Microstructural evolution of SiC ceramic joints during pulsed current-assisted welding with SiC85Ti7.5Zr7.5 interlayer

IF 6 2区材料科学 Q1 MATERIALS SCIENCE, CERAMICS

Ceramics International Pub Date : 2026-10-01 Epub Date: 2026-07-22 DOI:10.1016/j.ceramint.2026.07.420

Yumeng Mei, Wenjie Jian, Yafeng Wang, Xiaoqiang Li, Yunxi Zheng, Lianfeng Wei

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Abstract

SiC exhibits excellent high-temperature stability, corrosion resistance, and irradiation tolerance. These properties make it attractive for extreme environments such as nuclear reactors and fuel cladding. However, the integrated fabrication of complex functional SiC components remains challenging and costly. This study employed a pulsed current-assisted SiC joining process with a SiC85Ti7.5Zr7.5 interlayer. The effects of pulsed current on joint densification and element diffusion were investigated under different welding temperatures. The influence of pulsed current density on grain size evolution was also analyzed. The results showed that pulsed current enhanced the diffusion of Ti and Zr as well as the migration of vacancies through electromigration, thereby promoting joint densification and reducing the joining temperature required for dense bonding by approximately 100 °C. A maximum shear strength of 184.5 MPa was achieved. Under low current density, the coupled electric–thermal–mechanical fields promoted the 3C→6H polymorphic transformation of SiC and facilitated the formation of low-energy Σ3 and Σ9 grain boundaries. Homogeneous elemental diffusion, fine precipitate formation, and the transformation toughening of ZrO₂ effectively relieved residual stresses and suppressed crack propagation. In contrast, excessive current density induced local overheating, nonequilibrium elemental segregation, and microstructural coarsening, leading to the precipitation of coarse SiC-3C, ZrC, and ZrSi₂ phases and a consequent reduction in joint performance. These findings reveal the role of pulsed current in regulating mass transport, phase transformation, and grain-boundary evolution during SiC joining. This work provides a theoretical basis and processing guidance for the integrated fabrication of SiC structural-functional components and supports their engineering applications in nuclear and high-temperature aerospace fields.

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SiC85Ti7.5Zr7.5中间层脉冲电流辅助焊接SiC陶瓷接头组织演变

碳化硅具有优异的高温稳定性、耐腐蚀性和耐辐照性。这些特性使其在核反应堆和燃料包层等极端环境中具有吸引力。然而，复杂功能SiC元件的集成制造仍然具有挑战性且成本高昂。本研究采用脉冲电流辅助SiC与SiC85Ti7.5Zr7.5中间层的连接工艺。研究了不同焊接温度下脉冲电流对接头致密化和元素扩散的影响。分析了脉冲电流密度对晶粒尺寸演变的影响。结果表明，脉冲电流增强了Ti和Zr的扩散，并通过电迁移促进了空位的迁移，从而促进了接头的致密化，并使致密连接所需的连接温度降低了约100 ℃。最大抗剪强度达到184.5 MPa。在低电流密度下，电-热-力耦合场促进了SiC的3C→6H多晶转变，促进了低能Σ3和Σ9晶界的形成。ZrO2的均匀元素扩散、细小析出相形成和相变增韧有效地消除了残余应力，抑制了裂纹扩展。相反，过大的电流密度会导致局部过热、非平衡元素偏析和微观组织粗化，导致SiC-3C、ZrC和ZrSi2相析出，从而导致接头性能下降。这些发现揭示了脉冲电流在SiC连接过程中调节质量输运、相变和晶界演化的作用。该工作为碳化硅结构功能部件的集成制造提供了理论基础和工艺指导，并为其在核和高温航空航天领域的工程应用提供了支撑。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Ceramics International 工程技术-材料科学：硅酸盐

CiteScore

9.40

自引率

15.40%

发文量

4558

审稿时长

25 days

期刊介绍： Ceramics International covers the science of advanced ceramic materials. The journal encourages contributions that demonstrate how an understanding of the basic chemical and physical phenomena may direct materials design and stimulate ideas for new or improved processing techniques, in order to obtain materials with desired structural features and properties. Ceramics International covers oxide and non-oxide ceramics, functional glasses, glass ceramics, amorphous inorganic non-metallic materials (and their combinations with metal and organic materials), in the form of particulates, dense or porous bodies, thin/thick films and laminated, graded and composite structures. Process related topics such as ceramic-ceramic joints or joining ceramics with dissimilar materials, as well as surface finishing and conditioning are also covered. Besides traditional processing techniques, manufacturing routes of interest include innovative procedures benefiting from externally applied stresses, electromagnetic fields and energetic beams, as well as top-down and self-assembly nanotechnology approaches. In addition, the journal welcomes submissions on bio-inspired and bio-enabled materials designs, experimentally validated multi scale modelling and simulation for materials design, and the use of the most advanced chemical and physical characterization techniques of structure, properties and behaviour. Technologically relevant low-dimensional systems are a particular focus of Ceramics International. These include 0, 1 and 2-D nanomaterials (also covering CNTs, graphene and related materials, and diamond-like carbons), their nanocomposites, as well as nano-hybrids and hierarchical multifunctional nanostructures that might integrate molecular, biological and electronic components.