Graphite-Metal Brazing for Thermal Applications

Various plasma facing components are being designed and fabricated to support Magnetic Fusion Energy experiments. They typically consist of graphite tiles mechanically or metallurgically attached to metallic cooling substrates. This paper will discuss the active brazing of isotropic and pyrolytic graphite to oxygen free, high conductivity (OFHC) Cu and an alumina-dispersion strengthened Cu with a Ag-Cu-Ti active filler metal. The Ti constituent promotes direct wetting of graphite with the formation of a thin TiC reaction layer. Joint design and materials selection are critical factors since graphite and Cu have large thermal expansion differences that affect residual stresses after brazing and subsequent component thermal performance. Low thermal expansion Mo and compliant Cu interlayers were introduced to lower the residual stresses and extend the thermal life of prototype graphite-Cu braze joints. Although the interlayers showed evidence of reducing the incidence of graphite cracking and spalling under thermal loading when brazed to the dispersion-stengthened Cu, the best graphite braze joints were produced with the more ductile OFHC Cu substrates and no interlayer. These latter joints survived simulated tokamak surface high heat fluxes of 30 MW•m^-2 or greater, while comparable dispersion strengthened Cu samples failed at 10 MW•m^-2.