Evaluation of hardness of the interfacial reaction products at the alumina-stainless steel brazed interface by modeling of nanoindentation results

Abstract

We have analyzed the 304 stainless steel (SS)-(Ag-Cu-Ti)-alumina brazed interface using scanning electron microscopy, electron probe microanalysis and nanoindentation. The SS interface exhibits increased bond strength and a larger diffusion zone compared to the alumina interface. In order to explain the nature of variation in hardness, we have fitted a second-degree Hermite polynomial-based model to the experimental observations of the nanoindentation results, across the reaction product zone of both interfaces. © 2007 Acta Materialia Inc.