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Transmission electron microscopy of an ultrasonically consolidated copper–aluminum interface

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Abstract

Ultrasonic consolidation is a rapid manufacturing process for metal matrix composite (MMC) preimpregnated composite (prepreg) tapes or foils. One of the main advantages of this manufacturing technique over traditional MMC methods is the ability to produce multimaterial structures through the layer-by-layer build-up procedure. The interface of an ultrasonically consolidated bimaterial interface has not been studied on the nanometer scale through transmission electron microscopy (TEM), which can help better understand the bonding mechanisms. An ultrasonically consolidated copper–aluminum (Cu–Al) interface was explored through TEM, through which a 1-µm recrystallized subgrain region was observed on the aluminum side and dislocation pile-up was viewed between the subgrain and bulk aluminum interface. Phase changes were suspected due to varying contrast bands parallel to the Cu–Al interface and were confirmed through an x-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy (XEDS) linescan. An apparent diffusion coefficient was calculated, which supported bulk diffusion at the measured welding temperature of 493 °C and subgrain size of 20–50 nm.

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The authors would like to thank Dr. C. Ni, Dr. F. Deng, and Dr. J. Sloppy for their helpful discussions and the use of the instruments in the W. M. Keck Electron Microscopy Facility at the University of Delaware.

Research was sponsored by the Army Research Laboratory and was accomplished under Cooperative Agreement Number W911NF-06-2-011. The views and conclusions contained in this document are those of the authors and should not be interpreted as representing the official policies, either expressed or implied, of the Army Research Laboratory or the U.S. Government. The U.S. Government is authorized to reproduce and distribute reprints for Government purposes notwithstanding any copyright notation hereon.

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  1. Jennifer M. Sietins

    Present address: U.S. Army Research Laboratory, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Aberdeen, MD, 21005, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Material Science and Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, 19716, USA

    Jennifer M. Sietins & John W. Gillespie Jr.

  2. Center for Composite Materials, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, 19716, USA

    Jennifer M. Sietins, John W. Gillespie Jr. & Suresh G. Advani

  3. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, 19716, USA

    John W. Gillespie Jr.

  4. Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, 19716, USA

    John W. Gillespie Jr. & Suresh G. Advani

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  1. Jennifer M. Sietins
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  2. John W. Gillespie Jr.
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  3. Suresh G. Advani
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Correspondence to John W. Gillespie Jr..

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Sietins, J.M., Gillespie, J.W. & Advani, S.G. Transmission electron microscopy of an ultrasonically consolidated copper–aluminum interface. Journal of Materials Research 29, 1970–1977 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1557/jmr.2014.176

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1557/jmr.2014.176

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