Evolution of interface microstructure and strength properties in titanium – stainless steel diffusion bonded transition joints

Abstract

Diffusion bonding was carried out to produce transition joints between commercially pure titanium and 304 stainless steel at a temperature of 800°C for different times ranging from 30 to 180 min. in steps of 30 min under load in vacuum. The diffusion couples thus produced were studied using optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and electron probe microanalysis to characterise the reaction layers formed in the diffusion zone. The chemical compositions of these layers indicate that intermetallics like σ phase, Fe₂ Ti, Cr₂ Ti, χ phase, FeTi, β-Ti, and Fe₂ Ti₄ O are formed in the reaction zone. The presence of these intermetallic compounds was also confirmed by the X-ray diffraction technique. Maximum bond strength of ~242 MPa was obtained for diffusion welded joints processed for 120 min. At this joining time, the plastic collapse of the surface asperities reaches near completion, favouring the interdiffusion of chemical species. Reduction in the bond strength of the transition joint processed for 180 min is due to the formation of a large volume fraction of voids in the reaction zone. Under tensile loading, failure takes place through α-Fe + χ phase mixture for transition joints processed in the time range of 30 – 90 min and through β titanium for joining times greater than 120 min.     

Interface microstructure and strength properties of Ti–6Al–4V and microduplex stainless steel diffusion bonded joints

The diffusion bonding of Ti–6Al–4V alloy and micro-duplex stainless steel was carried out in the temperature range of 850–1000 °C for 45 min in vacuum. The influence of bonding temperature on the microstructural development, micro-hardness and strength properties across the joint region was determined. The layer wise σ phase, λ + FeTi and λ + FeTi + β-Ti phase mixtures were observed at the bond interface when the joint was processed at 900 °C and above temperature. The maximum tensile strength of ∼520.1 MPa and shear strength of ∼405.5 MPa along with 6.8% elongation were obtained for the diffusion couple processed at 900 °C. Fracture surface observation in scanning electron microscopy (SEM) using energy dispersive X-ray spectroscope (EDS) demonstrates that, failure takes place through λ + FeTi phase when bonding was processed at 900 °C, however, failure takes place through σ phase for the diffusion joints processed at and above 950 °C.     

Comparative study on microstructure and mechanical properties of laser welded–brazed Mg/mild steel and Mg/stainless steel joints

A laser welding–brazing (LWB) technology using Mg based filler has been developed for joining Mg alloy to mild steel and Mg alloy to stainless steel in a lap configuration. Microstructure and mechanical properties of laser welded–brazed lap joints in both cases were comparatively studied. The results indicated that no distinct reaction layer was observed at the interface of Mg/mild steel and subsequently the interface was confirmed as mechanical bonding, whereas an ultra thin reaction layer with a continuous and uniform morphology was evidenced at the Mg/stainless steel interface, which was indicative of metallurgical bonding. The newly formed interfacial layer was indexed as FeAl phase by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) combined with energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). The average tensile–shear strength of Mg/mild steel joint was only 142 N/mm with typical interfacial failure, while that of Mg/stainless steel joint could reach 270 N/mm, representing 82.4% joint efficiency relative to the Mg alloy base metal. The fracture location of Mg/stainless steel joint was at Mg fusion welding side, suggesting the interface was not weak point due to the formation of ultra thin interfacial layer. The role of alloying elements in base metal and bonding mechanism of the interfacial layer were discussed, respectively.     

Effect of brazing temperature on the microstructure of martensitic–austenitic steel joints

Dissimilar joining of reduced activation ferritic–martensitic steel to AISI 316LN austenitic stainless steel is carried out by brazing in inert atmosphere at three different temperatures, i.e. 980, 1020 and 1040°C using AWS BNi-2 powder. The braze joints are characterised by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, micro-hardness measurement. With increasing brazing temperature from 980 to 1040°C, the approximate width of the braze layer decreases from 350 to 80?µm and hardness reduces from 600 to 410?VHN. However, not much difference is found in microstructure and hardness between braze joints produced at 1020 and 1040°C. With increasing brazing temperature, morphology and volume fraction of intermetallics formed in the braze layer change, thereby reducing the hardness variation between the braze layer and the base metal.     

