The aim of the diploma work, Fabrication and Characterization of a Titanium–Copper
Joint, was to determine the properties of such a joint with a view to its potential
application in medicine. Technically pure copper was deposited onto a substrate
made of Grade 23 ELI titanium alloy by means of laser welding. The weld deposits
were produced on nine specimens, while three specimens were subsequently
analyzed at both the microstructural and macroscopic levels. The laser weld deposits
were compared with one another and analyzed with regard to the processing
parameters and boundary conditions under which they were produced. The analysis
was performed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), employing both
secondary-electron and backscattered-electron imaging modes. In addition, line-scan
chemical analyses were carried out on all three investigated specimens in order to
obtain a clear understanding of how the chemical composition of the weld deposit
changed from the surface toward the substrate. This also enabled the concentration
of individual elements within the weld deposit to be determined as a function of the
distance from the surface. The hardness of the weld deposits was also measured,
starting at the surface, where technically pure copper had been deposited, and
proceeding toward the core of the Grade 23 ELI titanium-alloy substrate. Hardness
measurements were performed in the same regions that had been examined by linescan chemical analysis. This made it possible to determine how the concentration of
the elements present in the joint influenced the hardness of the weld deposit.
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