Published online by Cambridge University Press: 22 February 2011
Capacitor Discharge Welding (CDW) is a rapid solidification joining process capable of cooling rates greater than 106 K/s. The Bureau of Mines is investigating the CDW process as a method of joining TiAl, Fe3A1 and MoSi2. Experimental results show that the fusion zone of the CDW welds is less than 0.1 mm wide, is uniform in composition, and has a cellular solidification microstructure. This paper compares the CDW microstructure of several intermetallics to the microstructures obtained from the gas tungsten arc welding.