Influence of Co addition on microstructure evolution and mechanical strength of solder joints bonded with solid–liquid electromigration

Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Electronics - The influence of solid–liquid electromigration on Cu-xCo/Sn-3.0Ag-0.5Cu/Cu-xCo (x?=?0, 30 and 50 wt.%) joints bonded at...     

Cryorolling effect on microstructure and mechanical properties of Fe–25Cr–20Ni austenitic stainless steel

Microstructure and mechanical properties of the Fe–25Cr–20Ni austenitic stainless steel after cryorolling with different reductions were investigated by means of optical, scanning and transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and mini-tensile testing. High density tangled dislocations and a small amount of deformation twins formed after 30% deformation. After 50% strain, a large amount of deformation twins was generated. Meanwhile, interactions between the twins and dislocations started to happen. As the strain increased to 70%, many deformation twins were produced and the interactions between the twins and dislocations were significantly enhanced. When the cryorolling was 90%, the grain size was refined to the nanometer scale. XRD analysis indicated that the diffraction peaks of the samples became broader with the strain increase. The yield strength and the ultimate strength increased from 305 MPa and 645 MPa (before deformation) to 1502 MPa and 1560 MPa (after 90% deformation), respectively. However, the corresponding elongation decreased from 40.8% to 6.4%. The tensile fracture morphology changed from typical dimple rupture to a mixture of quasi-cleavage and ductile fracture. After 90% deformation, the microhardness was 520 HV, which increased by 100% compared with the original un-deformed sample.     

Effect of joint stiffness on peel strength of diffusion bonded joints between Al–Li 8090 alloy sheet

Abstract

The peel behaviour of diffusion bonded joints between Al–Li 8090 alloy sheet depends upon joint geometry, sheet thickness, and the local stiffness of the bonded joint. The local stiffness was increased by bonding 8090 metal matrix composite onto the faces of the joint. At the superplastic forming temperature of 530°C the peel strengths of solid state or liquid phase diffusion bonded joints at peak load were increased from 5–7 N mm^?1 to >8 N mm^?1. This led to superplastic deformation of the sheet without peel fracture at the bonded joint. After air cooling and aging, the corresponding room temperature peel strengths were 174–252 N mm^?1, compared with 30–54 N mm^?1 for an unstiffened joint, an increase by a factor of 3·2–8·4. It was concluded that stiffened bonded joints would enable multiple thin sheet structures to be manufactured in Al–Li 8090 alloy via a diffusion bonding/superplastic forming (DB/SPF) technique. A DB/SPF technique for a three sheet structure is described.

MST/1687     

Interface characterisation of diffusion bonded Ti–6Al–4V alloy and austenitic stainless steel couple

Abstract

In this study, the Ti–6Al–4V alloy was diffusion bonded to austenitic stainless steel at temperatures of 820, 885, 930 and 980°C, under a pressure of 5 MPa for 30 min. The effect of temperature on interface formations and microstructure was investigated using a scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy dispersive spectrograph (EDS) microanalyses, X-ray diffraction and shear strength of bonded specimens. The results showed that intermetallic phases and σ-phase formed in the interface region.     

Cooling effects on microstructure and mechanical properties of 27Cr–4Mo–2Ni ferritic stainless steel

The effects of cooling manner on the microstructure and mechanical properties of 27Cr–4Mo–2Ni ferritic stainless steel were investigated. It was found that the Laves phase (except for the TiN and Nb(C, N) particles) was distributed both in the grains and at the grain boundaries in the furnace-cooled specimen. The water-quenched and air-cooled specimens showed only TiN and Nb(C, N) particles. After annealing at 1100°C, the furnace-cooled specimen showed significant grain coarsening as compared to the water-quenched and air-cooled specimens. Furthermore, the Vickers hardness of the furnace-cooled specimen increased, while the total elongation decreased because of the formation of the Laves phase. The precipitation of the Laves phase resulted in the brittle fracture of the specimen during the tensile test.     

