Improvement of Joint Strength of SiCp/Al Metal Matrix Composite in Transient Liquid Phase Bonding Using Cu/Ni/Cu Film Interlayer

The compact oxide on the surface of SiCp/Al metal matrix composite (SiCp/Al MMC) greatly depends on the property of the joint. Inlaid sputtering target was applied to etch the oxide completely on the bonding surface of SiCp/Al MMC by plasma erosion. Cu/Ni/Cu film of 5 μm in thickness was prepared by magnetron sputtering method on the clean bonding surface in the same vacuum chamber, which was acted as an interlayer in transient liquid phase (TLP) bonding process. Compared with the same thickness of single Cu foil and Ni foil interlayer,the shear strength of 200 MPa was obtained using Cu/Ni/Cu film interlayer during TLP bonding, which was 89.7% that of base metal. In addition, homogenization of the bonding region and no particle segregation in interfacial region were found by analysis of the joint microstructure. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to observe the micrograph of the joint interface. The result shows that a homogenous microstructure of joint was achieved, which is similar with that of based metal.