Effects of TiZn3 and TiZn16 components on the microstructure and mechanical performance of Ti-6Al-4 V alloy joints formed via ultrasonic assisted brazing using pre-galvanized workpieces.

While the use of a Zn interlayer has been demonstrated to reduce the temperature required for joining easily oxidized metal alloys in atmospheric environments, the effects of reactions between the titanium alloy workpieces and the Zn interlayer on the mechanical performance of the finished joints are poorly understood. The present work addresses this issue by evaluating the chemical compositions at the interfaces of pre-galvanized Ti-6Al-4 V alloys joined at 420 °C in an atmospheric environment by ultrasonic-assisted brazing, and relating the observed compositions to the mechanical performances of the joints. The Ti-6Al-4 V alloy workpieces are first wetted by pure Zn using an ultrasonic assisted hot dip galvanizing (U-HDG). The obtained ultrasonic excitations are demonstrated to destroy the oxide film on the surfaces of the Ti-6Al-4 V workpieces and promote reactions between Ti and Zn at the interfaces. The plating of Zn on the workpiece surfaces is demonstrated to be realized by the formation of intermetallic compounds (IMCs) comprising a uniform TiZn3 layer in contact with the Ti-6Al-4 V surface, followed by a mixed TiZn3 + TiZn16 layer and a η-Zn layer at the outer surface. Application of the ultrasonic-assisted brazing process is demonstrated to maintain uniform TiZn3 layers next to the Ti-6Al-4 V surfaces, while the concentration of the TiZn16 phase near the midpoint of the joints increases with increasing ultrasonic treatment time (UST) from 5 s to 20 s, and the corresponding concentration of the η-Zn phase decreases. The results of mechanical testing demonstrate that the shear strength of the joint obtained with a TiZn3 layer thickness of 8-12 µm and a UST of 10 s is 210 MPa, which is 3.55 times greater than that obtained for joints processed without pre-galvanization.

Dependence of wetting on cavitation during the spreading of a filler droplet on the ultrasonically agitated Al substrate.

The cavitation characteristics during the spreading of a pure Sn liquid droplet subjected to ultrasonication were studied for the first time through high-speed photography to reveal the wetting mechanism. Ultrasonic vibration realized the spreading of Sn droplet on the nonwetting pure Al substrate. However, the oxide layer of the substrate at the spreading front is difficult to remove. The high-speed photography result shows that a noncavitation region consistently appears at the spreading front, because the acoustic pressure is below the cavitation threshold of 1.26 MPa. In particular, the width of the noncavitation region gradually increases as the size of the spreading area increases. Such a result accounts for the condition wherein the oxide layer at the spreading front is difficult to remove. Furthermore, the bubble density during spreading gradually decreases due to the decreased acoustic pressure of the thinned liquid. Finally, the bubble dynamics were calculated to verify the wetting mechanism.

Ultrasonic cavitation at liquid/solid interface in a thin Ga-In liquid layer with free surface.

Cavitation in thin layer of liquid metal has potential applications in chemical reaction, soldering, extraction, and therapeutic equipment. In this work, the cavitation characteristics and acoustic pressure of a thin liquid Ga-In alloy were studied by high speed photography, numerical simulation, and bubble dynamics calculation. A self-made ultrasonic system with a TC4 sonotrode, was operated at a frequency of 20 kHz and a max output power of 1000 W during the cavitation recording experiment. The pressure field characteristic inside the thin liquid layer and its influence on the intensity, types, dimensions, and life cycles of cavitation bubbles and on the cavitation evolution process against experimental parameters were systematically studied. The results showed that acoustic pressure inside the thin liquid layer presented alternating positive and negative characteristics within 1 acoustic period (T). Cavitation bubbles nucleated and grew during the negative-pressure stage and shrank and collapsed during the positive-pressure stage. A high bubble growth speed of 16.8 m/s was obtained and evidenced by bubble dynamics calculation. The maximum absolute pressure was obtained at the bottom of the thin liquid layer and resulted in the strongest cavitation. Cavitation was divided into violent and weak stages. The violent cavitation stage lasted several hundreds of acoustic periods and had higher bubble intensity than the weak cavitation stage. Cavitation cloud preferentially appeared during the violent cavitation stage and had a life of several acoustic periods. Tiny cavitation bubbles with life cycles shorter than 1 T dominated the cavitation field. High cavitation intensities were observed at high ultrasonication power and when Q235B alloy was used because such conditions lead to high amplitudes on the substrate and further high acoustic pressure inside the liquid.