Effect of tempering temperature on monotonic and cyclic properties of a high–strength low–alloy chain steel

Abstract

The influence of tempering temperature in the range 200–600°C on the monotonic and cyclic response of a high-strength, low–alloy steel used for haulage chains has been investigated. Static properties are little affected by tempering up to 400°C, with a small loss of strength arising from carbide coarsening. At higher tempering temperatures, dislocation annihilation is substantial and the strength falls markedly. On undergoing high–strain fatigue, the alloy exhibits cyclic softening at all tempering temperatures, but with a maximum of about 25% after a 400°C temper. The microstructural changes producing this are difficult to detect directly, but it is thought that dislocation unpinning has an important role. For tempering temperatures in excess of 400°C, the reduced softening can clearly be equated with a dislocation redistribution and the formation of cell substructure within the ferrite grains. Estimations of the magnitude of the various components of strength are made.

MST/199     

Microalloying effects on microstructure and mechanical properties of 18Cr–2Mo ferritic stainless steel heavy plates

The microstructure, including grain size and precipitation, tensile strength and Charpy impact toughness of (Nb + V) 18Cr–2Mo ferritic stainless steel heavy plates with/without Ti were investigated by means of optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and standard tensile strength and Charpy impact toughness testing. It was found that for 18Cr–2Mo heavy plate, a good combination of Nb–V stabilized method without Ti induces refinement of grain sizes due to the precipitation of amounts of fine Nb carbonitrides and V nitrides. Meanwhile, the mechanical testing results indicate that optimal transformation of grain size, precipitation that Nb–V composition system brings to 18Cr–2Mo heavy plate is beneficial to improvement of strength and impact toughness.     

Effects of heat input on microstructure and mechanical properties of Fe–2Cr–Mo–0.12C steel

ABSTRACT

Thermal simulated specimens with the heat inputs of 20, 50 and 80?kJ/cm were used to investigate the effects of heat input on the microstructure and mechanical properties of the Fe–2Cr–Mo–0.12C pressure-vessel steel. The results indicated that the microstructures in the coarse-grained heat affected zone of tested steels with various heat inputs were mainly consisted of lath martensite and bainite ferrite. As the heat input increased, the fraction of martensite decreased and the bainite ferrite fraction increased. The toughness (tested at ?40°C) and hardness for the heat input of 50?kJ/cm were 102?J and 346?HV, respectively, which was attributed to the high-volume fraction (60%) of the high-angle grain-boundary and the fine bainite lath.

This paper is part of a thematic issue on Nuclear Materials.     

Influence of holding time on microstructure and shear strength of Mg–Al alloys joint diffusion bonded with Zn–5Al interlayer

Abstract

Diffusion bonding with an elaborate interlayer design is one of the most promising methods to join dissimilar metals, where the quality of joint relies on the processing parameters strictly. In the present study, the influence of holding time on the microstructure and shear strength of Mg/Al alloys joint diffusion bonded with an interlayer of Zn–5Al was focused on. According to the experimental data obtained from microstructure, components distribution, shear strength testing and fracture analysis, it is found that when fixing diffusion temperature at 365°C, the shorter holding time led to the formation of phase structure composed of soft Al rich solid solution particles dispersing on the MgZn₂ base phase, which exhibits much better shear strength than the microstructures formed with longer holding time. For the case of 3 s holding time, the highest shear strength attained was up to 86·10 MPa.     

