Microstructural characterization of Ag-Cu-Zr active braze alloy at varying temperatures.
Abstract not provided.
Hopkins, Emily Marie↗
SEARCH · Search NASA
Results for “BRAZING”
Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.
Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.
Improved Blackbody Temperature Sensors for a Vacuum Furnace
Some improvements have been made in the design and fabrication of blackbody sensors (BBSs) used to measure the temperature of a heater core in a vacuum furnace. Each BBS consists of a ring of thermally conductive, high-melting-temperature material with two tantalum-sheathed thermocouples attached at diametrically opposite points. The name "blackbody sensor" reflects the basic principle of operation. Heat is transferred between the ring and the furnace heater core primarily by blackbody radiation, heat is conducted through the ring to the thermocouples, and the temperature of the ring (and, hence, the temperature of the heater core) is measured by use of the thermocouples. Two main requirements have guided the development of these BBSs: (1) The rings should have as high an emissivity as possible in order to maximize the heat-transfer rate and thereby maximize temperature-monitoring performance and (2) the thermocouples must be joined to the rings in such a way as to ensure long-term, reliable intimate thermal contact. The problem of fabricating a BBS to satisfy these requirements is complicated by an application-specific prohibition against overheating and thereby damaging nearby instrumentation leads through the use of conventional furnace brazing or any other technique that involves heating the entire BBS and its surroundings. The problem is further complicated by another application-specific prohibition against damaging the thin tantalum thermocouple sheaths through the use of conventional welding to join the thermocouples to the ring. The first BBS rings were made of graphite. The tantalum-sheathed thermocouples were attached to the graphite rings by use of high-temperature graphite cements. The ring/thermocouple bonds thus formed were found to be weak and unreliable, and so graphite rings and graphite cements were abandoned. Now, each BBS ring is made from one of two materials: either tantalum or a molybdenum/titanium/zirconium alloy. The tantalum-sheathed thermocouples are bonded to the ring by laser brazing. The primary advantage of laser brazing over furnace brazing is that in laser brazing, it is possible to form a brazed connection locally, without heating nearby parts to the flow temperature of the brazing material. Hence, it is possible to comply with the prohibition against overheating nearby instrumentation leads. Also, in laser brazing, unlike in furnace brazing, it is possible to exert control over the thermal energy to such a high degree that it becomes possible to braze the thermocouples to the ring without burning through the thin tantalum sheaths on the thermocouples. The brazing material used in the laser brazing process is a titanium-boron paste. This brazing material can withstand use at temperatures up to about 1,400 C. In thermal-cycling tests performed thus far, no debonding between the rings and thermocouples has been observed. Emissivity coatings about 0.001 in. (.0.025 mm) thick applied to the interior surfaces of the rings have been found to improve the performance of the BBS sensors by raising the apparent emissivities of the rings. In thermal-cycling tests, the coatings were found to adhere well to the rings.
Farmer, Jeff↗
Thermal fatigue and oxidation data for alloy/braze combinations
Thermal fatigue and oxidation data were obtained for 62 brazed specimens of 3 iron-, 3 nickel-, and 1 cobalt-base alloy. Fluidized bed thermal cycling was conducted over the range 740/25 C employing 10 cm long single-edge wedge specimens. Immersion time was always 4 minutes in each bed. Types of test specimens employed in the program include those with brazed overlays on the specimen radius, those butt brazed at midspan and those with a brazed foil overlay on the specimen radius. Of the 18 braze overlay specimens, 5 generated fatigue cracks by 7000 cycles. Thermal cracking of butt brazed specimens occurred exclusively through the butt braze. Of the 23 butt brazed specimens, 7 survived 11,000 thermal cycles without cracking. Only 2 of the 21 foil overlaid specimens exhibiting cracking in 7,000 cycles. Blistering of the foil did occur for 2 alloys by 500 cycles. Oxidation of the alloy/braze combination was limited at the test maximum test temperature of 740 C.
