Mechanical properties of brazing joints of alumina dispersion strengthened copper to 316 stainless steel for fusion reactor divertor

Brazing of alumina dispersion strengthened copper to 316 stainless steel was carried out with the brazing parameters such as brazing alloy, clearance and time to investigate the influence of brazing conditions on the joint strength. Tensile and Charpy impact tests of the joint specimens were performed to evaluate their strength. Microstructure and hardness of the brazed zone were examined with an optical microscope and a Vickers hardness tester. The excellent brazing joint strength was achieved with BAu-2 brazing alloy. The tensile strength of the joint with the brazing clearance of 0.2mm and the brazing time of 300s was as large as that of the diffusion bonding joint. However, Charpy absorbed energy of the brazing was lower than that of the diffusion bonding. Alumina dispersion strengthened copper remelted near the brazed zone because of diffusion of the brazing alloy, and the specimens fractured at the remelted zone. The brazed zone included many voids, which caused a scattering of the strength. (author)