Title of Invention

"A PROCESS FOR JOINING CERAMIC COMPONENTS"

Abstract

The present invention relates to a process for joining ceramic components, wherein the components which are to be joined consist of sintered nonoxide ceramic, and the components are brought into contact with one another in a diffusion-welding process in the presence of a shielding gas atmosphere and are joined with little deformation, under the application of a temperature of at least 1600°C, preferably over 1800°C, particularly preferably over 2000°C, and if appropriate a load, to form a monolith, the components which are to be joined experiencing plastic deformation in the direction in which force is introduced of less than 5%, preferably less than 1%.

Full Text

Process for the low-deformation diffusion welding of ceramic components The invention relates to a process for the low-deformation diffusion welding of ceramic components, to the monoliths produced by this process and to their applications Ceramic components are in general use in plant and mechanical engineering where wear, corrosion and high thermal loads occur The hardness, chemical stability and high-temperature stability of ceramics is far superior to the corresponding properties of steels Moreover, silicon carbide, as a representative of industrial ceramics, has the particular advantage of an extremely good thermal conductivity (four times better than that of steel) This predestines the material not only for use in nozzles, valves, axial face seals and sliding-contact bearings but also for use in reactors, such as for example tube bundle heat exchangers or diesel particulate filters In many of these applications, the ceramic components have to be of very complex shape for design reasons The design is often incompatible with available ceramic shaping processes, which makes it necessary to join individual constituents Consequently, the literature has disclosed numerous works relating to the joining of ceramic, including many relating to the joining of SiC ceramic Depending on the process, the literature uses the term "diffusion welding", "reaction bonding" or "soldering" Soldering and reaction bonding leave behind a seam in the interface between the joining partners, whereas diffusion welding can be applied in such a way that the joining partners form a seamless component Seamless components of this type are also described as monoliths Fundamental principles on the theme of diffusion welding of sintered SiC components were disclosed by Thomas Moore as early as the 1980s He demonstrates m the article "Feasibility study of the Welding of SiC" in J Am Ceram Soc 68 [6] C151-C153 (1985) that a stable, cohesive join between polished planar plates of a-SiC with the aid of diffusion welding is only possible if the temperatures and pressures applied are so high that approximately 25% plastic deformation of the components to be joined in the direction of the pressing pressure has to be accepted The article concludes that it is not possible to produce a seamless welded join of sintered SiC without plastic deformation. Even after hot-pressing at 1950°C and 13 8 MPa pressure (time 2 h), there are seams between the joined and considerably deformed plates A drop m the temperature is not likely to lead to any better results with regard to a seamless join Increasing the pressure during the diffusion welding to 138 MPa, realized with the aid of hot isosta-tic pressing, according to the report likewise does not produce a successful join The inadequate cohesive joining observed between the components is attributed to the insufficient sintering activity of SiC US patent 4,925,608 (1990) describes as a process the diffusion welding of slightly pre-smtered SiC components based on hot isostatic pressing in order to obtain a cohesive, seamless SiC bond Here, particular emphasis is placed on the fi-modification of SiC and the higher sintering activity of the components, which are still up to 85% porous Temperatures of >1700°C and pressures of greater than 150 MPa are preferred Since densification of the porous components still occurs during the joining, correspondingly high degrees of plastic deformation occur To keep the overall levels of plastic deformation low yet nevertheless to achieve high-quality joins, the bulk of the works disclosed in the literature concentrate on the "soldering" and "reaction bonding" joining processes at significantly lower temperatures Nowadays, the state of the art is for ceramic components to be joined with the aid of adhesives at room temperature, to be joined with the aid of metal and glass solders in the region of around approx 1000°C or to assemble them into components by reaction bonding at approx 1400°C In this context, in particular the reaction bonding of silicon-infiltrated SiC (Si-SiC) should be mentioned, a process which has been used to produce even complex components, such as plate-type heat exchangers, in the past However, the joining seams are still a weak point of the components Decomposition, softening or release of silicon, followed by failure, occurs here at an early stage under high thermal, corrosive or wearing loads Even nowadays, it is considered impossible to join sintered SiC (SSiC) seamlessly and with little deformation Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a process which allows components made from a nonoxide sintered ceramic to be joined to one another in such a way that a seamless monolith is formed and the plastic deformations during joining are kept at such a low level that the contours of the monolith already correspond to those of the desired component There is consequently no need for a subsequent hardworking According to the invention, the object is achieved by virtue of the