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Open AccessArticle
Effect of Brazing Temperature on the Interfacial Micro-Structure and Mechanical Properties of TZM/Graphite Joints Using a Zirconium Interlayer
by
Gun-Woo Kim
Gun-Woo Kim
Dong-Su Park
Dong-Su Park
Hyun-Kyu Kweon
Hyun-Kyu Kweon
Young-Hun Chae
Young-Hun Chae
Young-Hun Chae is a Professor at Kyungpook National University, Republic of Korea. He received his a [...]
Young-Hun Chae is a Professor at Kyungpook National University, Republic of Korea. He received his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Mechanical Engineering from Kyungpook National University in 1996 and 2000, Also Ph.D. degree in Mechanical Engineering from University of Maryland, College Park in 2010. His doctoral research focused on the sliding wear mechanisms of plasma ceramic coatings, which provided the foundation for his subsequent research in tribology, surface engineering, coatings, and high-temperature materials. His professional experience encompasses both industrial engineering and academic research. He worked as a senior engineer at Hyundai Motor Company, where he was involved in engine and drivetrain design. He subsequently served as a guest researcher at the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), where his research focused on tribology, and later as a visiting professor at the University of Utah, where he conducted research on AI-assisted surface tribology. He has served as a professor at Kyungpook National University since 2002, conducting research and education in mechanical engineering.
1
Institute of Mechanical Engineering Technology, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41566, Republic of Korea
2
Daeyoung Tech Co., Ltd., Daegu 42721, Republic of Korea
3
Department of Mechanical System, Kumoh National Institute of Technology, Gumi 39177, Republic of Korea
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Appl. Sci. 2026, 16(19), 9958; https://doi.org/10.3390/app16199958 (registering DOI)
Submission received: 20 September 2026
/
Revised: 1 October 2026
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Accepted: 5 October 2026
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Published: 8 October 2026
Abstract
Reliable joining of titanium–zirconium–molybdenum (TZM) alloy to graphite is difficult because of poor graphite wettability and the dissimilar metal/nonmetal interface. This study investigates a narrow brazing-temperature range of 1540–1580 °C near the reported Mo–Zr–C and Mo–Zr reactions to clarify the relationships among interfacial reaction, defect formation, and mechanical performance. TZM and graphite were brazed using a pure Zr interlayer at 1540, 1560, and 1580 °C under high vacuum. The joints were characterized by optical microscopy, SEM/BSE-EDS, micro-Vickers hardness, and tensile testing. At 1540 °C, insufficient interfacial reaction resulted in a tensile failure stress of 8.9 MPa. At 1560 °C, enhanced Mo–Zr interdiffusion and Zr–C-rich interfacial reaction produced a continuous joint with an interlayer hardness of 389 HV, and fracture occurred in graphite at 19.4 MPa. At 1580 °C, was accompanied by void formation and a nominal failure stress of 15.5 MPa. Thus, 1560 °C provided most favorable observed combination among the specimens examined between interfacial reaction and defect suppression.
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MDPI and ACS Style
Kim, G.-W.; Park, D.-S.; Kweon, H.-K.; Chae, Y.-H.
Effect of Brazing Temperature on the Interfacial Micro-Structure and Mechanical Properties of TZM/Graphite Joints Using a Zirconium Interlayer. Appl. Sci. 2026, 16, 9958.
https://doi.org/10.3390/app16199958
AMA Style
Kim G-W, Park D-S, Kweon H-K, Chae Y-H.
Effect of Brazing Temperature on the Interfacial Micro-Structure and Mechanical Properties of TZM/Graphite Joints Using a Zirconium Interlayer. Applied Sciences. 2026; 16(19):9958.
https://doi.org/10.3390/app16199958
Chicago/Turabian Style
Kim, Gun-Woo, Dong-Su Park, Hyun-Kyu Kweon, and Young-Hun Chae.
2026. "Effect of Brazing Temperature on the Interfacial Micro-Structure and Mechanical Properties of TZM/Graphite Joints Using a Zirconium Interlayer" Applied Sciences 16, no. 19: 9958.
https://doi.org/10.3390/app16199958
APA Style
Kim, G.-W., Park, D.-S., Kweon, H.-K., & Chae, Y.-H.
(2026). Effect of Brazing Temperature on the Interfacial Micro-Structure and Mechanical Properties of TZM/Graphite Joints Using a Zirconium Interlayer. Applied Sciences, 16(19), 9958.
https://doi.org/10.3390/app16199958
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