BRAZING

 The term brazing was used initially to describe the use of brass (copper-zinc alloys) as a
filler material for joining two metal parts.
 To avoid confusion with soldering, it is presupposed that, generally, the melting point of the
filler metal is above 450/500°C.
 Brazing is used when a tougher, stronger joint is required, particularly in alloys of higher
melting point.
 Most ferrous and non-ferrous alloys of high melting point can be joined by brazing.
 For these reasons brazing is often preferred to welding for joining components where large
areas of joint are not involved— large joint areas are difficult to fill with braze metal.
BASIC OPERATIONS IN BRAZING
 Steps involves in the Brazing process:
 Clean the parts to remove contaminants and loose oxides
 Coated with a flux
 Apply filler metal/alloy
 Cooling to room temperature
 Clean the flux.
 Often two or more parts are assembled by pressing, pinning, clamping, or spot welding
before a permanent brazed joint is made between them.
TYPES OF BRAZING
 Based on the type of heat source used:
 Flame/torch Brazing (oxy-acetylene gas)
 Furnace Brazing (heating inside a furnace)
 Salt bath Brazing (molten salt),
 Induction Brazing (high-frequency induction coil),
 Resistance Brazing (resistance heating)
Torch Brazing
 Torch brazing is accomplished by heating with a gas torch
 Its main use is for the brazing of mild steel and copper base alloys, but it can be used for
aluminum alloys, heat-resisting materials, and even titanium.
 In most cases a flux is necessary, and these are highly corrosive;
 Torch brazing is basically a manual process
 Generally, a reducing flame is desirable in torch brazing.
 However, some brazing alloys are prone to absorb unburnt reducing gases when in the
molten state and to eject them when solidified → small blowholes on the work-surface.
 A slightly oxidizing flame can eliminate this problem without significant oxidation.
 Ex- a slightly oxidizing flame helps to minimize volatilization of the zinc in the filler metal.
 Slightly oxidizing conditions also ensure complete combustion of acetylene→ prevent the
sooting problem.
 Furnace Brazing

 Advantages of Furnace brazing:

 Uniform heating,
 Less distortion and
 Belter temperature control.

 Brazing filler metal should be pre-placed near the joint.

 Furnace can be batch-type or continuous: temperature limits of 700 - 1000°C
 Ex-brazing steel, copper, and copper alloys. Joints should be specifically designed for
furnace brazing.
 Specific consideration must, therefore, be given to metal expansion to obtain correct joint
clearances at the brazing temperature.
 Joining of a lightweight section to a heavy section→ the light section should be shielded
from the intense radiation of the furnace chamber
 During Brazing generally, a flux is required to remove the oxides from the surface however,
the use of a controlled atmosphere removes the need for a flux.

Salt Bath Brazing

 Salt, bath brazing is the process in which the work, carrying pre-placed brazing material is
heated to the brazing temperature by immersion in a heated bath of molten salts.
 The functions of molten salts are:
i. the removal of light oxide films from the metals;
ii. protecting the work from contact with air → better joint ensuring the wetting of
parent metal by filler
iii. heating the work rapidly to working temperatures and
iv. melting the pre-placed brazing material.

 Post cleaning of the sample is essential to ensure the salt is not trapped in the joints as it
may lead to severe corrosion in service.
 Salt bath dip brazing is widely used for the fabrication of heat exchangers in aluminium and
its alloys.
 Induction Brazing
 High-frequency induction offers clean, rapid, localized heating with good temperature
control. It is mainly used as an alternative to torch heating, but there is no reason why
induction healing should noi be used with a controlled atmosphere or in vacuum.

 The brazing filler metal is usually preplaced and (for maximum efficiency) the work coil is
tailored to the heating requirements of the parts. Induction brazing with high-frequency
power source (2000 - 10000 cycles per second) is typified by skin heating and an allowance
must be made for adequate conduction of heat to the area to be brazed. Lower frequency
power sources result in deeper heating, and are more often used in brazing heavy sections.

 With this process the heat may be induced in only one component of the joint causing it to
heat faster and thereby expand more rapidly than the other does. This could produce a very
undesirable and uneven heal condition during the brazing cycle and should be compensated
for in the initial joint clearance. For example, if the joint clearance increases during the
brazing cycle, it should be compensated for by inducing the initial clearance of the cold
pans.
Resistance Brazing
Resistance heating, either direct or indirect, may also be used
for brazing. In direct heating the heat is produced at the joint
interface, while in indirect heating the heat is generated
primarily in carbon electrodes and reaches the work by
conduction. Fig. 3.3 illustrates principles of direct
resistance heating.
 Brazing Filler Metals
 Brass filler metal (50%-Cu+50%-Zn) is widely used but has brittleness properties due
contain brittle compounds
 However, zinc is volatilize during brazing, (some may be absorbed by base metal)
 The final joint will therefore most likely α-brass that is both tough and ductile.