fact that the components that are to be joined are brought into contact with one another m a diffusion-welding process in the presence of a shielding gas atmosphere and are joined with little deformation, under the application of a temperature of at least 1600°C, and if appropriate a load, to form a monolith, the components which are to be joined experiencing plastic deformation in the direction in which force is introduced of less than 5%, preferably less than 1% The diffusion welding is preferably a hot-pressing process In materials science, the resistance to plastic deformation in the high-temperature range is referred to as the high-temperature creep resistance What is known as the creep rate is used as a measure of the creep resistance Surprisingly, it has been found that the creep rate of the materials to be joined can be used as a central parameter for minimizing the plastic deformation in a joining process for the seamless joining of sintered ceramic components Most commercially available sintered SiC materials (SSiC) have similar microstructures with a monomodal gram size distribution and a grain size of approx 5 µm They therefore have a sufficiently high sintering activity at the abovementioned joining temperatures of > 1700°C However, they also have a comparable creep resistance, which is too low for low-deformation joining Consequently, hitherto a high degree of plastic deformation has always been observed in successful diffusion-welding processes Since the creep resistance of the SSiC materials in general does not differ significantly, the creep rate has not hitherto been considered a variable parameter which can be used for the joining of SSiC It has now been found that the creep rate of SSiC can be varied over a wide range by varying the microstructure formation Low-deformation joining for SSiC materials can only be achieved by the use of certain types The creep resistance of ceramic materials can generally be increased considerably by two strategies Coarsening the microstructure If a microstructure is coarsened, the diffusion path which is required for the mass transfer taking place in the creep process is considerably lengthened and therefore drastically slows the creep rate The literature describes a reciprocal relationship with the grain size to the power of three- This relationship has been extensively documented for materials such as aluminum oxide and silicon nitride Nanoparticles Nanotechnology can be used to obtain ceramic nanoparticles which, when used in the grain boundaries of a ceramic, considerably slow the creep rate of the ceramic at high temperature and optionally under load By way of example, the creep rate [unit 1/s], referred to as deformation rate, of aluminum oxide, as a representative example of oxide ceramic, can be reduced by two orders of magnitude by doping with nano-SiC particles Similar effects have also been determined for silicon nitride materials, and conceivably also apply to all nonoxide ceramics Both strategies are equally suitable for producing creep-resistant materials with a sintering activity and to allow low-deformation joining of components produced therefrom It is preferable for at least one of the components that are to be joined to consist of a material whereof the creep rate m the joining process is always lower than 2 10~4 1/s, preferably always lower than 8 1CT5 1/s, particularly preferably always lower than 2 10"5 1/s The ceramic material is preferably selected from the group consisting of titanium diboride, boron carbide, silicon nitride, silicon carbide and mixtures thereof It is preferable for at least one of the components that are to be joined to be sintered silicon carbide (SSiC) with a bimodal grain size distribution and a mean grain size of greater than 5 urn, in which case the material may contain further material components amounting to up to 35% by volume, preferably less than 15%, particularly preferably less than 5%, such as for example graphite, boron carbide or other ceramic particles, preferably nanoparticles Sintered SiC with a bimodal grain size distribution which is particularly suitable for the process according to the invention is SSiC with a mean grain size of greater than 5 urn, preferably greater than 20 µm, particularly preferably greater than 50 urn- The mean grain size of the material is therefore higher by a factor of 10-100 than that of conventionally sintered, fine-grained SiC with a mean gram size of just approx 5 µm What is known as coarse-grained sintered silicon carbide (SSiC) for this reason has a considerably higher creep resistance than fine-grained SSiC The literature does not give any details as to creep rates of modern SiC materials of this type Figure 1 illustrates the lower creep rate of a coarsegrained SSiC (mean grain size approx, 200 µm) for various temperatures and compares it under identical load conditions to a fine-grained SSiC variant (mean grain size 5 µm), which is marketed, for example, under the name EKasic® F by ESK Ceramics GmbH & Co KG The process according to the invention is preferably carried out at a temperature of > 1600°C, in particular > 1800°C, particularly preferably > 2000°C The process is preferably carried out at a pressure of > 10 kPa, preferably > 1 MPa, particularly preferably > 10 MPa The temperature-holding time is preferably at least 10 mm, particularly preferably at least 30 mm The process according to the invention can be used to produce ceramic components of complex shape to form near net shape components for plant and mechanical engineering with an extremely high thermal stability, corrosion resistance or wear resistance Reactors in which the seals or solder seams have hitherto formed the weak points can now be produced as a seamless