A contribution to the study of metal-ceramic bonding by direct vacuum brazing with reactive metals

Wettability and bonding tests were utilized to evaluate the behaviour of various specials alloys, for work at high temperature under vacuum, for the inter-bonding of silicon carbide, alumina ceramic, graphite (for electrical applications) and petroleum coke and their joining with themselves as the metals titanium, molybdenum, nickel and copper. The joints exhibiting effective bonding were investigated by means of optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and X-rays diffraction. Elemental mapping of the constituents and quantitative chemical microanalysis were also undertaken, via the energy dispersive analysis of X-rays (SEM/EDS). On the basis of the results the possible mechanisms of bond-formation have been discussed. It was verified that: a) of the filler metals studied, those which exhibited effective wettability on all the above materials were: 49Cu-49Ti-2Be, Zircaloy4-5Be and a commercial alloy Ticusil, which consisted of a Cu-Ag eutectic with a small addition of pure Ti, of nominal composition 26.7Cu-68.8Ag-4.5Ti; b) the alloys with high levels of reactive metals such as Ti and Zr tended to form low ductility bonds due to the formation of hard, brittle phases; c) the copper suffered pronounced erosion when in direct contact with alloys of high Ti and Zr contents, due to the formation of phases whose melting points were below the brazing temperature of those materials; e) the compounds detected as reaction products were identified as, TiC in the samples rich in carbon, such as the SiC ceramic and graphite joints, or the oxides Cu2Ti2O5 and Cu3TiO4 in the bonding of alumina to alloys including Ti in their composition or in that of the filler metal, proving that the effectiveness of the bond is dependent upon an initial and indispensable chemical bonding. (author)