The brazing of alumina ceramic to itself was performed using Ag57Cu38Ti5 filler alloy. The bonding was carried out in a vacuum of 7 x 10(-3) Pa, and the joining conditions were at 1073, 1123, 1173, 1223, 1273 and 1323 K for 1.8 ks under a pressure of 0.01 MPa, at 1123 K with a pressure of 0.01 MPa for 0, 0.3, 0.9, 7.8, 2.7 and 3.6 ks, and at 1123 K for 1.8 ks with pressures of 0, 0.01, 0.05, 0.10, 0.15, 0.20 and 0.30 MPa, to determine the effects of joining temperature, pressure and holding time on the joint strength. The joint strength was measured by shear tests. The interface microstructures and fractured surfaces after testing were observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). It was shown that the sheer strength of Al2O3/Al2O3 joints was largely affected by the joining conditions; it first increased and then decreased with increasing joining temperature, pressure and holding time and depended mainly on the strength of interfacial reaction layer itself and the interface bonding strength between the reaction layer and the ceramic. The maximum joint strength was obtained when the reaction occurred under a suitable temperature, pressure and time, and the reaction layer thickness was about 2 mu m. SEM observations revealed that there were four types of fracture and each kind corresponded to a different strength.