Influence of the degree of dilution with laser beam vacuum-welded Cu-Al mixed joints on the electrical properties

A great potential for light-weight construction lies in the substitution of copper by aluminum. The state of the art, so far, has put the focus only on the identification of the crack-sensitive intermetallic phase. External influential factors, such as temperature, current-feed and time bring about the change of the joining zone structure by diffusion and electro-migration. Moreover, a temporal change of the technological properties (increase of the electric resistance, reduction of strength) of the dissimilar material joint will occur. Findings about this behavior for laser beam under vacuum welds will allow to draw conclusions about the expected life-time. (C) 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.