Research and Development of Powder Brazing Filler Metals for Diamond Tools: A Review

Abstract

Powder brazing filler metals (PBFMs) feature a number of comparative advantages. Among others, these include a low energy consumption, an accurate dosage, a good brazeability, a short production time, and a high production efficiency. These filler metals have been used in the aerospace, automobile, and electric appliances industries. The PBFMs are especially suitable for diamond tools bonding, which involves complex workpiece shapes and requires accurate dosage. The recent research of PBFMs for diamond tools is reviewed in this paper. The current applications are discussed. The CuSnTi and Ni-Cr-based PBFMs have been the two commonly used monolayer PBFMs. Thus, the bonding mechanism at the interface between both the monolayer PBFMs and a diamond tool are summarized first. The ways to improve the performance of the monolayer PBFMs for diamond tools are analyzed. Next, a research of PBFMs for impregnated diamond tools is reviewed. The technical problems that urgently need solutions are discussed. Finally, the challenges and opportunities involved with the PBFMs for diamond tools research and development are summarized, and corresponding prospects are suggested.At present, extensive studies have been conducted on PBFMs. For example, Ivanov et al. [6] studied the solid-phase synthesis of a PBFM for the titanium alloy vacuum brazing. He et al. [7] considered the influence of a powder containing 50% TiH 2 and 50% Ni (used for brazing Ti-Al intermetallic compounds) on the joint structure and mechanical properties. Liu et al. [8] explored the structure and properties of the zirconia and stainless steel joints obtained with Ag-Cu brazing filler metal and TiH 2 PBFM under normal pressure (1.01 × 10 5 Pa). Zhang and Tu [9] investigated the structure and properties of the lead-free solder containing micro/nano powder. Ti-Al intermetallic compounds are extensively applied in the aerospace industry, while the lead-free solder has been widely used in the electronics industry. Ag-Cu brazing filler metal and TiH 2 powder are broadly applied in the ceramics industry. However, the mentioned applications in the aerospace, ceramics, and electronics industries have not been the exclusive application fields of PBFMs.The aforementioned PBFMs cannot necessarily be used in more demanding environments, such as high temperature, high pressure, and heavy loads. The PBFMs for diamond tools occupy a considerable proportion of manufacturing. They has been further implemented in novel application areas, e.g., transportation and mining machineries.In this paper, we review the recent research of PBFMs for diamond tools. The current application status is discussed. The interface bonding mechanism of commonly used monolayer PBFMs for diamond tools is also addressed. Furthermore, the ways to improve the performance of the PBFMs for diamond tools is discussed. The studies of PBFMs for impregnated diamond tools are reviewed. Technical problems that urgently need solutions are discussed. Finally, the limits of applications and prospects of powder brazin...

Blade Segment with a 3D Lattice of Diamond Grits Fabricated via an Additive Manufacturing Process

“…Some diamond grits have been broken, and some have been ground during the drilling process because of their different crystal orientations in the drill tool matrix. When compared with that of brazed diamond tools, the good grindability of the solid sintering metal base of these sintered diamond tools is conducive to timely diamond shedding, revealing new cutting edges [17]. The successive breaking of diamond grits on the drill surface helps to maintain the balance between sharpness and service life.…”

“…Song et al [16] developed multilayer brazed diamond saw blades through a liquid phase sintering process and found that the sharpness only increased by 22.3%. The disadvantages of the poor self-sharpening ability of multilayer brazed diamond tools are due to their casting microstructure with a poor grindability, which makes it difficult for the diamond grits to protrude from the bonding matrix [17]. Moreover, the diamond grits could be graphitized during the multilayer brazing process, although this can be prevented by treatment with vacuum and argon gas [18].…”

Evaluation of Wear Behaviour in Metallic Binders Employed in Diamond Tools for Cutting Stone

“…Today, diamond tools are employed in almost every process of the transformation activity, and therefore, these developments have also led to an increase in research dealing with optimum tool design. For example, there have been studies dedicated to the design of brazed diamond grids: from the earlier work of Sung [ 1 ] to recent review work by Long et al [ 2 ]; models and theoretical analyses of stone sawing with diamonds [ 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 ], with an emphasis on diamond impregnated segments [ 7 , 8 , 9 ]; industry-oriented evaluation of diamond tools [ 10 , 11 , 12 ], including their long-term performance [ 13 ]; studies on the diamond retention capacity of metal bond matrices [ 14 ]; and optimization of the sintering process of the binding phase and the diamond composite materials [ 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 ].…”

Numerical Analysis of the Effects of Pulsed Laser Spot Heating Parameters on Brazing of Diamond Tools

“…Recently, the brazing diamond technique has been considered to be a promising method of manufacturing diamond tools [1,2]. Owing to the strong chemical and metallurgical bonding within the diamond/filler alloy interface, brazed diamond tools have high bonding strength, grain protrusion and chip storage space [3]; this makes them ideal for the efficient and low-force grinding of difficult-to-cut materials, such as carbides [4], optical glass [5], ceramics [6], aluminium alloy [7], stone [8], and others.…”