Atomistic Investigation on Diffusion Welding between Stainless Steel and Pure Ni Based on Molecular Dynamics Simulation

Based on molecular dynamics (MD) simulation, the behaviors and mechanisms of diffusion welding between 304 stainless steel (304 SS) and pure Ni were investigated in the present study. The results show that surface roughness has a significant influence on the diffusion behaviors of atoms during diffusion welding between two different materials, and it is suggested that the rough surface should be set on the pure Ni rather than the 304 SS during the diffusion welding between them. Temperature plays an important role in the interface diffusion. With the increase of temperature, the number of atoms diffusing into the opposite side increases and the diffusion distances increase as well. As a consequence, the diffusion welding should be performed at a suitably elevated temperature. The influence of vertical pressure on the diffusion bonding between the two materials includes two aspects. One is to increase the contact area via deforming the asperities or grooves at the interface, which provides more opportunities for the diffusion between the two materials. The other is to reduce the mobility of atoms within a lattice. As a consequence, the pressure effect is smaller than temperature effect during diffusion welding between 304 SS and pure Ni.