Hill, V. L.↗
Validation of Manufacturing Process Designs for Stamped Microchannel Recuperators
Microchannel recuperators can achieve high-efficiency power cycles and chemical reactions by recovering waste heat from hot turbine exhaust and chemical reaction streams. However, the industrial application of microchannel recuperators are restricted by the high cost of patterning and bonding. The objective of this study was thus to investigate new methods for producing microchannel recuperators for emerging markets. Based on greenfield cost estimates, process designs based on stamping, laser welding and vacuum brazing of 316L stainless steel laminae were found to be more economical than conventional photochemical machining and diffusion bonding. Subsequently, validation experiments were conducted to produce stamped microchannel components using cost model parameters. At a mass flow rate of 0.99 g/s, the test article made with laser welding was found to provide higher effectiveness than the test article produced using vacuum brazing. Preliminary investigations showed that residual stresses during laser welding of the laminae led to significant warpage, collapsing channels and making lamina-to-lamina fit up challenging. In contrast, the test article produced by vacuum brazing of stamped laminae showed no clogging and 4.6% and 10.5% channel height standard deviation for the cold and hot channels, respectively. Channel variation in the vacuum brazing sample was determined to be caused by misregistration of laminae during brazing. In future work, efforts are needed to choose cheaper, more ductile brazing foils as well as design a brazing fixture to improve lamina-to-lamina registration.
42 ENGINEERING↗
Joining of Zirconium Diboride-Based Ceramic Composites to Metallic Systems for High-Temperature Applications
Three types of hot-pressed zirconium diboride (ZrB2)-based ultra-high-temperature ceramic composites (UHTCC), ZrB2-SiC (ZS), ZrB2-SiC-C (ZSC), and ZrB2-SCS9-SiC (ZSS), were joined to Cu-clad-Mo using two Ag-Cu brazes (Cusil-ABA and Ticusil, T(sub L) approx.1073-1173 K) and two Pd-base brazes (Palco and Palni, T(sub L) approx.1493-1513 K). Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) coupled with energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) revealed greater chemical interaction in joints made using Pd-base brazes than in joints made using Ag-Cu based active brazes. The degree of densification achieved in hot pressed composites influenced the Knoop hardness of the UHTCC and the hardness distribution across the braze interlayer. The braze region in Pd-base system displayed higher hardness in joints made using fully-dense ZS composites than in joints made using partially-dense ZSS composites and the carbon-containing ZSC composites. Calculations indicate a small negative elastic strain energy and an increase in the UHTCC's fracture stress up to a critical clad layer thickness . Above this critical thickness, strain energy in the UHTCC is positive, and it increases with increasing clad layer thickness. Empirical projections show a reduction in the effective thermal resistance of the joints and highlight the potential benefits of joining the UHTCC to Cu-clad-Mo.
Asthana, R.↗
Joining and Integration of Advanced Carbon-Carbon Composites to Metallic Systems for Thermal Management Applications
Recent research and development activities in joining and integration of carbon-carbon (C/C) composites to metals such as Ti and Cu-clad-Mo for thermal management applications are presented with focus on advanced brazing techniques. A wide variety of carbon-carbon composites with CVI and resin-derived matrices were joined to Ti and Cu-clad Mo using a number of active braze alloys. The brazed joints revealed good interfacial bonding, preferential precipitation of active elements (e.g., Ti) at the composite/braze interface. Extensive braze penetration of the inter-fiber channels in the CVI C/C composites was observed. The chemical and thermomechanical compatibility between C/C and metals at elevated temperatures is assessed. The role of residual stresses and thermal conduction in brazed C/C joints is discussed. Theoretical predictions of the effective thermal resistance suggest that composite-to-metal brazed joints may be promising for lightweight thermal management applications.
