Use of Electrodeposited Silver As an Aid in Diffusion Welding
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Use of Electrodeposited Silver as an Aid in Diffusion Welding Ring shear tests are used to evaluate silver plating procedures, and a two level, four variable factorial experiment is conducted to gain a better understanding of variables influencing the diffusion welding process BY J. W. DINI, W. K. KELLEY, W. C. COWDEN, AND E. M. LOPEZ ABSTRACT. Sound, high strength diffu into close contact, but without macro Experimental Details sion welded joints were obtained with scopic deformation occurring. In some Specimens silver plated stainless steel, beryllium and cases the weld formation results in the uranium. The procedures used for pre complete disappearance of the interface, Cylindrical butt specimens of the type paring the substrates for plating were first and often 100% joint efficiencies can be shown in Fig. 1 were used for this work. characterized by using ring shear tests, achieved. The process is accomplished These were plated with 0.5 or 3.0 mil which provided quantitative information entirely in the solid state at temperatures (0.0005 or 0.003 in.) of silver on one face, on weld adhesion. under 0.7 Tm (where Tm is the melting and then two specimens were diffusion For the joining studies, a full factorial point in degrees absolute of the lower welded together using varying conditions experiment with two levels and four melting point material). Good descrip of time, temperature, and load. Diffusion variables (24) was run with stainless steel. tions and overviews of the process can welded specimens were then machined Fewer experiments were run with berylli be found in the literature (Refs. 1, 2). per Fig. 2 to provide a reduced section in um and uranium. Best joints were Additional layers of material in the the joint area for tensile testing. Materials obtained with welding conditions which form of coatings or foils are often used as used as substrates included Type 304 included 1 hour at a temperature of joining aids for a variety of reasons (Refs. stainless steel, beryllium, and unalloyed 600°C (1112°F), pressure of 30,000 psi 1, 3); these are to: uranium. (207 MPa) and a plating thickness of 1 mil 1. Promote plastic flow. The Type 304 stainless steel was (0.001 in.) of silver. 2. Obtain clean surfaces. annealed and hot-rolled; its yield strength 3. Promote diffusion. was 43,000 psi (296 MPa) and the tensile Introduction 4. Minimize undesirable intermetallics. strength 110,000 psi (758 MPa). The 5. Temporarily establish eutectic melt beryllium had a yield strength of 37,000 The joining of dissimilar metals has ing to promote diffusion of base metals. psi (255 MPa), and its tensile strength was widespread industrial application, particu 6. Minimize Kirkendall porosity. 58,500 psi (403 MPa). The uranium was larly in the aerospace and nuclear indus 7. Reduce joining temperature. high purity rolled rod with a yield strength tries. On occasion, metals to be joined 8. Reduce dwell time. of 50,000 psi (344 MPa) and a tensile cannot be fusion welded or brazed 9. Scavenge undesirable elements. strength of 138,000 psi (951 MPa). because of metallurgical incompatibility. The intermediate coatings used for Most of the work was done with In addition, some metals may require a diffusion welding can be applied by stainless steel, and a full factorial experi post-joining heat treatment that rules out either electroplating or vacuum deposi ment with two levels and four variables brazing and fusion welding. In such cases tion. A recent survey summarized the use (24) was completed with this material. an alternative process that can be used is of electroplated coatings as an aid in When beryllium and uranium specimens diffusion welding. diffusion welding (Ref. 4). Other authors were diffusion welded, one-half of each Diffusion welding is a process whereby (Refs. 5 and 6) have described the use of joint was a stainless steel specimen. This a joint is effected by heating two clean vacuum deposited coatings for this type was done to minimize the cost of machin smooth surfaces while they are pressed of application. The purpose of the work ing additional specimens, which is an reported in this paper is to show that expensive proposition for these metals. stainless steel, beryllium, and uranium can /. W. DINI, W. K. KELLEY, W. C COWDEN and No precautions were taken to obtain a E. M. LOPEZ are with the Lawrence Livermore be diffusion welded with the aid of elec specified surface finish on the faces to be National Laboratory, Livermore, California. troplated silver. joined. Typically, the finish was in the 26-S | JANUARY 1984 Z ui 2 a. O 30°0'±0°4' a-J BOTH ENDS >Ul NO UNDERCUT a OR N I B (.4975) 0 BOTH ENDS • x -/r<17Si.0005f o ' E*3 <OC UJ tn .4851.010 ui QC t- .018 r.cosx oisi.oos • OC"H?AD MAX Z SHARP PREFERED m Fig. 1 — Cylindrical butt joint configuration. Dimensions are in Fig. 2 — Welded specimen after machining. Dimensions are in inches 2 inches a. o _i ui range of 8-21 ttin. (0.0002-0.0005 mm), small rings of plating of predetermined rod and the coating. The bond strength A 2 > width generally 1.5 mm (0.06 in.) wide. (in MN/m or psi) was determined by the RMS, and the data showing this are UJ included in Table 1. The rod was then cut between the plated formula A = W/irdt, where d is the a rings. diameter of the rod, t the width of the x Diffusion Welding System The sections of rod with the plated deposit, and W the force required to o rings were tested by forcing the rod cause failure in the specimen. 0C A schematic of the welding fixture through a hardened steel die having a Figure 4 shows a ring shear test speci < designed for use in an existing furnace is hole whose diameter was greater than men and die used for testing. Additional ul shown in Fig. 3. The specimens were held Ui that of the rod but less than that of the details on ring shear testing are available in vertical alignment with a close fitting z tungsten carbide bushing and heat stabi UJ lizing cylinder. One half of the specimen 2 and the bushing rested on the lower •lo thermocouple a controller/recorder o piston. The piston provided axial vertical > motion to bring the other half into con Ul tact with the stationary ram. Force for the a compressive load was provided by a x hydraulic ram. The specimens, alignment o bushing, and heat stabilizing block were OC centered in an electric clam shell furnace. < Insulation Ul Temperature was controlled and moni ri ng Ui tored with two thermocouples, a time UJ proportional controller, and strip chart a recorder. The furnace in which welding was done was continually flushed with 2 Stainless steel a. argon. heat stabilizing O block Ring Shear Tests > UJ Ring shear tests were used to evaluate Specimens to be bonded a procedures for plating silver on stainless x steel, beryllium, and uranium. For this o test, a cylindrical rod was prepared with Furnace OC the process under study and plated to a < minimum thickness of 1.5 mm (0.06 in.). LU The rod was machined in a manner that removed all the plated deposit except for Insulation ring 2 Table 1—Surface Roughness on Faying a. O Surface of Cylindrical Butt Joint Specimens _i >UJ Surface roughness, UJ It in a Material , RMS x Type 304 stainless 9, 10, 12 o QC steel <t Beryllium 12 15, 21 ui Ui Uranium 8, 11 UJ Fig. 3-Diffusion welding fixture OC WELDING RESEARCH SUPPLEMENT I 27-s Table 2—Silver Plating Solution Formulation Silver cyanide 40 g/L Potassium cyanide 60 g/L Potassium carbonate 15 g/L Free cyanide 41 g/L Temperature 21-27°C (70-81 °F) Current density 54-161 A/m2 (5-15 A/ft2) composition were kept constant. Results Ring Shear Tests SPECIMEN UNDER TEST (CUT AWAY VIEW) SUBSTRATE- The cleaning/activating procedures that were evaluated are those that have proved successful for preparing stainless steel, beryllium and uranium for plating with other metals such as copper or nickel. Ring shear test results are included in Table 4. The procedures providing the best results are those that were used for specimens for the diffusion welding studies. Complete details on these proce dures are provided in the Appendix. For all three substrates, the best procedures (ALL DIMENSIONS ARE IN mm) 1 .60 resulted either in failure of the silver ns5 deposit or a combination of failure in the Fig. 4 — Ring shear test specimen and die substrate and the silver. With stainless steel, the key step in the in the literature (Ref. 7). A wealth of considerable information in return for a activation procedure is anodic treatment quantitative ring shear data is available for minimum of experimentation (Ref. 8). in sulfuric acid followed by a Wood's plating on stainless steel, beryllium and Stainless steel was chosen for this work nickel strike; this has been well docu uranium. However, no data were avail since, as mentioned earlier, these speci mented in previous literature (Ref. 9). able for silver deposited on these sub mens were the least expensive to fabri With this technique, an adherent thin strates. Therefore, these tests were run cate. In every experiment, each variable deposit of nickel is applied to the stainless to verify that procedures that have can have one of two states (high +, or steel, and this serves as a base for subse worked for other electrodeposited coat low —).