Refractory Brazing Fillers with Low Vapor Pressure

THE PROPOSED RESEARCH ADDRESSES THE DEVELOPMENT OF SEVERAL DIFFERENT TYPES OF REFRACTORY BRAZING FILLERS AND EVALUATION OF THEIR PROPERTIES FOR HIGH TEMPERATURE AND LOW VAPOR PRESSURE APPLICATIONS. REFRACTORY METALS AND ALLOYS ARE OMNIPRESENT IN NUCLEAR SPACE REACTOR ASSEMBLIES. JOINING AND BONDING PARTS MADE OF SUCH MATERIALS WHILE STILL MAINTAINING THEIR EFFECTIVENESS IS A MAJOR CONCERN. FABRICATION WITH REFRACTORY METALS REQUIRES BONDS MADE AT TEMPERATURES BELOW THE MELTING POINTS OF THE PIECES BEING JOINED. THE BONDING STRENGTH BETWEEN THE BRAZING FILLER AND THE BASE MATERIAL CONSTITUTES THE SCOPE OF THIS PROPOSAL. THE FOCAL POINT WOULD BE THE SELECTION AND FABRICATION OF EUTECTIC BRAZING FILLERS AND THE EFFICIENT GENERATION OF MACHANICAL STRENGTH, MICROSTRUCTURAL DEGRADATION, AND INTERFACIAL PHENOMENON OF THE BRAZING FILLER AND BASE MATERIAL. THE RESULTS OF THIS INVESTIGATION WOULD BE OF TREMENDOUS IMPORTANCE TO THE DESIGN IN SELECTING THE SCREENED AND TESTED FILLERS FROM AN ESTABLISHED DATA BASE AND LEAD TO A CONSIDERABLE SAVING IN TIME AND EFFORT INVOLVED IN THE DESIGN OF AEROSPACE RELATED COMPONENTS.