Abstract:Diffusion bonding of as-cast Mg-6Gd-3Y magnesium alloy was carried out at temperatures of 400-480 °C with bonding pressure of 6 MPa for 90 min. Diffusion bonded joints were solution treated at 495 °C for 14 h and then aged at 200 °C for 30 h. Microstructures and mechanical properties of joints were analyzed. The results showed that rare earth elements and their compounds gathering at bonding interface hindered the grain boundary migration crossing bonding interface. Tensile strength of as-bonded and as-solution treated joints increased firstly and then decreased with the bonding temperature increasing due to the combined effects of grain coarsening and solid-solution strengthening. As-bonded and solution-treated joints fractured at matrix except the joint bonded at 400 °C, while aged joints fractured at bonding interface. The highest ultimate tensile strength of 279 MPa with elongation of 2.8% was found in joint bonded at 440 °C with solution treatment followed by aging treatment.

Key words: Mg-Gd-Y alloy; vacuum diffusion bonding; post-weld heat treatment; bonding interface; bonding strength