Importance

Loading Importance Indicators...

Abstract

A method of joining first and second materials. The first material is a metal, a ceramic, or a composite material comprising carbon fibre, and the second material is a metal. The first material has a coefficient of thermal expansion, CTE, which is higher than a CTE of the second material. An interlayer is formed, having a high thermal expansion surface and a low thermal expansion surface. The CTE of the interlayer varies through its depth between the CTE of the first material and the CTE of the second material. The interlayer has four average coefficients of thermal expansion, aCTE, defined such that each aCTE is the average coefficient of thermal expansion over one quarter of the thickness of the interlayer. Each aCTE is less than the previous aCTE, where the first aCTE is next to the high thermal expansion surface. Either: the difference between the first and second aCTE is greater than the difference between the second and third aCTE, and the difference between the second and third aCTE is greater than the difference between the third and fourth aCTE; or the difference between the second and third aCTE is greater than both the difference between the first and second aCTE and the difference between the third and fourth aCTE.

Loading the Abstract Image...

First Claim