monolith Consequently, the process can be used, for example, to produce plate-type heat exchangers from sintered SiC ceramic with an extremely high thermal stability and corrosion resistance Plate-type heat exchangers have already been produced by reaction bonding from Si-mfiltrated SiC ceramic (Si-SiC), The corrosion resistance, which is not universal, however, constitutes a considerable restriction on the possible applications Filters and m particular ceramic microreactors can now likewise be produced as a monolith from sintered SiC ceramic In particular microreactors with channels designed for cross-current can now also be formed as a SSiC monolith Further applications may also include heating elements made from electrically conductive SSiC ceramic, for example for furnaces and reactors Linings, impact protection means or first wall components for fusion reactors are also conceivable Other highly creep-resistant components of complex shape for high-temperature technology, such as furnace rolls, furnace holding means and burner components, can also be formed More or less complex structural components, such as deformation tools, plates, tubes, flanges or hermetically sealed containers, can in this way be joined from insulating or electrically conductive nonoxide ceramic Since the present process for the first time makes it possible to provide corresponding components with a seamless join, the invention also relates to components made from a nonoxide ceramic with at least one seamless join It is preferable for the component to have a bending rupture strength of > 150 MPa, particular preferably > 250 MPa, measured using the 4-point method, at the seamless join The bending rupture strength of the components according to the invention is particularly preferably just as high in the region of the seamless join as in the base material of the component The component is preferably a structural component or functional component, preferably a container, tube, reactor, lining, valve, heat exchanger, heating element, plating, a wearing component, such as a slidmg-contact bearing or an axial face seal, a brake, a clutch, a nozzle or a deformation tool The invention also relates to the use of components produced by the process according to the invention as structural components and functional components, including containers, reactors, linings, valves, heat exchangers, deformation tools, nozzles, platings It is particularly advantageous if said components consist of particularly coarse-grained SSiC-ceramic (mean gram size > 50 µm) Not only is the low- deformation joining then easier, but also the corrosion resistance of the components is considerably improved as a result The following examples serve to further explain the invention Example 1 Diffusion welding of coarse-grained SSiC components Polished plates with dimensions of 50 X 35 X 5 mm made from sintered coarse-grained SiC (mean grain size approx 200 µm) are put on top of one another in a hot press to form a stack A joining cycle using a nitrogen atmosphere, a temperature of 2150°C, a load of 11 4 MPa and a holding time of 45 mm leads to plastic deformation m the direction in which force is introduced at less than 1% The joined component represents a seamless monolith The creep rate of this SSiC material is less than 2 10"5 1/s at 2150°C This joining cycle can be used, for example, to produce a microreactor as shown in Fig. 2 as a monolith The ground section at 45° to the channel direction reveals that the monolith consists homogeneously of a coarsegrained SSiC, the channels do not have any deformation and there are no seams Example 2 Diffusion welding of components made from different types of SSiC Polished plates with dimensions of 50 X 35 X 5 mm made from different sintered SiC grades are placed on top of one another in a hot press to form a stack In each case 2 plates made from coarse-grained (mean gram size approx 200 µm), fine-grained SSiC material (mean gram size approx 5 µm) and 2 plates made from an SSiC composite material with an initial medium grain size (approx 50 µm) are used for the monolith that is to be joined The stack is subjected to a load of 11 4 MPa for 4 5 mm under a nitrogen atmosphere at a temperature of 2150°C Fig 3 shows the polished ground section of the monolith joined from 6 components Plastic deformation of approx 15% parallel to the direction in which force is introduced is present in the component only where fine-grained SiC material was initially present (2 plates in the left-hand part of the figure) The coarse-grained SiC material (2 plates m the right-hand part of the figure) and also the SSiC material with a medium gram size (2 plates m the middle) remain dimensionally stable (deformation The polished ground section shown does not xeveal a boundary under the microscope at any of the joins Even etching of the ground section, which uncovers the grain boundaries, does not reveal a seam Instead, as can be seen in Fig 4 on the basis of the coarse-grained SSiC components, the grains of the two plates grow into one another and thereby dissolve the component interface The same phenomenon occurs at the joins formed between pairs of the same material and at the joins between SiC components of different types A very high mechanical strength results from the good joining The strength of a bending bar produced from the component exceeds 2 90 MPa in the 4-point bending test Moreover, Fig 3 illustrates that the microstructures of all three SSiC materials become coarser during this joining cycle at a very high temperature Example 3 Diffusion welding of components made from different types of SSiC In accordance with the present invention, polished plates with dimensions of 50 X 35 X 5 mm made from different