Repair of Cracks in Metals: A Review

Cracks are surface or subsurface fissures that develop in a material. Propagation energy derived from mechanical, thermal, chemical, and metallurgical effects, or a combination of these may influence crack initiation and growth. Various types of cracks exist in metals and can be categorised as cooling, solidification, centreline, crater, grinding, pickling, heat treatment, machining tears, plating, fatigue, creep, stress corrosion and hydrogen cracks. Cracks can grow and lead to complete fracture of the component posing significant threats to component life and may lead to serious injuries or loss of life. Brittle fracture in metals occurs with little or no visible warning. Discovery of any cracks warrants immediate interventions to arrest the cracks before they propagate to the point of fracture. Several crack detection and repair methods in metals have been developed, characterised and validated through research. This paper reviews the repair techniques of cracks in metals.