Microstructure and shear strength of ZrB2SiC/Ti6Al4V joint by TiCuZrNi with Cu foam

In this paper, brazing behaviors between ZrB₂SiC and Ti6Al4V by Cu foam interlayer were studied. The microstructure, formation mechanism, mechanical property and fracture surface of the joints were systematically studied. The results showed that the phases in the joints were α+β-Ti, TiCu, Ti₂Cu, Cu(s, s), TiC, TiB₂ and Ti₃SiC₂. An optimum shear strength reached up to 435??MPa?at a brazing temperature of 910?°C and holding time of 20?min. Such a shear strength was 90?MPa higher than the one without the Cu foam. The obtained high shear strength of joint was discussed from microstructure and residual stress. With the increase of brazing time, Cu(s,s) gradually disappeared and the content of Ti₂Cu intermetallic compound increased, which was harmful for the joint. Furthermore, the residual stress of joint with Cu foam was calculated to be 324?MPa, lower than the one without Cu foam interlayer.     

In situ TiC particle reinforced TiCuZrNi brazing alloy for joining C/C composites to Ti6Al4V

Chromium carbide modified C/C and Ti6Al4V were successfully joined using a TiCuZrNi brazing alloy in powder form. The braze/composite interface and the mechanical strength of C/C‐Ti6Al4V joints were evaluated. The apparent shear strength of chromium carbide modified C/C joined to Ti6Al4V, measured by single lap test in compression, was 52 ± 6 MPa, which was highest among that without chromium carbide modification (15 ± 2 MPa) and the intrinsic C/C shear strength. The fractography of joints without chromium carbide modification indicated that failure mainly occurred at the TiC layer formed at the composite/braze interface while the joints with chromium carbide modification failed within the C/C.     

Microstructure and mechanical properties of functionally graded TiCp/Ti6Al4V composite fabricated by laser melting deposition

Crack-free functionally graded TiC particle (TiC_p) reinforced Ti6Al4V (TiC_p/Ti6Al4V) composite was manufactured by laser melting deposition (LMD) technology with TiC volume fraction changing gradually from 0% to 50%. This research focuses on the relationship between the microstructure and mechanical properties (microhardness and tensile properties) of TiC_p/Ti6Al4V composites under different TiC volume fractions. Besides the unmelted TiC particles, the granular and chain shaped eutectic TiC phases are observed in the composite with 5 vol% TiC due to the melting and dissolution of TiC particles into matrix. The granular and dendritic primary TiC phases are obtained in the composite with 10 vol% TiC, while the chain shaped eutectic TiC phases can scarcely be seen. The main reinforcement phases are primary TiC phases when the TiC volume fraction exceeds 15%. (i) The quantity of unmelted TiC particles, (ii) the quantity and size of primary TiC phases and (iii) the porosity of composite increase gradually when the TiC volume fraction increases. The interfaces exhibit good bonding between consecutive layers. The microhardness of the functionally graded TiC_p/Ti6Al4V composite increases gradually with TiC volume fraction increasing. It is attributed to the C element in solid solution and the appearance of eutectic and primary TiC phases. The microhardness at the top layer with 50 vol% TiC is improved by nearly 94% compared with that at the Ti6Al4V side. The tensile strength of TiC_p/Ti6Al4V composite with 5 vol% TiC is enhanced by nearly 12.3% compared with that of the Ti6Al4V matrix alloy. However, both the tensile strength and elongation of composite decrease gradually when the TiC volume fraction exceeds 5%. The reason is that the quantity of brittle unmelted TiC particles and the quantity and size of dendritic TiC phases increase with TiC volume fraction increasing. The fracture mechanism of the TiC_p/Ti6Al4V composite is quasi-cleavage fracture.     

Microstructure evolution and mechanical property of ZrC-SiC/Ti6Al4V joints brazed using Ti-15Cu-15Ni filler

ZrC-SiC ceramic and TC4 alloy were successfully brazed using a self-prepared Ti-15Cu-15Ni filler. The microstructure and mechanical property of the joints obtained at different brazing temperatures were investigated. The results indicated that Ti from the Ti-15Cu-15Ni and the TC4 reacted with the ZrC-SiC to form TiC phase adjacent to the ZrC-SiC ceramic. In the brazing seam, Ti₂(Ni, Cu) intermetallic compounds zone (IMCs Zone), Hypoeutectic Zone and Hypereutectoid Zone formed. The brazing temperature affected the dissolution of TC4 into the braze filler significantly, and then determined the microstructure of the joint. The formation of α-Ti in the brazing seam could decrease the hardness and the brittleness of the brazing seam, which was beneficial to the property of the brazed joint. The joint strength reached a maximum value of 43 MPa when the joint was brazed at 970 °C and cracks propagated in the ZrC-SiC substrate near the brazing seam.     

