Maritime Propeller Repairs Certified for In-Situ Welding
Maritime Propeller Repairs BV (MPR) obtained a DNV-GL certification to perform propeller repairs using in-situ welding, the company announced today.
Netherlands-based MPR is now the only company certified for vertical welding on propellers. Most repairs on propeller blades require the removal of the propeller from the shaft, which necessarily includes the removal of the rudder, a time-consuming and costly procedure. MPR developed techniques that allow the welding operations on propeller blades to be performed without removing the propeller.
DNV-GL regulations require ultrasonic investigation and examination of the propeller material. In response to these regulations, MPR, together with a specialist partner, developed a specific technique for the microstructural characterization of nickel-aluminium bronze (NAB) alloys, which are widely used in the manufacturing of propeller blades.
Gert Hendriksen, Managing Director of MPR, said that the company was approached by DNV-GL two years ago and asked to investigate the possibility of in-situ welding in the vertical position.