METHOD OF BONDING TITANIUM ARTICLES USING A SUPERPLASTIC INTERLAYER

摘要

A method of bonding a titanium article to another metal article using a superplastic interlayer is disclosed. A fine-grain titanium alloy interlayer is provided between faying surfaces of the articles to be bonded. The interlayer has an alpha-beta microstructure and an average grain size of less than about 1-3 microns (.001-.003 mm) in at least one plane. The articles to joined and the interlayer are heated to between 1000 DEG F (538 DEG C) and 1500 DEG F (816 DEG C). A sufficiently large compressive force is then applied to the articles to cause superplastic deformation of the interlayer and bonding of the articles.