Sandia Corporation

Sandia National Laboratories

Charles Henry Cadden

Steven Howard Goods

F Michael Hosking

Floyd M Hosking

James John Kelly

Vincent C Prantil

Nancy Yuan-Chi Yang

Nancy Yuan Chi Yang

A process for electrodepositing a low stress nickel-manganese multilayer alloy on an electrically conductive substrate is provided. The process includes the steps of immersing the substrate in an electrodeposition solution containing a nickel salt and a manganese salt and repeatedly passing an electric current through an immersed surface of the substrate. The electric current is alternately pulsed for predetermined durations between a first electrical current that is effective to electrodeposit nickel and a second electrical current that is effective to electrodeposit nickel and manganese. A multilayered alloy having adjacent layers of nickel and a nickel-manganese alloy on the immersed surface of the substrate is thereby produced. The resulting multilayered alloy exhibits low internal stress, high strength and ductility, and high strength retention upon exposure to heat.

Process for the electrodeposition of low stress nickel-manganese alloys

A system for joining a pair of structural members having widely differing coefficients of thermal expansion is disclosed. A mechanically &ldquo;thick&rdquo; foil is made by dispersing a refractory metal powder, such as molybdenum, niobium, tantalum, or tungsten into a quantity of a liquid, high expansion metal such as copper, silver, or gold, casting an ingot of the mixture, and then cutting sections of the ingot about 1 mm thick to provide the foil member. These foil members are shaped, and assembled between surfaces of structural members for joining, together with a layer of a braze alloy on either side of the foil member capable of wetting both the surfaces of the structural members and the foil. The assembled body is then heated to melt the braze alloy and join the assembled structure. The foil member subsequently absorbs the mechanical strain generated by the differential contraction of the cooling members that results from the difference in the coefficients of thermal expansion of the members.

Braze system and method for reducing strain in a braze joint

This invention relates to a method for preparing the surface of a ceramic component that enables direct brazing using a non-active braze alloy. The present invention also relates to a method for directly brazing a ceramic component to a ceramic or metal member using this method of surface preparation, and to articles produced by using this brazing method. The ceramic can be high purity alumina. The method comprises applying a first coating of a silicon-bearing oxide material (e.g. silicon dioxide or mullite (3Al O .2SiO ) to the ceramic. Next, a thin coating of active metal (e.g. Ti or V) is applied. Finally, a thicker coating of a non-active metal (e.g. Au or Cu) is applied. The coatings can be applied by physical vapor deposition (PVD). Alternatively, the active and non-active metals can be co-deposited (e.g. by sputtering a target made of mullite). After all of the coatings have been applied, the ceramic can be fired at a high temperature in a non-oxidizing environment to promote diffusion, and to enhance bonding of the coatings to the substrate. After firing, the metallized ceramic component can be brazed to other components using a conventional non-active braze alloy. Alternatively, the firing and brazing steps can be combined into a single step. This process can replace the need to perform a &ldquo;moly-manganese&rdquo; metallization step.

Coating system to permit direct brazing of ceramics

The present invention relates to a method for preparing the surface of a high purity alumina ceramic or sapphire specimen that enables direct brazing in a hydrogen atmosphere using an active braze alloy. The present invention also relates to a method for directly brazing a high purity alumina ceramic or sapphire specimen to a ceramic or metal member using this method of surface preparation, and to articles produced by this brazing method. The presence of silicon, in the form of a SiO,-containing surface layer, can more than double the tensile bond strength in alumina ceramic joints brazed in a hydrogen atmosphere using an active Au-16Ni-0.75 Mo-1.75V filler metal. A thin silicon coating applied by PVD processing can, after air firing, produce a semi-continuous coverage of the alumina surface with a SiO,film. Room temperature tensile strength was found to be proportional to the fraction of air fired surface covered by silicon-containing films. Similarly, the ratio of substrate fracture versus interface separation was also related to the amount of surface silicon present prior to brazing. This process can replace the need to perform a &ldquo;moly-manganese&rdquo; metallization step.

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Danville, CA, United States of America

Charles Henry Cadden