Solid-state transformations during diffusion bonding of copper to iron

Solid-state bonding between dissimilar metals, produced at elevated temperatures with the application of a bonding pressure, causes structural changes in the microstructure of the zones nearest to the bond interface. These metallurgical transformations, produced by interdiffusion in the vicinity of the bond, decide the final properties of the joint. In the present paper, such diffusional transformations have been investigated for diffusion-bonded joints of Armco iron and copper with different oxygen contents (ETPC and OFLPC). The formation of iron oxide (wustite) has been observed in the ETPC-Armco iron joints. This oxide did not appear in OFLPC-Armco iron diffusion-bonded joints. This suggests that iron oxide forms by reaction of iron with oxygen dissolved in the ETPC base metal. The formation of copper particles in the iron base matrix, near the bond interface, has been observed. This may be due to two different processes: the solid-state precipitation of copper into iron and the eutectoid reaction (γ →ε +α) at bonding temperatures above 900° C.