Effects of annealing temperature and thickness on microstructure and properties of sol–gel derived multilayer Al-doped ZnO films

Transparent conductive multilayer Al-doped ZnO (AZO) films were prepared by the spin-on technique with rapid thermal annealing process at low temperature. The effects of annealing temperature and thickness on microstructure, growth behavior, electrical properties and optical properties of AZO films were investigated. It was found that AZO films exhibited stronger preferred c-axis-orientation, the electrical resistivity decreased as it would be expected with the increase of annealing temperature from 400 to 500 °C and the increase of the number of layers in the film from 1 to 6, but the electrical resistivity tended to keep at a certain lowest value of 2.7 × 10⁻⁴ Ω cm when the annealing temperature was above 500 °C and the number of layers did not exceed 6. The average optical transmittance of AZO films was over 90% when number of layers in the film did not exceed 4 and decreased as this number increases, but the annealing temperature had little effect on the average optical transmittance of AZO films.     

Effects of co-addition of titanium and boron on microstructure of superplastic Cr–Mo steels

Abstract

The effects of titanium and boron on the microstructure of a low alloyed Cr–Mo steel with 0·6 wt-%C have been investigated by comparison with a steel containing only titanium and a steel free from both titanium and boron. Each of the steels was subjected to thermomechanical treatment and annealed at 700°C, resulting in small grains of size a few micrometres. The steel containing both titanium and boron possessed the smallest ferrite grains and M₃C carbides of the three examined. This is attributed to a fine dispersion of borides (TiB₂ ) and borocarbides (Ti(C,B)) of size 10 nm in the ferrite matrix through the pinning effect. At the grain boundaries small carbide particles were present which were effective in inhibiting grain boundary migration. The extremely fine borides and/or borocarbides were useful in suppressing intragranular deformation of ferrite grains due to precipitation hardening. This may have assisted in promoting grain boundary sliding, resulting in superior superplastic elongation.     

Effect of heat treatment on microstructure and mechanical properties of a new β high strength titanium alloy

Microstructure and mechanical properties of a new β high strength Ti–3.5Al–5Mo–6V–3Cr–2Sn–0.5Fe titanium alloy were investigated in this paper. Both the α/β and β solution treatment and subsequent aging at temperatures ranging from 440 °C to 560 °C for 8 h were introduced to investigate the relationship between microstructures and properties. Microstructure observation of α/β solution treatment plus aging condition shows that the grain size is only few microns due to the pinning effect of primary α phase. The β solution treatment leads to coarser β grain size and the least stable matrix. The size and volume fraction of secondary α are very sensitive to temperature and strongly affected the strength of the alloy. When solution treated at 775 °C plus aged at 440 °C, the smallest size (0.028 μm in width) of secondary α and greatest volume fraction (61%) of α resulted in the highest yield strength (1624 MPa). And the yield strength decreased by an average of 103 MPa with every increase of 40 °C due to the increase of volume fraction and decrease of the size of secondary α. In β solution treatment plus aging condition, tensile results shows that the strength if the alloy dramatically decreased by an average of 143 MPa for every increase of 40 °C because of larger size of secondary α phase than α/β solution treated plus aged condition.     

Effects of environment and temperature on ceramic tensile strength–grain size relations