sintered SiC grades were placed on top of one another in a hot press to form a stack In each case 2 plates of coarse-grained (mean gram size approx 200 µm) , fine-grained SSiC material (mean gram size approx 5 µm) and 2 plates of an SSiC composite material with an initial medium gram size of approx 50 µm are used for the monolith that is to be joined Compared to Example 2, the stack is subjected to a lower temperature of 1800°C under a nitrogen atmosphere, once again using a load of 11 4 MPa for 45 mm The creep rate of the fine-grained SSiC at this temperature is sufficiently low for low-deformation joining of all the SSiC components to one another All the SSiC grades, including the fine-grained SSiC, have a plastic deformation in the direction m which force is introduced of less than 1% The creep rate of all the SSiC materials is less than 2 10~5 1/s at 1800°C Despite the low temperature, microscopic examination does not reveal any joining seam at the polished ground section shown m Fig 5 There is no coarsening of the microstructure The grams do not grow together Instead, the joining cycle converts the component interfaces into a grain boundary which is part of a polycrystallme monolith After an etching treatment to uncover interfaces, a plane of adjacent gram boundaries can be discerned The components therefore form a monolith The strength of the join exceeds 200 MPa Example 4 In situ coarsening and diffusion welding of fine-grained SiC components Polished plates with dimensions of 50 X 35 X 5 mm made from fine-grained, sintered SSiC (mean gram size approx 5 urn) are placed on top of one another in a hot press to form a stack The application of a joining cycle with a temperature of 2150°C and a nitrogen atmosphere, in which the material is converted by in situ conditioning for 30 min into a coarse-grained SSiC with a mean grain size of 50 µm even before the application of the maximum load of 11 4 MPa, after a holding time of 45 mm under load leads to plastic deformation of less than 1% in the direction in which force is introduced The creep rate of this SSiC material which has been coarsened in situ is less than 2 10"5 1/s at 2150°C Example 5" Diffusion welding of boron carbide with grain boundary particles Polished plates (50*50*6mm) made from a particle-reinforced boron carbide are placed on top of one another in a hot press to form a stack A joining cycle of 2150°C using a nitrogen atmosphere, a load of 8 MPa and a holding time of 45 mm leads to plastic deformation of 5% in the direction in which force is introduced The creep rate of this material at 2150°C is less than 8 10"5 1/s The resulting component is a seamless monolith Fig 6 shows the polished ground section of the component Microscopic examination does not reveal any seams at the join The grains of components facing one another do not grow together Instead, the joining cycle converts the component interfaces into a grain boundary which forms part of a polycrystallme monolith A plane of adjacent gram boundaries can be seen after an - 13 - etching treatment to uncover interfaces (Fig 7) Comparative Example 6' Diffusion welding of finegrained SSiC components Polished plates made from sintered SiC (mean grain size approx 5 urn) with dimensions of 50 X 35 X 5 mm are placed on top of one another in a hot press to form a stack The use of a joining cycle at a temperature of 2150°C, under a nitrogen atmosphere, a load of 11 4 MPa and with a holding time of 10 mm leads to a strongly plastically deformed component with a plastic deformation of approx 12% in the direction m which force is introduced The creep rate of this SiC material is approx 2 10"4 1/s at 2150°C We claim: 1. A process for joining ceramic components, wherein the components which are to be joined consist of sintered nonoxide ceramic, and the components are brought into contact with one another in a diffusion-welding process in the presence of a shielding gas atmosphere and are joined with little deformation, under the application of a temperature of at least 1600°C, preferably over 1800°C, particularly preferably over 2000°C, and if appropriate a load, to form a monolith, the components which are to be joined experiencing plastic deformation in the direction in which force is introduced of less than 5%, preferably less than 1%. 2. The process as claimed in claim 1, wherein the diffusion welding used is a hot- pressing process. 3. The process as claimed in claims 1 or 2, wherein at least one of the components to be joined consists of a nonoxide ceramic which during the joining process has a creep rate which is always lower than 2-10-4 1/s, preferably always lower than 8-10-51/s, particularly preferably always lower than 2-10-51/s. 4. The process as claimed in one of claims 1 to 3, wherein at least one of the components to be joined consists of titanium diboride, boron carbide, silicon nitride, silicon carbide or mixtures thereof, particularly preferably of silicon carbide. 5. The process as claimed in claim 4, wherein at least one of the components to be joined consists of coarse-grained sintered silicon carbide with a bimodal grain size distribution and a mean grain size of greater than 5 urn, preferably greater than 20 urn, particularly preferably greater than 50 urn, which may contain up to 35% by volume of other material components, such as graphite, boron carbide or other ceramic particles. 6. The process as claimed in one of claims 1 to 5, which is carried out at a temperature of > 1600°C, particularly preferably > 1800° C, especially preferably > 2000° C, and a load of > 10 kPa, preferably > 1 MPa, particularly preferably > 10 MPa, with the temperature-holding time preferably exceeding a duration of 10 min, particularly preferably 30 min.