Brazing of SiO2-BN modified with in situ synthesized CNTs to Ti6Al4V alloy by TiZrNiCu brazing alloy

Brazing SiO₂-BN ceramic to Ti6Al4V is often associated with the problem of brittle continuous phases and high residual stress at the reaction layer of SiO₂-BN, inducing low joining strength. To overcome these problems, SiO₂-BN ceramic modified with in situ synthesized carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were joined to Ti6Al4V by TiZrNiCu alloy. Results show that CNTs can improve the wettability of TiZrNiCu on SiO₂-BN rapidly, and break the continuous reaction layer of SiO₂-BN into fine sizes. Residual stress can also be reduced by low CTE of CNTs and fine size phases among reaction layer. The shear strength of SiO₂-BN/Ti6Al4V joints with CNTs modified is 35.3?MPa at 970?°C for 10?min, which is 3 times higher than that of the joints without CNTs modified.     

Characterization of carbon/carbon composite/Ti6Al4V joints brazed with graphene nanosheets strengthened AgCuTi filler

Carbon/carbon (C/C) composite and Ti6Al4V alloy (wt%) were successfully brazed with graphene nanosheets strengthened AgCuTi filler (AgCuTiG). Graphene nanosheets (GNSs) with low CTE and high strength were dispersed into AgCuTi filler by ball milling. The interfacial microstructure was systematically characterized by varieties of analytical means including transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Results show that typical interfacial microstructure of the joint brazed at 880 °C for 10 min is a layer structure consisting of (Ti6Al4V/diffusion layer/Ti2Cu + TiCu + Ti3Cu4 + TiCu4/GNSs + TiCu + TiC + Ag(s,s) + Cu(s,s)/TiC/C/C composite). The interfacial microstructure and mechanical properties of brazed joints changed significantly as temperature increased. High temperature promoted the growth of TiCu and TiC phases, which were attached to GNSs. Meanwhile, the diffusion layer and primary reaction layers thickened as temperature increased, while the thickness of brazing seam decreased. The maximum shear strength of 30.2 MPa was obtained for the joint brazed at 900 °C for 10 min. GNSs decreased the thickness of brittle reaction layers and promoted the formation of TiCu and TiC phases in brazing seam, which caused the strengthening effect and decreased the CTE mismatch of brazed joints. The fracture modes are also discussed in this paper.     

Microstructure and mechanical properties of porous Si3N4/Invar joints brazed with Ag-Cu-Ti+Mo/Cu/Ag-Cu multi-layered composite filler

Ag-Cu-Ti/Cu/Ag-Cu multi-layered filler was successfully designed to braze porous Si₃N₄ and Invar alloy. To further reduce the CTE mismatch between the porous Si₃N₄ and brazing filler, Mo particles were introduced into Ag-Cu-Ti. The effects of the Mo addition on the microstructure and mechanical properties of the brazed joints were studied. The results showed that, the addition of Mo particles into Ag-Cu-Ti lowered the CTE mismatch and improved the joint strength to a certain degree. However, an excessive content was harmful. The Mo particles could absorb Ti at high temperature, causing Ti shortage in the reaction with the ceramic. When cooling down, the absorbed Ti was released. The released Ti could react with Cu to generate Cu-Ti phase. So, additional Ti was adopted in the brazing filler as a supplement. When the Ti content was 5 wt%, the reaction layer on the ceramic interface was too thin to transfer enough load. However, when it reached 15 wt%, the Cu interlayer dissolved completely and Fe-Ti and Ni-Ti phases appeared. The maximum joint shear strength (83 MPa) was obtained with 10 wt% Ti and 5 vol% Mo, which had exceeded 90% of the porous Si₃N₄ and was 56% higher than the joint brazed without Mo particles.     

Interfacial microstructure and mechanical property of ZrC-SiC ceramic and Ti6Al4V joint brazed with AgCuTi alloy

ZrC-SiC ceramic and TC4 alloy were brazed using AgCuTi alloy. The microstructure and mechanical property of the joints obtained at different brazing parameters were investigated and the reaction mechanism was analyzed. The results indicated that the Ti from the AgCuTi and TC4 reacted with the ZrC in the ceramic to form different shaped TiC crystals adjacent to the ZrC-SiC ceramic. With the increase of brazing temperature or extending of holding time, the dissolution of TC4 became vigorous and much Ti dissolved into the braze alloy. As a result, Ti reacted with the Cu from AgCuTi alloy to form a series of Cu-Ti compounds in the brazing seam due to the strong affinity between Cu and Ti. The Cu-Ti compounds made the hardness and brittleness of brazing seam increase, which deteriorated the property of the brazed joint. The maximum shear strength was 39 MPa obtained at 810 °C for 5 min.     

