A parameter governing the melting induced at the micrometer level in a dissimilar metal wire system by Joule heating

In this paper, we deal with the phenomenon of melting at the point of contact between dissimilar metals by Joule heating. A heat conduction model for this dissimilar metal wire system is considered and the current required to sever the wire system by Joule heating is determined. The position at which the wire system severs depends on the ratio of the lengths of the two wires. Whereas this dependency is discontinuous, the current required to sever the wire is found to be continuous with respect to the ratio of the wire lengths, and the behaviors of the position and the current for severing the wire system are found to be classified into three regions. Based on these findings, a parameter that governs the melting phenomenon at the micrometer level for different ratios of wire lengths is proposed. Attempts were made to weld 25 mu m thick Cu and Al wires of various lengths together by Joule heating. Moreover, the conditions for stably welding dissimilar metal wires together can be found quantitatively using the parameter proposed in this paper. It is noted that the welding condition described by the proposed parameter is independent with respect to the ratio of the lengths of the two wires in the respective regions. (C) 2015 AIP Publishing LLC.