Cavitation in thin liquid layer: A review.

This review tries to cover as many research fields and literatures associated with cavitation in thin liquid layer as possible. The intent was to summarize (i) list all the research fields related to cavitation in thin liquid layer that can be collected, (ii) advances in the investigation of cavitation in thin liquid layer, and (iii) draw attention to the relatively macroscopic cavitation behavior in thin liquid layer.

Grain refinement caused by intensified cavitation within narrow channel and its improvement to ultrasonically soldered Al joint property.

In this work, grain refinement of the aluminum soldered joint was obtained by applying cavitation within narrow channels and the possible grain refinement mechanism was proposed. Aluminum sheets with different channel widths were ultrasonically soldered by pure Sn in air. An ultrasonic system with a TC4 sonotrode, was operated at a frequency of 20 kHz and power of 1000 W during soldering. The effect of channel width on grain size, element distribution and strength of the soldered joint was studied. Results showed that the grain size decreased from 2.62 to 1.04 µm and the element ratio of Al in solder increased from 0.93 to 4.86% when the channel width decreased from 0.8 to 0.2 mm. Instant solidification of Sn grains was readily observed in the joint before cooling due to the large undercooling induced by the intensified cavitation inside the narrow channels. The random cavitation induced nucleation of Sn was believed to be mainly responsible for the grain refinement of the soldered joint. The shear strength of the joint increased from 29.5 to 48.8 MPa and the hardness increased from 16.5 to 25.2 HV due to the grain refinement of Sn and the presence of Al transferred from the substrates.

Cavitation at filler metal/substrate interface during ultrasonic-assisted soldering. Part II: Cavitation erosion effect.

Using pure Sn as filler metal, this study investigated cavitation erosion effects during ultrasonic-assisted soldering. The physical process and mechanism of cavitation erosion were revealed. Superior erosion effects were observed under long ultrasonic times, small channel widths, and high ultrasonic powers. Different vibration intensities were obtained inside filler pool. Region I, which was located far from the sonotrode, exhibited a stronger vibration intensity and better erosion effect than those of the other regions. The erosion incubation stage was shorted than 0.5 s at the channel width of 0.2 mm. Complete oxide layer removal was obtained at an ultrasonic time of 2 s under this condition. The violent cavitation stage was shorter than the erosion incubation stage, and the removal of the oxide layer mainly depended on the stable cavitation stage.

Ultrafast air bonding between SiC ceramic and SnAgTi alloy under the action of ultrasounds.

With the aim of overcoming the limitations of traditional soldering ceramic methods for power device packaging, a simple but ultrafast bonding technology is reported. The effect and mechanism of ultrasonic action on the interfacial bonding and microstructure is investigated and thoroughly discussed. An ultrafast interfacial bond between SiC ceramics and SnAgTi active solder has been successfully achieved through a reaction at the interface at a low temperature of 250 °C in the extremely short time. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) revealed that a silica layer on the surface of SiC reacted with Ti from the SnAgTi active solder to form a nanometer-thickness amorphous titania layer at the interface under the ultrasonic action, which creates an exceptional interfacial structure and facilitates bonding between the two dissimilar crystals. A discontinuous titania layer at the interface was identified within 0.1 s. With further increasing ultrasonic action time to 1 s, a continuous titania layer with a thickness of 7.6 ± 0.5 nm formed at the interface. A new interfacial reaction mechanism was revealed and it was found that ultrasound accelerated the reaction of liquid active solder/ceramic. Our finding demonstrated that ultrasound could be an effective approach for joining ceramics which is difficult to wet by a liquid metal at low temperature. The combined impact of ultrasonic cavitation and streaming dominated the mechanism and kinetics of the rapid interfacial reaction.

Wetting mechanism of Sn to Zr50.7Cu28Ni9Al12.3 bulk metallic glass assisted by ultrasonic treatment.

In this work, pure Sn was used to wet Zr50.7Cu28Ni9Al12.3 bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) assisted by ultrasonic treatment. Without ultrasonic treatment, pure Sn showed a non-wetting condition to BMG. Ultrasonic vibration facilitated the wetting of Sn to BMG. Prior to ultrasonication for 30 s, only physical adsorption formed at the Sn/BMG interface. Increasing ultrasonic time led to the alteration of the bond at the Sn/BMG interface from point contact to local surface contact, and to diffusion layer. Two bonding modes of order-order and order-disorder were discovered at the Sn/BMG interface. Cu content was higher than the other elements near the bonding interface. Longer diffusion distances of Sn into the BMG were obtained at high ultrasonic power, high temperature and large dip depth.