Microstructure and mechanical properties of BN-Si3N4 and AlON joints brazed with Ag-Cu-Ti filler alloy

AlON was successfully brazed to BN-Si₃N₄ using a Ag-Cu-Ti filler alloy. SEM, TEM and XRD studies revealed that a TiN + TiB₂ + Ti₅Si₃ reaction layer formed adjacent to the BN-Si₃N₄ while a (Cu,Al)₃Ti₃O layer formed adjacent to the AlON. In addition, Ag-Cu eutectic, Cu(s,s) and AlCu₂Ti were observed in the brazing filler. The effect of brazing temperature on the microstructure and mechanical properties of the joints was investigated. As the brazing temperature increased, the reaction layers became thicker, while the thickness of the brazing seam decreased. Meanwhile, the amount and the size of AlCu₂Ti intermetallic compounds decreased. The shear strength of the joints first increased and then dropped with increasing the brazing temperature. A joint with a maximum strength of 94 MPa was obtained when it was brazed at 850 °C for 15 min.     

Microstructure and mechanical properties of the C/C composite and Nb joints brazed with an active Ag-based filler metal

An active Ag-based filler metal, containing trace alloy elements of Al, Cu and Ti, was successfully applied to braze C/C composite and Nb. The microstructure and formation mechanism of the C/C composite and Nb brazed joint were investigated in this study. Moreover, the influence of brazing parameters on microstructural evolution and mechanical properties of brazed joints was evaluated. The typical interfacial microstructure of the joint obtained at 950 °C for 600 s was C/C/TiC + AlCu₂Ti/Ag(s, s) + AlCu₂Ti + particle Cu/AlCu₂Ti + AlCuTi + (Ti, Nb)₃Al + Nb(Ti)/Nb. The dispersive AlCu₂Ti phase was uniformly distributed in the Ag matrix, which was a beneficial structure for the brazed joint. The shear strength of the brazed joint was sensitive to the brazing temperature and holding time, which was closely related to the TiC layer bordering the C/C composite. The thickness of the TiC layer first increased as temperature increased to 950 °C, and then decreased when temperature reached 970 °C. The carbon fiber eroded by the filler at 970 °C entered to the brazing seam and reacted with Ti, resulting the reduction of the thickness of TiC, thus damaging the strength of the joint. With extension of holding time from 300 s to 1200 s, the interface reaction became more sufficient. Therefore, the thickness of the TiC layer increased. However, at 1200 s, the over-thick TiC broke the C/C substrate because of the mismatch of coefficient of thermal expansions. The maximum shear strength of the joint (950 °C/600 s) reached 55 MPa at room temperature and 35 MPa tested at 550 °C.     

Effects of primer and annealing treatments on the shear strength between anodized Ti6Al4V and epoxy

The effects of primer and annealing treatments on the shear strength between anodized Ti6Al4V and epoxy were investigated. Primer coating improved the shear strength between anodized Ti alloy and epoxy by up to 81.3% using concurrent curing compared with that of control specimens. After annealing of anodized Ti alloy and applying primer, the shear strength of the specimen was further increased by 6.4% due to the formation of stable TiO₂ transferred from TiO in the anodization process. SEM analysis revealed the specimen without primer and annealing treatments showed adhesive failure between epoxy–alloy interface and discontinuous cohesive failure of epoxy. Primer coating initiated a new interfacial failure mode between the oxide layer and alloy due to the improved bonding strength between epoxy and oxide layer. In addition, annealing and primer treatments generated large tracts of epoxy continuous cohesive failure, showing good agreement with its higher shear strength and work of fracture.     

Microstructure and mechanical property of SiC whisker coating modified C/C composite/Ti2AlNb alloy dissimilar joints prepared by transient liquid phase diffusion bonding

