Effect of brazing temperature and brazing time on the microstructure and tensile strength of TiAl-based alloy joints with Ti-Zr-Cu-Ni amorphous alloy as filler metal

An amorphous Ti-37.5Zr-15Cu-15Ni (wt.%) ribbon fabricated by vacuum arc remelting and rapid solidification was used as filler metal to vacuum braze TiAl alloy (Ti-45Al-2Mn-2Nb-1B (at.%)). The effects of brazing temperature and time on the microstructure and strength of the joints were investigated in details. The typical brazed joint major consisted of three zones and the brazed joints mainly consisted of α2-Ti3Al phase, α-Ti phase and (Ti, Zr)2(Cu, Ni) phase. When the brazing temperature varied from 910 °C to 1010 °C for 30 min, the tensile strength of the joint first increased and then decreased. With increasing the brazing time, the tensile strength of the joint increased. The maximum room temperature tensile strength was 468 MPa when the specimen was brazed at 930 °C for 60 min. All the fracture surfaces assumed typical brittle cleavage fracture characteristic. The fracture path varied with the brazing parameter and cracks preferred to initiate at (Ti, Zr)2(Cu, Ni) phase and propagation path were mainly determined by the content and distribution of α-Ti phase and (Ti, Zr)2(Cu, Ni) phase.