Singh, M.↗
Improvements in Cold-Plate Fabrication
Five improvements are reported in cold-plate fabrication. This cold plate is part of a thermal control system designed to serve on space missions. The first improvement is the merging of the end sheets of the cold plate with the face sheets of the structural honeycomb panel. The cold plate, which can be a brazed assembly, uses the honeycomb face sheet as its end sheet. Thus, when the honeycomb panel is fabricated, the face sheet that is used is already part of the cold plate. In addition to reducing weight, costs, and steps, the main benefit of this invention is that it creates a more structurally sound assembly. The second improvement involves incorporation of the header into the closure bar to pass the fluid to a lower layer. Conventional designs have used a separate header, which increases the geometry of the system. The improvement reduces the geometry, thus allowing the cold plate to fit into smaller area. The third improvement eliminates the need of hose, tube, or manifold to supply the cooling fluid externally. The external arrangement can be easily damaged and is vulnerable to leakage. The new arrangement incorporates an internal fluid transfer tube. This allows the fluid to pass from one cold plate to the other without any exposed external features. The fourth improvement eliminates separate fabrication of cold plate(s) and structural members followed by a process of attaching them to each other. Here, the structural member is made of material that can be brazed just as that of the cold plate. Now the structural member and the cold plate can be brazed at the same time, creating a monolithic unit, and thus a more structurally sound assembly. Finally, the fifth improvement is the elimination of an additional welding step that can damage the braze joints. A tube section, which is usually welded on after the braze process, is replaced with a more structurally sound configuration that can be brazed at the same time as the rest of the cold plate.
Zaffetti, Mark A.↗
Advanced Serpentine Heat Exchangers to Minimize Number of Joints and Leakage in HVAC&R Systems
Refrigerant leakage has a significant impact on heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration (HVAC&R) industries in terms of both greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and lost efficiency of the systems themselves. One of the major causes of refrigerant leakage is braze joints within a vapor compression system. The brazing process is often inconsistent and almost always imperfect. As a result, braze joints are left vulnerable to leaks and can be weaker than non-brazed tubing. Conventional tube-fin heat exchangers are manufactured using one brazed joint per tube. An alternative to the conventional approach is the use of a single continuous serpentine tube. An Advanced Serpentine Heat Exchanger was developed to provide a heat transfer solution that meets or exceeds performance while also significantly reducing the number of joints and, consequently, the potential for refrigerant leakage. The developed serpentine heat exchanger not only delivers on performance, but is also cost competitive with conventional heat exchangers on the market.
30 DIRECT ENERGY CONVERSION↗
Material Plasma Exposure eXperiment (MPEX) High Heat Flux Bellows for Component Alignment in High Microwave Environment
The Material Plasma Exposure eXperiment (MPEX) device is a linear plasma device developed to perform plasma material interaction experiments under the conditions prototypic of a fusion reactor divertor. MPEX has multiple systems that must be precisely aligned to the plasma axis, including an electron cyclotron heating system that emits up to 400 kW of microwave power into the vacuum vessel. Five distinct systems require precise alignment on the MPEX device, thus requiring four bellows, all of which are adjacent to the plasma at a relatively high heat flux of approximately 47 kW/m2 and microwave power regions. The MPEX high heat flux bellows (HHFB) is designed to deliver 6 degrees of freedom positioning. The HHFB includes titanium–zirconium–molybdenum (TZM) inserts that are brazed into a Glidcop AL-15 body using a high-temperature braze alloy, thus blocking direct line of sight to an edge-welded bellows from the plasma and microwave screen to block microwaves from the bellows. Further, a custom ConFlat knife edge is machined into the Glidcop AL-15, so the vacuum flanges do not need a braze or weld joint on the vacuum interface. Fingerstock or copper mesh is used to restrict microwave power from entering the interstitial space between the water-cooled Glidcop AL-15 body and edge-welded bellows. Glidcop AL-15 was selected as the material of choice for the water-cooled body because it can maintain mechanical integrity at elevated temperatures, and it also allows for a high-temperature braze. TZM was selected for its machinability and compatibility with vacuum and plasma requirements. A test article is also being considered for a similarly shaped component, the MPEX limiter, that will demonstrate the integrity of the braze joint under high thermal load. Results from this testing will be extrapolated to deduce the lifetime and integrity of the HHFB design.