SiC whisker coating was prepared on the surface of C/C composite successfully by CVD, and transient liquid phase (TLP) diffusion bonding was employed to realize the joining of SiC whisker coating modified C/C composite and Ti₂AlNb alloy using Ti–Ni–Nb foils as interlayer. The microstructure, shear strength and fracture behavior were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and universal testing machine. The results show that SiC has good compatibility with C/C composite, and gradient interface formed between SiC-modified C/C composite and Ti₂AlNb alloy. When the bonding experiment was carried out under bonding temperature of 1040 °C and holding time of 30min with 5 MPa pressure in vacuum, the joints formed well and no obvious defects can be observed. The typical microstructure of joints is C/C composite/SiC + TiC/Ti–Ni compounds + Ti–Ni–Nb solid solutions/residual Nb/diffusion reaction layer/Ti₂AlNb alloy. With the increasing of bonding temperature, the thickness of joining area increased due to sufficient element diffusion. However, when bonding temperature is elevated to 1060 °C, some defects such as cracks and slag inclusions exist in the interface layer between interlayer and Ti₂AlNb. The joints with maximum average shear strength of 32.06 MPa are bonded at 1040 °C for 30min. C, SiC and TiC can be found on the fracture surface of joints bonded at 1040 °C which indicated that fracture occurred at the interface layer adjacent SiC layer.     

Interface regulation effects on mechanical behavior of heterostructure Ti6Al4V/TiAl-based laminated composite sheets

Design of architectured composites with layered-ordered structure can solve the strength-toughness mismatch problem of structural materials. In the present study, heterostructure Ti6Al4V/TiAl laminated composite sheets with different thicknesses of interface layer and TiAl composite layer were successfully produced by hot-pressing technology. The effects of interface regulation and laminated structure on their mechanical properties, crack propagation, and fracture behavior were studied. The results indicated that compressive strength of the sheets increased with the decrease in interface thickness. Compressive strength of TiAl composite sheet with thicker composite layer reached 1481.55 MPa at the arrester orientation with sintering holding time of 40 min, which was 25.96% higher than that of the sheet obtained at 120 min. Analysis indicated that the interface area transferred stress through slip bands and through-interface cracks. Compressive strength at the divider orientation reached 1443.06 MPa, which was 45.78% higher than that of the sheet obtained at 120 min. In this case, the interface area transferred stress through slip bands and along-interface cracks. For TiAl composite sheets with thinner composite layer, compressive strength was further improved to 1631.01 MPa and 1594.66 MPa at the arrester and divider orientations with sintering holding time of 40 min, respectively. The ductile metal layer exerted a significant toughening effect. Both interface regulation and laminated structure transformation could enhance the hetero-deformation induced (HDI) strengthening and improve the comprehensive mechanical properties of the composite sheets.     

C/C composite surface modified by electrophoretic depositing SiC nanowires and its brazing to Nb

A novel surface treatment method by electrophoretic depositing SiC nanowires on the C/C composite was introduced to reinforce the C/C–Nb brazed joints. Results showed that the electrophoretic deposition (EPD) process of SiC nanowires could improve the wettability of the liquid AgCuTi alloy on the C/C substrate because of the reaction between SiC nanowires and active element Ti in the AgCuTi alloy. With the introduction of SiC nanowires, the formation of continuous brittle Ti₃Cu₄ layer was inhibited and the Ti₃Cu₄ changed into lumps. The thickness of the TiC reaction layer was 500 nm when the EPD time was 5s which was larger than that of the original brazed joint. As the EPD time continued to increase, the thickness of the TiC reaction layer decreased gradually and the size of brittle Ti₃Cu₄ phase in the joint became smaller and smaller. With the combined effects of the change in the Ti₃Cu₄ morphology and the TiC reaction layer thickness, the average shear strength of joints achieved a peak of 48 MPa when the EPD time was 30s, which was 60% higher than that of the original brazed joints.     

Carbon nanotubes-reinforced Ni foam interlayer for brazing SiO2-BN with Ti6Al4V alloy using TiZrNiCu brazing alloy

Brazing SiO₂-BN with Ti6Al4V is often associated with the problems of high residual stress and excessive Ti-based compounds formed. To overcome these problems, we report a new type interlayer of carbon nanotube (CNT) reinforced Ni foam fabricated by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition. The in-situ grown CNT are homogenously dispersed on 3D structure Ni foam, which could effectively avoid damage and agglomeration in the brazing seam. Result shows that Ni foam could consume excessive dissolved Ti, and CNT was beneficial for restricting the growth of phase, improving joining strength and releasing residual stress rapidly. The average shear strength of the joint brazed with CNT-Ni foam is about 50 MPa, and this value is about 5 times higher than that of joints brazed with pure TiZrNiCu. Further, a new simulated experiment was carried out innovatively to solving the difficulty of investigating interfacial behavior of CNT in brazing seam. Then the results clarify that integral structure of CNT can prevent the reaction with Ti. In situ growth of CNT on Ni foam could provide a way for introducing CNT into brazing seam without damaging structure of CNT.     

