Publications Details
An initial investigation of the ultrasonic welding of Tophet C bridgewire to Hastelloy C-276
An initial feasibility study has been completed on the ultrasonic welding of Tophet C (Ni-24 Fe-16 Cr) bridgewire to Hastelloy C-276 (Ni-16 Cr-15 Mo-4 W) pin material. A key feature of this work is that it employed a hybrid microcircuitry ultrasonic wire bonder. Much greater productivity can be expected from this process compared with traditional bridgewire welding methods. Three different ultrasonic tool designs were investigated. After selection of the best design, pull test data were acquired for both the 1st and 2nd weld locations in both heel and toe directions. Values up to 94% of the bridgewire tensile strength were obtained. With the equipment used both raised and flat bridgewire configurations are possible. While much work is still necessary to prove in the process for production applications, the work completed to date indicates the ultrasonic welding process merits further investigation. 6 figs.