Titanium (Ti-6Al-4V) is a candidate as a structural material for all new tactical and armored ground vehicles, because of its high strength-to-weight ratio, excellent corrosion resistance, and inherent ballistic resistance.  However, Ti-6Al-4V as a structural material is much less mature than both steel and aluminum alloys, especially in the area of joining.  While welding is the typical joining method for titanium, vacuum brazing is an option in areas that are difficult to access for welding and in areas near other nonmetallic materials, such as ceramics.  

This work will focus on vacuum brazing of titanium and the effect of processing changes (alloy, temperature, pressure) and post-braze hot isostatic pressing on mechanical properties and microstructure.  Shear and tensile testing is performed to determine the strength/ductility relationship to the various processing routes.  Microscopy (optical and SEM) is employed to quantify the degree of bonding and to examine the microstructural changes, both within the base materials and at the bond line, associated with the process variations.