Non-destructive measurement of residual stress distribution as a function of depth in sapphire/Ti6Al4V brazing joint via Raman spectra

The residual stress distribution as a function of depth in a sapphire/Ti6Al4V brazing joint is non-destructively measured using Raman Spectra for the first time. A modified method that is suitable for brazing joints is developed to deconvolute the actual residual stress value in each depth from the measured averaged stress value. The measured in-plane residual stress is compressive and increases non-linearly from the surface to the interface. While the out-of-plane residual stress is compressive; it increases from the surface to the interface and peaks at a distance of 150?µm from the sample surface. Then the stress begins to decrease and becomes tensile stress, which increases to the interface. This method can also be applied to other brazing/ diffusion bonding joint with a transparent substrate.     

Microstructure and mechanical properties of hot-pressed SiC/(W,Ti)C ceramic composites

SiC/(W, Ti)C ceramic composites with different content of (W, Ti)C solid-solution were produced by hot pressing. The effect of (W, Ti)C content on the microstructure and mechanical properties of SiC/(W, Ti)C ceramic composites has been studied. Densification rates of the SiC/(W, Ti)C ceramic composites were found to be affected by addition of (W, Ti)C. Increasing (W, Ti)C content led to increase the densification rates of the composites. The sintering temperature was lowered from 2100 °C for monolithic SiC to 1900 °C for the SiC/(W, Ti)C composites. Results show that additions of (W, Ti)C to SiC matrix resulted in improved mechanical properties compared to pure SiC ceramic. The fracture toughness and flexural strength continuously increased with increasing (W, Ti)C content up to 60 vol.%, while the hardness decreased with increasing (W, Ti)C content.     

Microstructure and mechanical properties of C/C composites modified by single-source precursor derived ceramics

To improve the mechanical properties of C/C composites, the SiC(N)/TiC ceramic derived from single-source precursors (SSPs) were introduced into the C/C by precursor infiltration and pyrolysis (PIP) at 1100 °C. The shear strength of all modified composites were improved by nearly 2 times compared with the pristine C/C composites (37.4 MPa) due to the increased interfaces by multiphases incorporation. After further annealing at 1500 °C, the SiC(N)/TiC ceramic in C/C composite transferred into the nanocomposites, SiC(N)/TiC-NCs, in which nano-scale TiC particles distributed into the SiC(N) matrix. The modified samples still exhibited about 39% improvement on shear strength. Large numbers of uniform micro-cracks occurred in both above SSPs derived ceramic cases, reducing stress concentration during the shear testing. Moreover, some ring-shaped cracks were observed in the fracture region which can consume large amounts of energy in crack propagation process and then benefit to improve the shear strength.     

Effect of brazing parameters on microstructure and mechanical properties of Cf/SiC and Nb-1Zr joints brazed with Ti-Co-Nb filler alloy

Reliable brazing of carbon fiber reinforced SiC (C_f/SiC) composite to Nb-1Zr alloy was achieved by adopting a novel Ti45Co45Nb10 (at.%) filler alloy. The effects of brazing temperature (1270–1320 °C) and holding time (5–30 min) on the microstructure and mechanical properties of the joints were investigated. The results show that a continuous reaction layer (Ti,Nb)C was formed at the C_f/SiC/braze interface. A TiCo and Nb(s,s) eutectic structure was observed in the brazing seam, in which some CoNb₄Si phases were distributed. By increasing the brazing temperature or extending the holding time, the reaction layer became thicker and the amount of the CoNb₄Si increased. The optimized average shear strength of 242 MPa was obtained when the joints were brazed at 1280 °C for 10 min. The high temperature shear strength of the joints reached 202 MPa and 135 MPa at 800 °C and 1000 °C, respectively.     

C/SiC composite-Ti6Al4V joints brazed with negative thermal expansion ZrP2WO12 nanoparticle reinforced AgCu alloy

Brazing C/SiC composites to Ti6Al4V alloy is associated with the problem of high residual stress inducing low joining strength. To overcome this problem, negative thermal expansion Zr₂P₂WO₁₂ (ZWP) nanoparticles were introduced into AgCu brazing alloy to obtain robust C/SiC-Ti6Al4V joints. Microstructures and mechanical properties of the joints brazed with different ZWP contents were investigated. Results indicated that 3 wt% ZWP nanoparticles dispersed homogeneously among brazing seam and compatible with brazing alloy. The width of reaction layer at C/SiC side was reduced sharply. Meanwhile, the finite element analysis showed that residual stress was reduced by 52.9 MPa and stress concentration among reaction layer was eliminated. The average shear strength of the joints brazed with AgCu + 3 wt% ZWP increased to 146.2 MPa, which was 70.8% higher than that of joints brazed without ZWP.