Direct Brazing of Alumina Ceramics

Abstract

Monolithic alumina ceramics and alumina matrix ceramic composites show considerable promise as structural materials in a number of energy conversion and utilization applications. The ability to join these materials to themselves and to metals is vital to the successful use of these ceramics in advanced devices. Metallic alloys were investigated for their ability to wet and adhere to alumina ceramics without requiring pretreatment (coating) of the ceramic surface. The strengths of the bonds have been determined through room-temperature shear tests and flexural tests at temperatures up to 600{degree}C. Several of these alloy systems show promise for use as brazing filler metals for joining ceramics because of good wetting behavior, oxidation resistance, and bond strength.