Abstract:The evolutionary process and intermetallic compounds of Cu/Al couples during isothermal heating at a constant bonding temperature of 550°C were investigated in this paper. The interfacial morphologies and microstructures were examined by optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy equipped with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction. The results suggest that bonding is not achieved between Cu and Al at 550°C in 10 min due to undamaged oxide films. Upon increasing the bonding time from 15 to 25 min, however, metallurgical bonding is obtained in these samples, and the thickness of the reactive zone varies with holding time. In the interfacial region, the final microstructure consists of Cu 9 Al 4 , CuAl, CuAl 2 , and α-Al + CuAl 2 . Furthermore, these results provide new insights into the mechanism of the interfacial reaction between Cu and Al. Microhardness measurements show that the chemical composition exerts a significant influence on the mechanical properties of Cu/Al couples.

Cu/Al composites are of vital importance in industrial applications because of their numerous advantages. The influence of bonding temperature and cooling rate on the microstructure and morphology of Cu/Al composites was investigated in this paper. The interfacial morphology and constituent phases at the Cu/Al interface were analyzed by optical microscopy and field-emission scanning electron microscopy equipped with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The results indicate that effective Cu-Al bonding requires a higher bonding temperature to facilitate interdiffusion between the two metals. The microstructural characteristics are associated with various bonding temperatures, which impact the driving force of interdiffusion. It is observed that cooling rate exerts a significant influence on the morphology and amount of the intermetallic compounds at the interfacial region. Meanwhile, microhardness measurements show that hardness varies with the bonding temperature and rate of cooling.