Laser impact welding application in joining aluminum to titanium

Thin metal foil joining has wide applications in medical device and microelectronics. In this paper, laser impact welding was implemented to join aluminum foil to titanium sheet. The velocity of Al flyer was measured with photonic Doppler velocimetry. The maximum velocity reached up to 1000 m/s within 0.2 μs. Varied thickness (25-250 μm) Al flyer was successfully welded with Ti target. Weld strength was measured with peel test. Weld area was estimated with resistance measurement method. The effect of laser spot size, flyer thickness, standoff distance on weld strength, weld area, and microstructure was analyzed. The microstructure was studied with scanning electron microscopy (SEM). By comparing the amplitude and wavelength of the waves at the bonding interface, it is suggested that the wave formation was related to the impact velocity. SEM back scattered electron image did not show apparent diffusion across the weld interface. Both twinning and severe plastic deformation were observed at Ti side along the weld interface, which resulted in hardness increase in this region.