European Journal of Scientific Research ISSN 1450-216X Vol.83 No.2 (2012), pp.221-229 EuroJournals Publishing, Inc. 2012 http://www.europeanjournalofscientificresearch.

com

Diffusion Bonding of Ti-6Al-4V alloy with Inconel 718

Krishnamoorthi. J. Department of Metallurgical Engineering PSG College of Technology, Coimbatore, India E-mail: jkm_psg@yahoo.co.in Tel: +91 98941 41984; Fax: +91 422 2573833 Balusamy. V. Department of Metallurgical Engineering PSG College of Technology, Coimbatore, India E-mail: v_b_samy@yahoo.co.in Angelo. P. C. Department of Metallurgical Engineering PSG College of Technology, Coimbatore, India E-mail:angelopsg@gmail.com Vinothkumar. R. Department of Metallurgical Engineering, PSG College of Technology, Coimbatore, India Presently Working at ELGI Equipments, Coimbatore, India Email: vinoth.pre@gmail.com Ravisankar. B. Department of Met and Materials Engg National Institute of Tech Tiruchirappalli, India Email: brs@nitt.edu Abstract Diffusion bonding of Ti-6Al-4V alloy with Inconel 718 joints made at different process parameters namely, temperature, compressive stress and bonding time is studied and the optimum condition for obtaining the best bonding characteristics is reported. Integrity of the joints is evaluated by a non-destructive ultrasonic C-scan test. Strength of the joints is determined by micro-tensile test. The microstructural features across the interface of the joint are analysed by optical microscopy. Transverse hardness survey across the interface is determined by micro-hardness tester. Variation in chemical composition across the joints is analysed by Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS) attached to Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). The joints show layers of varying chemical composition suggesting that diffusion had occurred across the interface. The joint obtained by diffusion bonding at 850C and a compressive stress of 20 MPa for 2 hrs gives the best bonding characteristics.

Diffusion Bonding of Ti-6Al-4V alloy with Inconel 718 Keywords: Diffusion bonding, ultrasonic C-scan, SEM-EDS, Ti-6Al-4V alloy, Inconel 718

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1. Introduction
Diffusion bonding is a solid-state process in which coalescence is achieved between two flat surfaces through the application of compressive stress for a specified period of time at an elevated temperature well below the melting point of the materials to be bonded. Diffusion bonding is a two stage process with the initial stage causing localized plastic flow producing intimate contact followed by the second stage causing diffusion and grain growth across the original interface to establish the metallurgical bond. The energy required for the diffusion of atoms across the interface between the two metals is obtained from the applied stress and elevated temperature. The diffusion bonding process can be applied for joining metals, alloys and ceramics, of similar as well as dissimilar combinations. Since diffusion bonding is carried out at solid state, the problems of segregation, cracking and distortion commonly encountered in conventional fusion welding processes are avoided [1]. Researchers have worked on dissimilar welding of titanium with other metals using diffusion bonding [1 - 6]. Diffusion bonding of the dissimilar combinations of titanium alloy and Inconel was also carried out [7, 8]. In most of these works, joints quality was related with process parameters using mechanical tests which are destructive in nature. In the present work, attempts were made on establishing the joint quality of diffusion bonding, using C-scan ultrasonic technique. Diffusion bonding of Ti-6Al-4V alloy with Inconel 718 was carried out with varying process parameters and attempts on characterising the joint quality using C-scan ultrasonic technique and other characterisation tools. Dissimilar combinations of this type are generally used in gas turbine engines in aerospace applications.

2. Experimental Work
Diffusion bonding of Ti-6Al-4V alloy with Inconel 718 was carried out using an in-house designed and fabricated diffusion bonding unit. The unit consists of a vacuum furnace, a hydraulic press and a vacuum unit. The Ti-6Al-4V alloy and Inconel 718 specimens were machined to dimensions of 40 mm diameter x 40 mm length. The mating surfaces of the samples were polished in a disc polishing unit with 0.5 m diamond paste. The chemical composition and room temperature mechanical properties of Ti-6Al4V alloy and Inconel 718 used for the bonding experiments are given in table 1. The diffusion bonding was carried out using the process parameters given in table 2.
Table 1: Chemical composition (wt %) and mechanical properties (at room temp) of base metals
Chemical composition (Wt %) Ti-6Al-4V alloy Inconel 718 5.50 Al, 3.50V, 0.25 Fe, 0.08 C and balance Ti 18.5 Fe, 19 Cr, 3.05 Mo, 0.90 Ti, 5.13 Cb +Ta, 0.50 Al, 0.18 Mn, 0.18 Si, 0.15 Cu, 0.04 C and balance Ni Heat treatment Tensile condition ( MPa) Annealed Aged Ultimate Strength 1028 444 1272 Average Hardness (VHN) (at load 100 gm) 314

