Diffusion bonding of 9Cr ODS ferritic/martensitic steel with a phase transformation

Diffusion bonding was employed to join oxide-dispersion-strengthened ferritic/martensitic steel under uniaxial hydrostatic pressure using a high vacuum hot press, and the microstructure and tensile properties of the joints were investigated. 9Cr oxide dispersion strengthened (ODS) steel was successfully diffusion bonded at 1150 °C for 1 h to migrate a residual bonding interface. Following heat treatment, including normalising at 1050 °C and tempering at 800 °C for 1 h, comparable results without inclusions or micro-voids at the bonding interface, or degradation in the base metal were achieved. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) observation revealed that the nano-oxide particles in the bonding region were uniformly distributed in the matrix. At room temperature, the joint had nearly the same tensile properties with that of the base metal. The tensile strength of the joint region at elevated temperatures was comparable with that of the base metal. The total elongation of the joint region decreased slightly, but reached 80% of the base metal at 700 °C, and a ductile fracture occurred far from the bonding interface. Therefore, it is considered that diffusion bonding with a phase transformation can be a very useful joining method for fabricating components in next-generation nuclear systems using 9Cr ODS ferritic/martensitic steel.