Overall strength ()–grain size (G), i.e. –G-1/2, relations retain the same basic two-branched character to at least 1200–1300°C. However, some polycrystalline as well as single crystal strength shifts or deviations are seen relative to each other, and especially relative to Young's moduli versus temperature for poly- and single crystals. The variety and complexity of these deviations are illustrated mainly by Al2O3, BeO, MgO and ZrO2 for which there is considerable data. At 22°C, Al2O3 polycrystals show substantial strength decrease due to H2O while MgO, ZrO2 and BeO polycrystals have limited, variable decreases. Al2O3 single crystals (sapphire) also show substantial strength decreases, but ZrO2 and MgO single crystals show little or none. Sapphire's strength markedly decreases from at least –196°C to a minimum in the 400–600°C range, then rises to a maximum at1000°C, followed by an accelerating decrease with further temperature increase. Polycrystalline Al2O3 shows similar (but less pronounced) strength minima and maxima, or alternatively an approximate strength plateau from 22 to 1000°C interrupting the normally expected strength decreases with increasing temperature at suitably large grain size and absence of defects (e.g. pores) dominating failure. BeO crystals show a linear strength decrease with increasing temperature (T) similar to that of Young's modulus. BeO polycrystals often show a significant strength (apparently grain size and impurity dependent) maximum (at 500–800°C) or plateau (from 22 to 1000°C) interrupting an otherwise continuous decrease. MgO shows similar temperature behaviour to BeO, but more pronounced crystal strength decrease and less pronounced polycrystalline strength maxima. Polycrystalline ZrO2 shows more rapid Young's modulus (E), and especially strength, decreases at 200–500°C than single crystals. More limited data for other materials also shows greater, variable –T versus E–T trends, e.g. MgAl2O4 has a similar, but less pronounced decrease than ZrO2. Collectively these deviations suggest variable impacts on primarily flaw controlled –G-1/2 behaviour due to factors such as microplasticity, machining stresses, and thermal expansion and elastic anisotropies requiring more comprehensive testing and evaluation to better sort out these effects.     

Investigation on diffusion bonding of functionally graded WC–Co/Ni composite and stainless steel

A functionally graded WC–Co/Ni composite (FGWC) and 410 stainless steel (410ss) were successfully bonded by diffusion bonding. With the bonding temperature or holding time increasing, the tensile strength of the joints increased firstly and then decreased. The maximum tensile strength of the FGWC/410ss joints was 195 MPa bonded at 950 °C for 80 min. A diffusion layer was formed between the Ni layer and the 410ss as a result of the interdiffusion of Ni and Fe. The Ni layer could release the residual stresses of the FGWC/410ss joints. The fracture of the FGWC/410ss joints occurred in the Ni layer by the way of ductile fracture.     

Effect of heat treatment on microstructure and mechanical properties of Cr–Ni–Mo–Nb steel

Abstract

The microstructure and mechanical properties of a medium carbon Cr–Ni–Mo–Nb steel in quenched and tempered conditions were investigated using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray analysis, and tensile and impact tests. Results showed that increasing austenitisation temperature gave rise to an increase in the tensile strength due to more complete dissolution of primary carbides during austenitisation at high temperatures. The austenite grains were fine when the austenitisation temperature was <1373 K owing to the pinning effect of undissolved Nb(C,N) particles. A tensile strength of 1600 MPa was kept at tempering temperatures up to 848 K, while the peak impact toughness was attained at 913 K tempering, as a result of the replacement of coarse Fe rich M₃C carbides by fine Mo rich M₂C carbides. Austenitisation at 1323 K followed by 913 K tempering could result in a combination of high strength and good toughness for the Cr–Ni–Mo–Nb steel.     

Weld overlay cladding of high strength low alloy steel with austenitic stainless steel – Structure and properties

The present work aims at studying structure–property correlations in a weld overlay clad high strength low alloy steel with austenitic stainless steel of American Institute for Steel and Iron (AISI) 347 grade. Optical microscopy studies revealed that the interface between the two steels was nearly flat. The base plate had ferrite plus bainite microstructure adjacent to the interface and tempered bainite/martensite structure away from the interface. Grain coarsening and decarburization were observed near the interface. The stainless steel exhibited austenite dendritic structure. Tensile strength, notch-tensile strength and charpy impact energy of the base plate were found to be higher than those for the interface. The microhardness was observed to be maximum on the clad layer near interface. The shear bond strength of the weld overlay-interface was higher than the shear strength of the base plate. Fractography was carried out using scanning electron microscope on tensile, notch-tensile and shear bond test specimens of the interface as well as shear test specimens of the base plate. It revealed the presence of predominantly dimpled rupture. Charpy impact specimens of the interface failed in mixed mode while impact specimens of the base plate failed in ductile mode. Electron probe microanalysis across the bond interface indicated linear change in concentrations of Cr, Ni, Mn, Cu, Mo, Nb and Si between the levels appropriate to the clad layer and base metal.