Table 2: Process parameters used for various diffusion bonding experiments

Experiment No 1 2 3 4 5 Temperature (C) 900 900 850 850 850 Stress (MPa) 30 20 20 20 20 Time ( hrs) 4 4 3 2 1

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After diffusion bonding, ultrasonic C-scan analysis was performed on the bonded samples to examine the quality of bonding in terms of the fraction of area bonded. The ultrasonic C-scan imaging as proposed by Cao et al [9] is suitable for the evaluation of welded joints for the discontinuities at the interface of the diffusion bonded joints. This is done by determining the fraction of the interface area that reflects the incident ultrasonic waves which is an indication of the percent of the bonded zone of the joint [10, 11]. A 5 MHz point-focused immersion probe with a resolution of 0.2 mm was used for the analysis. The bonded samples were longitudinally sectioned and the cut-sections were used for optical, electron microscopy and mechanical testing. Ultimate tensile strength of diffusion bonded joints was determined using a micro-tensometer. Optical metallography was carried out using Zeiss Axiovert25 Microscope. For preparing the metallography specimens, Kellers reagent (3ml HCl, 2ml HNO3, 1ml HF and 94ml H2O) was used as the etchant for Ti-6Al-4V alloy and Marbles reagent (45ml HCl, 30ml HNO 3, 30ml acetic acid) was used as the etchant for Inconel 718. Elemental distribution and elemental mapping across the diffusion zones were carried out by SEM-EDS (JEOL make JSM 6360 model SEM; backscattered electron mode; 25-28 kV). Using point analysis of EDS, the chemical composition of the different layers present at the interface was determined. Hardness survey across the interface was made using Mitutuyo micro hardness tester by applying a load of 100 gm for 15 seconds.

3. Results and Discussion

3.1. Base Materials Figure 1 shows the microstructures of the base metals Ti-6Al-4V alloy and Inconel 718. The microstructure of Ti-6Al-4V shows brighter and dark-etched phases and the microstructure of Inconel 718 shows single phase () structure. The grain size of Ti-6Al-4V alloy and Inconel 718 were approximately 20 m and 30m respectively. The average hardness was 314 VHN for Ti-6Al-4V alloy and 444 VHN for Inconel 718.
Figure 1: The microstructures of the base metals a) Ti-6Al-4V alloy and b) Inconel 718

a) 3.2. Ultrasonic C-scan Analysis

b)

The ultrasonic C-scan images were taken by fixing the gate region to include the interface of the Ti6Al4V alloy with Inconel 718 bonded joint. The C-scan images of the joints corresponding to different process parameters are shown in figure 2. The variation in the intensity of sound that is reflected from the sample and hence the bonding quality is shown in different colour scale in the image. Red is the minimum reflection (i.e. low bonding) and purple is the maximum reflection (i.e. high bonding). No de-lamination was observed in any of the samples at the interface. From the images, it is seen that the Ti6Al-4V alloy with Inconel 718 joint bonded under the condition of 850 oC, 20 MPa and 2 hrs shows the largest area fraction bonded.

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Figure 2: The ultrasonic C-scan images at the interface of the Ti-6Al-4V alloy with Inconel 718 bonded joints

3.3. Tension Test The tension test was carried out on diffusion bonded samples of Ti-6Al-4V alloy with Inconel 718 to find out the ultimate tensile strength of the bond. The average UTS values determined are given in table 3. The joint efficiency of the bonds was also calculated in terms of percentage of the Ultimate Tensile Strength (UTS) of the lower strength metal (i.e. Ti-6Al-4V alloy) in the dissimilar combination.
Table 3: Ultimate tensile strength of diffusion bonded samples
Diffusion Average UTS (MPa) Joint Efficiency* (%) bonding Parameters 1 292 09.50 28.4 used 2 250 14.29 24.3 900oC, 30 MPa, 4 hrs 3 298 12.08 28.9 900oC, 20 MPa, 4 hrs 4 471 15.71 45.9 850C, 20 MPa, 3 hrs 346 11.59 32.9 5 850C, 20 MPa, 2 hrs 850C, 20 MPa, 1 hr * Joint efficiency is calculated as percentage of the UTS of the lower strength metal (i.e., Ti-6Al-4V alloy) in the dissimilar combination. Experiment No

3.4. Optical Microscopy The optical metallographic microstructures near the interface of the diffusion bonded Ti-6Al-4V alloy with Inconel 718 joints are shown in figure 3. As seen from the micrographs, the specimen exhibited good bonding with no voids or porosities at the interface of the joint. Also the microstructures of the base metals Ti-6Al-4V alloy and Inconel 718 near to the interface were not affected by diffusion bonding.

