Transient Liquid Phase Bonding of Magnesium Alloy AZ31 Using Cu Coatings and Cu Coatings with Sn Interlayers

Transient liquid phase bonding (TLP) of AZ31 samples has been investigated using Cu coatings and Cu coatings with Sn interlayer. Copper coatings were used for one set of the bonds, and a combination of Cu coatings and Sn interlayer was used for the other set of bonds. The bonding temperature was fixed at 520 °C, and various bonding times were applied. This study shows that the bonds produced using only Cu coatings have shown weaker bonds compared to the bonds made using Cu coatings and Sn interlayer. The Cu2Mg particles were detected at the joint region of both bonds made by Cu coatings and Cu coatings with Sn interlayer by X-ray diffraction (XRD). However, it has been observed that the joint region was dominated by solid solution which is rich in Mg. Sn interlayer was not contributed to the intermetallic compound (IMC) at the joint region, and therefore it was diffused away through the Mg matrix. Within the joint interface, a slight increase of micro-hardness was observed compared to Mg base metal alloy. This was attributed to the formation and presence of IMC’s within the joint region. It was noticed that the presence of the Sn interlayer improved the joint strength by reducing the pores at the joint region. Pores were clearly observed for those bonds made using Cu coatings—especially for region where the fracture occurs; this was accomplished by scanning electron microscope (SEM)