Robust Joining and Integration Technologies for Advanced Metallic, Ceramic, and Composite Systems

Robust integration and assembly technologies are critical for the successful implementation of advanced metallic, ceramic, carbon-carbon, and ceramic matrix composite components in a wide variety of aerospace, space exploration, and ground based systems. Typically, the operating temperature of these components varies from few hundred to few thousand Kelvin with different working times (few minutes to years). The wide ranging system performance requirements necessitate the use of different integration technologies which includes adhesive bonding, low temperature soldering, active metal brazing, diffusion bonding, ARCJoinT, and ultra high temperature joining technologies. In this presentation, a number of joining examples and test results will be provided related to the adhesive bonding and active metal brazing of titanium to C/C composites, diffusion bonding of silicon carbide to silicon carbide using titanium interlayer, titanium and hastelloy brazing to silicon carbide matrix composites, and ARCJoinT joining of SiC ceramics and SiC matrix composites. Various issues in the joining of metal-ceramic systems including thermal expansion mismatch and resulting residual stresses generated during joining will be discussed. In addition, joint design and testing issues for a wide variety of joints will be presented.