Development of low silver AgCuZnSn filler metal for Cu/steel dissimilar metal joining

Abstract

The microstructure and properties of a Cu/304 stainless steel dissimilar metal joint brazed with a low silver Ag16.5CuZnSn-xGa-yCe braze filler after aging treatment were investigated. The results indicated that the addition of Ce could reduce the intergranular penetration depth of the filler metal into the stainless steel during the aging process. The minimum penetration depth in the Ag16.5CuZnSn-0.15Ce brazed joint was decreased by 48.8% compared with the Ag16.5CuZnSn brazed joint. Moreover, the shear strength of the brazed joint decreased with aging time while the shear strength of the AgCuZnSn-xGa-yCe joint was still obviously higher than the Ag16.5CuZnSn joint after a 600 h aging treatment. The fracture type of the Ag16.5CuZnSn-xGa-yCe brazed joints before aging begins ductile and turns slightly brittle during the aging process. Compared to all the results, the Ag16.5CuZnSn-2Ga-0.15Ce brazed joints show the best performance and could satisfy the requirements for cost reduction and long-term use.