 Silicon is added to act as a deoxidant,

 Silver to increase fluidity and
 Nickel and manganese to increase the toughness and strength of the joint.
 In principle, any metal or alloy melting above 430°C could be used as a brazing filler
metal.
Characteristics of Brazing Filler Metals
All brazing filler metals have certain characteristic
properties.
 The ability to wet surfaces of metals being
joined and consequently, form a sound
metallurgical bond and
 Sufficient fluidity at the brazing
temperature to flow and distribute the filler
metal into properly prepared joints by
capillary action.
 The brazing filler metal must melt and flow
temperature below the solidus temperature
of either of the alloys being joined
 It must not oxidize too freely and such
oxides as are formed must be easily
dissolved by the flux used.
 Cu→ Molten copper flows readily into a prepared joint and will penetrate much faster
than brass or silver solder
 P→ vaporized during the brazing process acts as a deoxidant.
 Ag→ improves ductility and reduces melting point.
 Brazing Fluxes and Characteristics
 Conventional brazing fluxes are metallic salts that are solid at normal temperatures. They
have to be melted in contact with the work before they can remove oxides.
 For satisfactory performance, fluxes used for brazing should have the following
characteristics:
i. The flux used must be molten and active before the brazing (filler) material melts.
ii. A flux must be stable up to the maximum operating temperature.
iii. It should be a good solvent for the oxides and form a continuous film to protect the joint
from further oxidation
iv. It must have a sufficiently low viscosity to ensure physical displacement by the molten
brazing.
v. It should be easy to remove after the brazing process is finished
However, there is no single brazing flux that satisfies all these requirements.

Some Common Fluxes

Three main types of brazing fluxes are available and these are:
i. Borax-base fluxes, for general use at temperatures higher than 750°C, except where
refractory oxides are encountered.
ii. Fluoride- type fluxes, for general use at temperatures below 750°C and particularly
where refractory oxides are involved, and
iii. Alkali halide type fluxes for use the brazing of aluminum and aluminum base alloys.
 Removal of Fluxes
The residual flux after brazing is usually in a brittle, glassy condition.
1. A running water will accompanied by brushing is in most cases, effective in removing
flux.
2. Alternatively, the work may be boiled in water and then swilled in cold water.
3. A very dilute solution of H2SO4 is a quicker solvent than water and may be used.
4. Quenching, the work piece immediately after the joint has solidified
5. The anodic treatment
In those cases, where it is not practicable to remove the flux residues, borax is used as a flux
and the residues are not removed.

METALLURGICAL ASPECTS OF BRAZING

The bond formed between the brazing filler metal and the metal being joined depends either
upon
i. Diffusion of the filler metal into the base metal and
ii. Alloying between one or other of the elements of the filler metal and the base
metal at their interface.

 The brazing filler metal must not diffuse (and/or dissolve) too freely into the base metal→
greater the mutual solubility → there will be a tendency for them to alloy with each other
rather than for the filler metal to penetrate into the base metal
 The filler metal should not dissolve gases → porous joint
 The brazing of annealed or normalized base metals causes no appreciable change in their
physical properties except a slight increase in crystal size. However, when for a work
hardened sample→ some degree of softening-is inevitable.
 In the case of heat-treated materials → the heat treatment temperature and the brazing
temperature must be carefully considered specially for low temp brazing→ In some cases
it may be necessary to heat-treat first and then braze.
 QUALITY CONTROL IN BRAZING
 Tests and examinations of the brazed parts can be conducted on either destructive or
nondestructive.
 Visual Inspection: visual checking of the cleanliness, fit, and freedom from burrs and
other imperfections in the component parts→ Smooth, continuous, concave fillets of a size
appropriate to the materials and the process are evidence of good joints→ Convex fillets
indicate that the work may not have been heated sufficiently or evenly or that insufficient
flux has been used.
 Roughness: Slight roughening of the surface of the brazing material may be due only to
unavoidable surface reactions by an active flux. Severe roughening and blow holes
suggest overheating or insufficient flux.
 Fissures in the surface suggest shrinkage cavities resulting from excessive joint gaps.
 Undue discoloration of work brazed in air may mean that the parts have been overheated
near to the joint or that flux needs to be applied over a wider area.

 Load Test: Load tests (known as proof tests) applied must relate directly to the working
function of the joint; and magnitude of the applied stress should be similar to that in
service.
 Pressure testing is recommended when gas or liquid tightness is required of the brazed
joints → low pressures may be tested with air → high pressures should be tested hydr
 Where high standards of quality are imperative non-destructive testing by → radiography,
fluorescent penetrants and measurement of electrical resistance may be used if the joint is
accessible.
 Metallographic examination of a section of the brazed component can reveal the incidents
of voids and flux inclusions. Such as examination often provides a better understanding of
the causes of the defects than the other techniques of inspection.
 It is quite common to find 20 per cent of the joint unfilled by the base metal→ acceptable
DISADVANTAGES AND USES
 Disadvantage:
 Lack of color matching of the parts being joined and the brazing filler material.
 The strength of the brazed joint may be less
 Metals having melting points below about 650°C cannot be brazed and
 The problem of wetting the common grades of cast iron (as carbon is an effective
barrier of brazing especially, grey cast iron)

 Despite these limitations, brazing is widely used throughout the industry and applications
are so numerous → electrical industry, the utensil-manufacturing industry and the
maintenance industry. In the maintenance field, brazing is widely used for repairing cast
iron parts