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Minimizing Residual Stress in Brazed Joints by Optimizing the Brazing Thermal Profile


 Ceramic to metal brazing is a common bonding process used in many advanced systems such as automotive engines, aircraft engines, and electronics. In this study, we use optimization techniques and finite element analysis utilizing viscoplastic and thermo-elastic material models to find an optimum thermal profile for a Kovar® washer bonded to an alumina button that is typical of a tension pull test. Several active braze filler materials are included in this work. Cooling rates, annealing times, aging, and thermal profile shapes are related to specific material behaviors. Viscoplastic material models are used to represent the creep and plasticity behavior in the Kovar® and braze materials while a thermo-elastic material model is used on the alumina.
 The Kovar® is particularly interesting because it has a Curie point at 435°C that creates a nonlinearity in its thermal strain and stiffness profiles. This complex behavior incentivizes the optimizer to maximize the stress above the Curie point with a fast cooling rate and then favors slow cooling rates below the Curie point to anneal the material. It is assumed that if failure occurs in these joints, it will occur in the ceramic material. Consequently, the maximum principle stress of the ceramic is minimized in the objective function. Specific details of the stress state are considered and discussed.