Combined scale effects for effective brazing at low temperatures

In modern joining technology, the focus is on effective brazing and soldering of temperature sensitive materials. Here, as well as in diffusion welding processes the needed thermal energy is externally realized in the joint zone. This produces a heating of the whole joining parts, since in laminar joining the thermal energy is transported in interior by thermal conduction. An excess of critical temperatures or tolerable impact periods in wide parts of materials and respectively components is often not avoidable. This leads to thermal damages. In this point of view nanotechnology shows promising possibilities as scale effects and their resulting thermophysical effects such as melting temperature reduction and high diffusion rates can be used for providing a self-propagating high-temperature synthesis at room temperature. After ignition by an external energy source a self-propagating exothermic reaction is started. By producing a multilayer system with alternately arranged nanoscaled layers of e.g. Al and Ni the resulting thin foil can be used as heat source for melting the braze or solder material within the joining zone without any external preheating. Due to the high process velocities up to 30 m/s and the local heat input significant thermal influences on the joined parts are not detectable.