Effectiveness of electrically assisted solid-state pressure joining using an additive manufactured porous interlayer

A solid-state pressure joining using resistance heating as a heat source and adopting an additive manufactured metal porous interlayer between joining specimens is demonstrated. During the joining of 316L stainless steel cylindrical specimens, an electric current is directly applied to the joint under continuous axial compression. Defect-free joints are successfully fabricated with a lower joining pressure when applying the porous interlayer with a lower compressive strength and higher electric resistivity. The microstructural analysis confirms that the porosity is eliminated as a result of the compressive deformation during joining, and recrystallization takes place in the interlayer.