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Figure 3: The microstructure near the interface of the diffusion bonded Ti-6Al-4V alloy with Inconel 718 joints with varying process parameters

3.5. Transverse Hardness Survey The hardness survey carried out transverse to the diffusion bonded interface is shown in figure 4. There is no steep fall in hardness indicating that there are no voids at the interface. There is an increase in hardness value at the interface in the case of joints carried out at the temperature of 900 OC. The hardness variation at the interface in the case of joints carried out at the temperature of 850 OC is minimum.

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Figure 4: Transverse Hardness survey across the interface of the diffusion bonded Ti-6Al-4V alloy with Inconel 718 joints with varying process parameters

3.6. SEM Micrographs and EDS Analysis SEM micrographs were taken and EDS analysis was carried out on the samples for elemental distribution, elemental mapping and point scan analysis. The SEM micrographs are based on the compositional contrast of back scattered electron signal. The EDS results of the bonded Ti-6Al-4V alloy with Inconel 718 samples along with the respective SEM micrographs are given in figures 5 to 9. From the micrographs, different layers were observed at the interface zone of the diffusion bonded joint. The thickness of the interface zone was approximately 5-7 m.
Figure 5: EDS analysis of the Ti-6Al-4V alloy with Inconel 718 joint diffusion bonded at 900OC, 30 MPa, 4 hrs

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Figure 6: EDS analysis of the Ti-6Al-4V alloy with Inconel 718 joint diffusion bonded at 900OC, 20 MPa, 4 hrs

Figure 7: EDS analysis of the Ti-6Al-4V alloy with Inconel 718 joint diffusion bonded at 850OC, 20 MPa, 3 hrs

Figure 8: EDS analysis of the Ti-6Al-4V alloy with Inconel 718 joint diffusion bonded at 850OC, 20 MPa, 2 hrs

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The concentration profiles of the elements across the interface of the joint were obtained by EDS elemental mapping and the elemental distribution analysis. The elemental mapping showed the inter-diffusion of the elements from both the sides. The diffusion of titanium of Ti-6Al-4V alloy into Inconel 718 and the diffusion of nickel and iron of Inconel 718 into Ti-6Al-4V alloy were higher when compared to other elements. EDS point analysis was carried out to determine the average composition of the different layers by taking on number of points in each layer [4, 6, 12]. In the case of samples of the experiments carried out at the temperature of 900OC, there were two layers at the interface with the average composition: 1) 62% Ti, 5%Fe, 26%Ni and 2) 81% Ti, 1.5%Fe, 8%Ni. In the case of samples of the experiments carried out at the temperature of 850OC, 20 MPa load, there were four layers at the interface with the average composition: 1) 17% Ti, 21%Fe, 32%Ni and 2) 42% Ti, 20%Fe, 32%Ni 3) 73% Ti, 5.5%Fe, 16.5%Ni and 4) 82.5% Ti, 2.5%Fe, 6.5%Ni.
Figure 9: EDS analysis of the Ti-6Al-4V alloy with Inconel 718 joint diffusion bonded at 850OC, 20 MPa, 1 hr

Both the tension test and the hardness test conducted on the bonded samples reveal a characteristic behaviour related to the bonding temperature. Tension test shows that the samples bonded at 900OC give rise to a tensile strength in the range of 250 to 292 MPa, whereas the samples bonded at 850OC give rise to a tensile strength in the range of 298 to 471 MPa. Thus the lower bonding temperature of 850OC has resulted in a higher strength compared to higher bonding temperature of 900OC. The transverse hardness survey also shows that the samples bonded at 900 OC contain hard zones at the interface whereas the samples bonded at 850OC have not developed any such hard zones. Lower strength and high hardness at the interface may be due to the formation of certain hard intermetallic phases which may predominantly form at higher temperature of 900 OC, but not at 850OC. This hypothesis may need further characterisation and more detailed experimental work for confirmation.

4. Conclusions
The following results were obtained from the diffusion bonding experiments on Ti-6Al-4V alloy with Inconel 718 joints: Good bonding was achieved at the bonding parameters: 850OC, 20 MPa, 2 hrs. The interface of the joint contains a number of layers of varying compositions suggesting that diffusion of different elements has taken place leading to solid state bonding.

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Acknowledgements
The authors sincerely thank the Aeronautical Research and Development Board (AR&DB), DRDO, India for sponsoring this research work.

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