Cavitation at filler metal/substrate interface during ultrasonic-assisted soldering. Part I: Cavitation characteristics.

The cavitation characteristics at filler metal/substrate interface during ultrasonic-assisted soldering were first recorded by high-speed photography in this work. Two kinds of bubbles, steady cavitation bubbles and transient cavitation bubbles were observed. Steady cavitation bubbles did not collapse within one acoustic period and could last longer than 50 acoustic periods. Transient cavitation bubbles formed and collapsed within one acoustic period. The cavitation process was divided into two stages based on the cavitation characteristics. The first violent cavitation stage was in fact the degassing process, which lasted approximately 2700 acoustic periods and was affected by the gas content trapped inside the filler metal and the stronger vibration at the initiation stage of ultrasonic-assisted soldering. The second steady cavitation stage had obvious low bubble density and accounted for the most of the soldering process. Higher cavitation densities were observed when small channel width and large ultrasonic power were used because of larger sound pressures inside the filler metal.

Control Al/Mg intermetallic compound formation during ultrasonic-assisted soldering Mg to Al.

To prevent the formation of Al/Mg intermetallic compounds (IMCs) of Al3Mg2 and Al12Mg17, dissimilar Al/Mg were ultrasonic-assisted soldered using Sn-based filler metals. A new IMC of Mg2Sn formed in the soldered joints during this process and it was prone to crack at large thickness. The thickness of Mg2Sn was reduced to 22 µm at 285 °C when using Sn-3Cu as the filler metal. Cracks were still observed inside the blocky Mg2Sn. The thickness of Mg2Sn was significantly reduced when using Sn-9Zn as the filler metal. A 17 µm Mg2Sn layer without crack was obtained at a temperature of 200 °C, ultrasonic power of Mode I, and ultrasonic time of 2 s. The shear strengths of the joints using Sn-9Zn was much higher than those using Sn-3Cu because of the thinner Mg2Sn layer in the former joints. Sn whiskers were prevented by using Sn-9Zn. A cavitation model during ultrasonic assisted soldering was proposed.

Rod-shaped cavitation bubble structure in ultrasonic field.

Rod-shaped cavitation bubble structure in thin liquid layers in ultrasonic field is investigated experimentally. It is found that cavitation structure successively experiences several stages with the change of the thickness of the thin liquid layer. Rod-shaped structure is a stable structure of the boundary between the cavitation cloud region and the non-cavitation liquid region, which can be formed in two different ways. Cavitation bubbles in a thin liquid layer have a distribution in the thickness direction. The rod-shaped structures tend to crosslink with each other to form stable Y-branch structures. The angle of the Y-branch structure is Gauss distribution with mathematical expectation µâ€¯= 119.93. A special rod-shaped cavitation structure with source is also investigated in detail. Due to the pressure gradient in the normal direction, the primary Bjerknes force causes the bubbles in the rod-shaped structure on both sides to converge to the axis. The secondary Bjerknes forces between the bubbles also make the cluster converge, so the large bubbles which are attached to the radiating surface tend to align themselves along the central line. According to the formula deduced in this paper, the variation of curvature of curved rod-shaped structure is qualitatively analyzed. The Y-branch structure of cavitation cloud and Plateau boundary of soap bubbles are compared.

Microstructural evolution of SiC joints soldered using Zn-Al filler metals with the assistance of ultrasound.

SiC ceramics were successfully soldered with the assistance of ultrasound. Two kinds of filler metals, namely non-eutectic Zn-5Al-3Cu and eutectic Zn-5Al alloys, were used. The effects of ultrasonic action on the microstructure and mechanical properties of the soldered joints were investigated. The results showed that ultrasound could promote the wetting and bonding between the SiC ceramic and filler metals within tens of seconds. For the Zn-5Al-3Cu solder, a fully grain-refined structure in the bond layer was obtained as the ultrasonic action time increased. This may lead to a substantial enhancement in the strength of the soldered joints. For the Zn-5Al solder, the shear strength of the soldered joints was only ∼102 MPa when the ultrasonic action time was shorter, and fractures occurred in the brittle lamellar eutectic phases in the center of the bond layer. With increasing ultrasonic action time, the lamellar eutectic phase in the bond layer of SiC joints could be completely transformed to a fine non-lamellar eutectic structure. Meanwhile, the grains in the bond layer were obviously refined. Those results led to the remarkable enhancement of the shear strength of the joints (∼138 MPa) using the Zn-5Al solder, which had approached that enhancement using the Zn-5Al-3Cu solder. The enhanced mechanical properties of the joints were attributed to the significant refinement of the grains and the change in the eutectic structure in the bond layer. Prolonged enhanced heterogeneous nucleation triggered by ultrasonic cavitation is the predominant refinement mechanism of the bond metals of the SiC joints.

