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Completed TRL 2 (started at 2, targeting 3)
This project is focused on developing high-performance transient liquid phase bonding strategies between Nitinol (a shape memory alloy) and dissimilar materials (e.g., steels and titanium alloys) to enable its use in extreme aerospace applications. The primary objectives of this research are to understand atomic diffusion during bonding, and ultimately control phase formation to produce strong and tough joints. In particular, this project will: design interlayer compositions, tailored throughout their thickness, to avoid brittle phase formation; determine interlayer formulations that minimize fabrication cost and bonding time; and, most importantly, demonstrate this process can be scaled to free-standing interlayer foils that are relevant for commercial use. The insights gained from this project can be applied to any dissimilar material joining (or layer-by-layer) process where intermetallic formation and cracking is a concern.
The Transient Liquid Phase Dealloying (TLPD) project will enable the design and fabrication of strong, tough, and intermetallic free joints between Shape Memory Alloys (SMAs) without impeding their functional performance. This project is targeting >90% joint efficiency, >10% strain to failure, with limited impact on shape memory and super elastic response, between Nitinol and 1) two Nitinol-base alloys, 2) Ti-6A1-4V, 3) Inconel 718, and 4) 316-L stainless steel. The interlayers will be beneficial to any dissimilar material joining process where intermetallic formation and cracking is a concern and the project will provide insights into efficient functional grading as it applies to any layer-by-layer process.
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