Rockwell-B hardness and heat-affected zone (HAZ) width were the performance metrics. The optimum condition (30 kV/18 mA/10 mm s−1/25 mm s−1) yielded a peak HAZ hardness of 95 HRB, whereas the combination of 28 kV/20 mA/11 mm s−1/30 mm s−1 limited HAZ width to 0.30 mm. Wire-feed rate dominated hardness, while voltage controlled HAZ width. Although extensive research has been conducted on EBW, the use of wire-assisted EBW as a repair-filling method for Inconel-718 has been rarely explored. This study addresses this gap by (i) combining a precision wire feeder with an EB gun for cavity restoration and (ii) evaluating both the hardness and width of HAZ using a Taguchi optimization approach.