Effect of foam interlayer thickness and pore size on the microstructure and properties of brazed joints

Ni foam was introduced as an interlayer to improve the performance of the brazed C/C composite-TC4 titanium alloy joint, and high-quality brazed connections of c/c composites and TC4 were realized. Compared to a brazing joint without foam, the introduction of a foam Ni interlayer can achieve a more uniform bonding interface. The effects of the thickness and pore size of the foam Ni interlayer on the microstructure, mechanical properties and residual stresses of the joints were investigated. With increasing thickness and pore diameter, Ag-based solid solutions and Ti–Cu intermetallic compounds first become more dispersed and smaller at the center of the brazed joints, and then aggregate to become larger. The brazed interface microstructure with a 0.4 mm thick foam Ni interlayer with a pore size of 0.5 mm was more uniform, and the shear strength of the joint reached 21.23 MPa, representing an 85.96 % increase compared to the joint without the foam Ni interlayer. The residual stress and its distribution calculated by finite element method (FEM), and the residual stress of the brazed joint decreased from 467 MPa/-289.53 MPa to 457.96 MPa/-234.98 MPa. These results indicated that the Ni foam could act as a buffer layer to reduce the residual thermal stress, and improve the mechanical properties of C/C composite-TC4 titanium alloy joint.