Documents:

2457-DEL-2005-Abstract-(04-07-2011).pdf

2457-DEL-2005-Abstract-(10-02-2012).pdf

2457-del-2005-abstract.pdf

2457-del-2005-assignment.pdf

2457-DEL-2005-Claims-(04-07-2011).pdf

2457-DEL-2005-Claims-(10-02-2012).pdf

2457-del-2005-claims.pdf

2457-DEL-2005-Correspondence Others-(04-07-2011).pdf

2457-DEL-2005-Correspondence Others-(10-02-2012)-.pdf

2457-DEL-2005-Correspondence Others-(10-02-2012)..pdf

2457-DEL-2005-Correspondence Others-(10-02-2012).pdf

2457-DEL-2005-Correspondence Others-(13-12-2011).pdf

2457-DEL-2005-Correspondence-Others-(20-05-2011).pdf

2457-del-2005-correspondence-others.pdf

2457-del-2005-description (complete).pdf

2457-DEL-2005-Drawings-(13-12-2011).pdf

2457-del-2005-drawings.pdf

2457-DEL-2005-Form-1-(04-07-2011).pdf

2457-del-2005-form-1.pdf

2457-del-2005-form-18.pdf

2457-DEL-2005-Form-2-(04-07-2011).pdf

2457-del-2005-form-2.pdf

2457-DEL-2005-Form-3-(10-02-2012).pdf

2457-DEL-2005-Form-3-(20-05-2011).pdf

2457-del-2005-form-3.pdf

2457-del-2005-form-5.pdf

2457-DEL-2005-GPA-(04-07-2011).pdf

2457-DEL-2005-Petition-137-(10-02-2012).pdf