NEW PROCESS FOR BRAZING CERAMICS UTILIZING SQUEEZE CASTING

A new joining process for ceramics to ceramics and ceramics to metals, "SQ brazing", has been developed. This process utilizes squeeze casting; a brazing material is squeezed into the interface channel to be brazed and is solidified under a high pressure. This new process has several advantages, low cost, mass producibility, high interface strength and high reliability, no severe reaction, etc. Alumina to alumina and silicon nitride to silicon nitride brazing with pure aluminium are shown as examples. Alumina containing silica as a sintering additive brazed by a conventional method severely reacted with aluminium braze so that the joint strength was low. After SQ brazing, reaction was moderate and the strength almost reached that of the parent alumina. Silicon nitride could be brazed by SQ brazing. Although the simple SQ brazing could not make a strong interface, pre-oxidization treatment of silicon nitride increased the joint strength beyond 400 MPa.