70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
High temperature (1200 C) ceramic-to-metal seal development
Two phases have been completed, of a program whose ultimate objective is the development of an alkali metal resistant, thermal shock resistant, leak-tight, and neutron radiation resistant ceramic-to-metal seal capable of operation at 1200 C for three to five years. The first phase involved the screening of platinum-base, vanadium-base and vanadium-niobium base brazes for the joining of Cb-1Zr or T-111 alloys to high purity alumina. The second phase involved studies of the performance of sealed capsule samples during 5000-hour aging tests at 800, 1000, and 1200 C in high vacuum. Sealed capsules which were made using pure vanadium braze, and were brazed at 1850 C for one minute, survived 64 thermal cycles to 1200 C at the heating/cooling rate of 100 C/minute. Vanadium braze samples survived 5000-hour aging tests at 800, 1000, and 1200 C. One thermally cycled sample survived a subsequent 5000-hour aging period at 1000 C, but another, at 1200 C, did not survive. It was concluded that a pure vanadium braze used to bond high purity alumina to Cb-1Zr alloy is the best of the systems studied, but that additional studies must be performed to establish its service temperature limitations for the desired three to five years' service.
Mckisson, R. L.↗
Development of forming and joining technology for TD-NiCr sheet
Forming joining techniques and properties data were developed for thin-gage TD-NiCr sheet in the recrystallized and unrecrystallized conditions. Theoretical and actual forming limit data are presented for several gages of each type of material for five forming processes: brake forming, corrugation forming, joggling, dimpling and beading. Recrystallized sheet can be best formed at room temperature, but unrecrystallized sheet requires forming at elevated temperature. Formability is satisfactory with most processes for the longitudinal orientation but poor for the transverse orientation. Dimpling techniques require further development for both material conditions. Data on joining techniques and joint properties are presented for four joining processes: resistance seam welding (solid-state), resistance spot welding (solid-state), resistance spot welding (fusion) and brazing. Resistance seam welded (solid-state) joints with 5t overlap were stronger than parent material for both material conditions when tested in tensile-shear and stress-rupture. Brazing studies resulted in development of NASA 18 braze alloy (Ni-16Cr-15Mo-8Al-4Si) with several properties superior to baseline TD-6 braze alloy, including lower brazing temperture, reduced reaction with Td-Ni-Cr, and higher stress-rupture properties.
Torgerson, R. T.↗
Evaluation of ground characterization samples MCN-2 and MCN-3, section 1
A detailed metallurgical evaluation of two exothermically brazed nickel ground characterization samples was conducted. Samples MCN-2 and MCN-3 were among six samples that were brazed as part of a exothermic brazing experiment to obtain baseline data for use in determining the effect of weightlessness on: (1) the wetting and flow behavior of brazing filler metals; and (2) the metallurgical characteristics of the brazed joints. The samples were evaluated by metallographic examination and electron microprobe analysis.
Source record↗
Robust Joining Technology for Solid Oxide Fuel Cells Applications
Recently there has been a great deal of interest in research development and commercialization of solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs). Joining and sealing are critical issues that will need to be addressed before SOFCs can truly perform as expected. Ceramics and metals can be difficult to join together, especially when the joint must withstand up to 900 C operating temperature of the SOFCs. The goal of the present study is to find the most suitable braze material for joining of yttria stabilized zirconia (YSZ) to stainless steel. A number of commercially available braze materials TiCuSil, TiCuNi, Copper-ABA, Gold-ABA and Gold-ABA-V have been evaluated. The oxidation behavior of the braze materials and steel substrates in air was also examined through thermogravimetric analysis. The microstructure and composition of the brazed regions have been examined by optical and scanning electron microscopy and eDS analysis. Effect of braze composition and processing conditions on the interfacial microstructure and composition of the joint regions will be presented.
