METHOD OF PREPARING A SURFACE FOR DIFFUSION BONDING AND METHOD OF DIFFUSION BONDING

摘要

A method of preparing a surface for diffusion bonding comprises contacting a binder material with a discontinuous surface comprising surface regions separated by gaps. The binder material is selectively deposited onto the surface regions and has a sufficient viscosity to form a self-supporting layer without flowing into the gaps. The self-supporting layer of binder material comprises a mass density in a range from about 1.55 g/m² (0.001 g/in²) to about 77.50 g/m² (0.050 g/in²). A braze powder is distributed over the self-supporting layer of binder material, and a predetermined amount of the braze powder is attached to the binder material. The discontinuous surface is then heated to remove the binder material and adhere the braze powder to the discontinuous surface. Thus, a prewet surface with a braze deposit thereon is formed.