Ultrasonic-assisted soldering of fine-grained 7034 aluminum alloy using Sn-Zn solders below 300°C.

The fine-grained Al alloys prefer to be soldered at as low as temperature to keep their mechanical properties. Solders of Sn-4Zn, Sn-9Zn, and Sn-20Zn alloys were used to solder fine-grained 7034 Al alloy pieces by ultrasonic-assisted soldering below 300°C in air. The joint using Sn-4Zn solder had the highest tensile strength of 201MPa and the fractures occurred in both ß-Sn and Sn-Zn eutectic phases. Such joint was much stronger than the 1060 Al joint using Sn-4Zn solder, and its strength had approached the strength of 7034 Al joint using Zn-5Al solder. The strength of the joints using Sn-9Zn and Sn-20Zn solders dropped to∼160MPa due to the appearance of weak interfaces between η-Zn and eutectic phases in the bond layers. All the joints using Sn-Zn solders had very strong interfacial bonding, and alumina interlayers were identified at all the interfaces. Al dissolved in the bond layer reacted with the O rapidly to form alumina interlayers at the interfaces under the ultrasonic action. Zn segregated at the interface and formed strong bonds with both the Al terminated surface of alumina and the bond layer, resulting in strong interfacial bonding between Sn-Zn solders and Al alloys.

Stability of cavitation structures in a thin liquid layer.

The inception and evolution of acoustic cavitation structures in thin liquid layers under different conditions and perturbations are investigated experimentally with high speed photography. The stability and characterization of cavitation structures are quantified by image analysis methods. It is found that cavitation structures (shape of bubble cloud and number of bubbles) are stable under unaltered experimental conditions, and the cavitation bubble cloud will return to the original structure and remain stable even in the face of large perturbations. When the experimental conditions are altered (for example, acoustic intensity, cavitation nuclei, boundary), the cavitation structures will vary correspondingly. Further analysis implies that the stability of cavitation structures is closely related to the number of bubbles in the cavitation bubble cloud. There are two mechanisms acting simultaneously in the cavitation bubble cloud evolution, one "bubble production" and the other "bubble disappearance". We propose that the two mechanisms acting together constitute the most likely explanation for the stability of cavitation structures and their transformation.

Ultrasonic-promoted rapid TLP bonding of fine-grained 7034 high strength aluminum alloys.

High strength aluminum alloys are extremely sensitive to the thermal cycle of welding. An ultrasonic-promoted rapid TLP bonding with an interlayer of pure Zn was developed to join fine-grained 7034 aluminum alloys at the temperature of lower 400°C. The oxide film could be successfully removed with the ultrasonic vibration, and the Al-Zn eutectic liquid phase generated once Al and Zn contacted with each other. Longer ultrasonic time can promote the diffusion of Zn into the base metal, which would shorten the holding time to complete isothermal solidification. The joints with the full solid solution of α-Al can be realized with the ultrasonic action time of 60s and holding time of only 3min at 400°C, and the shear strength of joints could reach 223MPa. The joint formation mechanism and effects of ultrasounds were discussed in details.

Surface tension and quasi-emulsion of cavitation bubble cloud.

A quasi-emulsion phenomenon of cavitation structure in a thin liquid layer (the thin liquid layer is trapped between a radiating surface and a hard reflector) is investigated experimentally with high-speed photography. The transformation from cloud-in-water (c/w) emulsion to water-in-cloud (w/c) emulsion is related to the increase of cavitation bubble cloud. The acoustic field in the thin liquid layer is analyzed. It is found that the liquid region has higher acoustic pressure than the cloud region. The bubbles are pushed from liquid region to cloud region by the primary Bjerknes forces. The rate of change of CSF increased with the increase of CSF. The cavitation bubbles on the surface of cavitation cloud are attracted by the cavitation bubbles inside the cloud due to secondary Bjerknes forces. The existence of surface tension on the interface of liquid region and cloud region is proved. The formation mechanism of disc-shaped liquid region and cloud region are analysed by surface tension and incompressibility of cavitation bubble cloud.

