Microstructure and Tensile Strength of the Bonded Interfaces and Parent Materials in W/ODS Steel Joints Fabricated by Direct SSDB

In the present work, Tungsten (W)/oxide dispersion strengthened (ODS) steel joints were fabricated by the direct solid state diffusion bonding (SSDB) technology with a multistage cooling process, and the microstructure and tensile strength of the bonded interfaces and parent materials were experimentally investigated. The results show that W and ODS steel can be successfully bonded at the temperature ranging from 900 °C to 1050 °C, without severe macroscopic deformation or obvious microscopic defects. Reaction layers generated at the bonded interfaces are evolutive with the bonding temperature, result in different fracture locations of the bonded joints. In the joint bonded at 950 °C, a higher interfacial strength of ~ 234.2 MPa is achieved, due to the formation of nano-scale intermetallic compound FeW. Microstructure of W remains stable after all the SSDB processes, while the lath structure of ODS steel is completely broken and transformed into the equiaxed grains, which should be responsible for the deterioration of strength. When the bonding temperature is higher than 950 °C, the pinning effect of precipitates M₂₃C₆ and nano-oxide particles on the movement of dislocations is observed.