Shpargel, Tarah P.↗
Mechanical Properties of 17-4PH Stainless Steel Foam Panels
Rectangular 17-4PH stainless steel sandwiched foam panels were fabricated using a commercial manufacturing technique by brazing two sheets to a foam core. Microstructural observations and ultrasonic nondestructive evaluation of the panels revealed large variations in the quality of the brazed areas from one panel to the next as well as within the same panel. Shear tests conducted on specimens machined from the panels exhibited failures either in the brazed region or in the foam core for the poorly brazed and well-brazed samples, respectively. Compression tests were conducted on the foam cores to evaluate their elastic and plastic deformation behavior. These data were compared with published data on polymeric and metallic foams, and with theoretical deformation models proposed for open cell foams.
Raj, S. V.↗
Pattern bonded finned cold plate
An apparatus includes a fin pack of parallel plates that protrude from a base, a lid attachable to the fin pack opposite the base, and a brazing material painted onto the lid only in a plurality of wettable regions. The lid is positioned against the fin pack, opposite the base, with portions of the plurality of regions contacting edges of the parallel plates. The lid is brazed to the fin pack without intrusion of the brazing material between the parallel plates. This is accomplished by obtaining a lid to be attached to a fin pack of parallel plates that protrude from a base, painting the lid with the brazing material only in a plurality of wettable regions, positioning the lid against the fin pack, opposite the base, with portions of the plurality of regions contacting edges of the parallel plates, and brazing the lid to the fin pack.
Schultz, Mark D.↗
Joining and Integration of Silicon Carbide-Based Ceramic Materials for Aerospace Applications: An Overview
In order to fully utilize silicon carbide-based ceramics and ceramic matrix composites (CMCs) for aerospace and ground based applications, advanced joining and integration technologies are critically needed for achieving large, complex shaped, and integrated components. Careful material selection of joining inter-layers needs to consider chemical and thermal compatibilities with the parent materials that are being joined. Also, optimization needs to be conducted to select the proper processing conditions for achieving robust joints that are well adhered, strong, uniform, crack free, and have minimal residual stresses. NASA GRC developed pressureless and pressure aided approaches for joining ceramics and CMCs include brazing, diffusion bonding, refractory eutectic phase joining, and Single-step Elevated Temperature (SET) Joining. For joining ceramics and CMCs to metals, several brazes have been utilized. Brazing approaches for joining ceramics and metals have also included tailored brazes with multiple interlayers and particle additions. An overview of the joining approaches will be provided. In addition, processing-microstructure-property relationships will be discussed.
Silicon carbide↗
Development of joining technology using local heating for SiC fuel cladding
Silicon carbide (SiC) is an attractive material for an accident-tolerant fuel in light water reactors because of its lower hydrogen-generation rate and lower heat of reaction than conventional Zircaloy. On the other hand, practical application of SiC fuel cladding faces a lot of critical issues, one of which is end-plug joining. The objective of this study is to clarify the feasibility of end-plug joining by silicon brazing using local heating by evaluating the shear strength of joint specimens and producing a circumferential joint experimentally. Silicon is thought to be a compatible joining material with SiC because as well as being a constituent of SiC, its thermal-expansion coefficient is close to that of SiC. Local heating using processes such as laser irradiation and a resistance-heating element needs to be applied for end-plug joining. Brazing is expected to seal a cladding with an end plug by using brief heating without a strong compression force. Shear strength was evaluated using specimens with silicon-brazing joints processed using laser irradiation. The joint sections without defects showed shear strengths higher than or equal to 59 MPa at temperatures from normal room temperature to 1473 K. The average shear strength of the joint (99 MPa) is comparable to that of a diffusion-bonding joint using titanium or molybdenum foil. A tube and a plug were circumferentially joined with silicon brazing using laser irradiation or a graphite heating element. A defocused laser beam was effective for joining without cracking during laser irradiation. Although local heating using a resistance-heating element can more easily control the temperature of the joint, it took longer processing time than that using laser irradiation due to limited temperature-increase rate in order to avoid thermal shock damage. (authors)
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