Rapid ultrasound-induced transient-liquid-phase bonding of Al-50Si alloys with Zn interlayer in air for electrical packaging application.

Al-50Si alloys were joined by rapid ultrasound-induced transient-liquid-phase bonding method using Zn foil as interlayer at 390°C in air, below the melt point of interlayer. The fracture of oxide films along the edge of Si particles led to contact and inter-diffusion between aluminum substrate and Zn interlayer, and liquefied Zn-Al alloys were developed. The width of Zn-Al alloys gradually decreased with increasing the ultrasonic vibration time due to liquid squeezing out and accelerated diffusion. A stage of isothermal solidification existed, and the completion time was significantly shortened. In the liquid metal, the acoustic streaming and ultrasonic cavitations were induced. As the process developed, much more Si particles, which were particulate-reinforced phases of Al-50Si, gradually migrated to the center of soldering seam. The highest average shear strength of joints reached to 94.2MPa, and the fracture mainly occurred at the base metal.

Building a nano-crystalline α-alumina layer at a liquid metal/sapphire interface by ultrasound.

Transitional layers at the metal/ceramic interface play an very important role in ceramic joining. In this study, sapphire blocks were ultrasonically dipped in liquid Sn-Zn-Al alloy. It is found that the ultrasound promoted rapid oxidation reaction of aluminum at the Sn-Zn-Al/sapphire interface at 230°C in the ambient atmosphere, resulting in the formation of a nano-crystalline α-Al2O3 layer (NCAL). In a ∼2nm boundary layer of the NCAL, the lattice matches the sapphire substrate well. Thus, a smooth transition of the lattice from sapphire to metal was formed through the NCAL. Ultrasonically soldered sapphire joints were made with Sn-Zn-Al as the filler alloy. Compressive shear strength of the joints reached 43-48MPa, which is relatively high comparing to other Al2O3 joints made of Sn alloys doped with Ti or Rear Earth elements. Thus, a new mechanism of ultrasonic soldering, i.e. building an oxide transitional layer on the surface of the solid, was revealed. We expect this sonochemical process to be applicable to other metal/oxide systems.

Vibration characteristics of aluminum surface subjected to ultrasonic waves and their effect on wetting behavior of solder droplets.

The vibration characteristics of an aluminum surface subjected to ultrasonic waves were investigated with a combination of numerical simulation and experimental testing. The wetting behavior of solder droplets on the vibrating aluminum surface was also examined. The results show that the vibration pattern of the aluminum surface is inhomogeneous. The amplitude of the aluminum surface exceeds the excitation amplitude in some zones, while the amplitude decreases nearly to zero in other zones. The distribution of the zero-amplitude zones is much less dependent on the strength of the vibration than on the location of the vibration source. The surface of the liquid solder vibrates at an ultrasonic frequency that is higher than the vibration source, and the amplitude of the liquid solder is almost twice that of the aluminum surface. The vibration of the surface of the base metal (liquid solder) correlates with the oxide film removal effect. Significant removal of the oxide film can be achieved within 2s when the amplitude of the aluminum surface is higher than 5.4 µm or when the amplitude of the liquid solder surface is higher than 10.2 µm.

Interaction behaviors at the interface between liquid Al-Si and solid Ti-6Al-4V in ultrasonic-assisted brazing in air.

Power ultrasonic vibration (20 kHz, 6 µm) was applied to assist the interaction between a liquid Al-Si alloy and solid Ti-6Al-4V substrate in air. The interaction behaviors, including breakage of the oxide film on the Ti-6Al-4V surface, chemical dissolution of solid Ti-6Al-4V, and interfacial chemical reactions, were investigated. Experimental results showed that numerous 2-20 µm diameter-sized pits formed on the Ti-6Al-4V surface. Propagation of ultrasonic waves in the liquid Al-Si alloy resulted in ultrasonic cavitation. When this cavitation occurred at or near the liquid/solid interface, many complex effects were generated at the small zones during the bubble implosion, including micro-jets, hot spots, and acoustic streaming. The breakage behavior of oxide films on the solid Ti-6Al-4V substrate, excessive chemical dissolution of solid Ti-6Al-4V into liquid Al-Si, abnormal interfacial chemical reactions at the interface, and phase transformation between the intermetallic compounds could be wholly ascribed to these ultrasonic effects. An effective bond between Al-Si and Ti-6Al-4V can be produced by ultrasonic-assisted brazing in air.