BRAZING & SOLDERING

Brazing & Soldering Fundamentals

Brazing and soldering are joining processes that use a combination of heat, filler metal, and
typically a flux to join many similar and dissimilar materials. The essential difference between
brazing and soldering is the melting temperature of the filler metal. Brazing filler metals
melt above 450o C while solder filler metals melt below that temperature. In all cases filler
metal melting temperatures are below the melting temperatures of the work-pieces being joined.

Joining is accomplished by the flow of filler

metal between closely fitted joints ranging from
0.025 to 0.13 of a millimeter in brazing, 0.08 to
0.15 of a millimeter in soldering. The result is a
joining of the parts by capillary action as the
liquid filler metal exhibits a stronger attraction to
the base materials than itself. A common term
for capillary action is wetting.
To facilitate this wetting action a fluxing agent is
commonly employed. The flux lowers the molten
filler metal surface tension and inhibits the
formation of oxides between the joint surfaces
and the filler metal. However, flux residue is
corrosive, requiring a separate post-joining cleaning operation. Soaking in hot water and/or wire
brushing are two common methods. Along with joint clearances, proper joint designs are
critically important to successful brazing and soldering. The primary joint types employed are:
The lap joint
The butt joint Brazing Soldering

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 BRAZING
The brazing process is different from welding in a number of ways:
1. The composition (or chemistry) of the brazing alloy is significantly different from that of the
base metal.
2. The strength of the brazing alloy is usually lower than that of the base metal.
3. The melting point of the brazing alloy is lower than that of the base metal, so none of the
base metal is melted.
4. Bonding requires capillary action to distribute the filler metal between the closely fitting
surfaces of the joint. The specific flow is dependent upon the viscosity of the liquid, the
geometry of the joint, and surface wetting characteristics.

Because of these differences, the brazing process has several distinct advantages:
1. A wide range of metallic and nonmetallic materials can be brazed. The process is ideally
suited for joining dissimilar materials, such as ferrous metal to nonferrous metal, cast metal to
wrought metal, metals with widely different melting points, or even metal to ceramic.
2. Since less heating is required than for welding, the process can be performed quickly and
economically.
3. The lower temperatures reduce problems associated with heat-affected zones (or other
material property alteration), warping, and distortion. Thinner and more complex assemblies
can be joined successfully. Thin sections can be joined to thick. Metal as thin as 0.01 mm
(0.0004 in.) and as thick as 150 mm (6 in.) can be brazed.
4. Assembly tolerances are closer than for most welding processes, and joint appearance is
usually quite neat.
Successful brazing or soldering requires that the parts have relatively good fit-up (i.e., small
joint clearances) to promote capillary flow of the filler metal. The parts must be thoroughly
cleaned prior to joining, and many parts will require flux removal after joining. It is also
important to remember that any subsequent heating of the assembly can cause inadvertent
melting of the braze metal, thereby weakening or destroying the joint.
Another concern with brazed joints is their enhanced susceptibility to
corrosion. Since the filler metal is of different composition from the materials
being joined, the brazed joint is actually a localized galvanic corrosion cell.
Corrosion problems can often be minimized, however, by proper selection of
the filler metal.
Most ferrous, non-ferrous, and many carbides and cermets can be joined by brazing. Fluxes
used in brazing consist of fluorides, chlorides, borax, borates, fluoroborates, alkalis, wetting
agents and water. The fluxes may be in the form of pastes, powders, liquids, and preforms and
are applied by a variety of methods. Fluxes, especially when heated, can be toxic, so adequate
ventilation and safeguards are required.
The most common filler metals used in brazing include:
Aluminum-silicon Copper, Copper-phosphorus, Magnesium, Silver, Nickel alloys
Each of these flow at specific temperatures and are available as wire, foil, paste, powders, and
preforms.

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 BRAZING METHODS
Torch brazing - In torch brazing, the heating of the joint is accomplished using the flame of a
single or multiple gas torches. Multiple torches are used to obtain a uniform heating throughout
the joint area. The brazing filler metal may be preplaced at the joint in the form of rings,
washers, strips, slugs, powder, or it may be fed manually. Torch brazing is very useful on
assemblies that involve heating sections of different mass. Manual torch brazing is particularly
useful for repair work. Torch brazing is used when the part to be brazed is too large, or of
complex shape, or cannot be heated by the other methods. Usually a manual operation, but can
be automated.
Furnace brazing- In furnace brazing, the parent materials / parts are cleaned and placed in a
furnace. The parts should be self-jigging and assembled, with the filler materials already placed
near or in the joint. The brazing filler material may be in the form of wire, foil, fillings, slugs,
powder, paste, tape, and so on. The furnaces are usually of electrical resistance type. Fluxing is
employed except when an atmosphere is specifically introduced in the furnace to perform the
same function. Furnace brazing
is often done without the use of
flux by the use of special
atmospheres (hydrogen and other
special gases helium and
argon-) in the brazing furnace.
Furnace brazing is also
performed in vacuum during the
fabrication of aerospace and
nuclear components where
entrapped fluxes are not
tolerable.
Figure shows an automated furnace brazing set-up in which the parts along with the preplaced
brazing filler and flux are carried inside the furnace through a conveyer belt. As the assembly
travels through the furnace (or kept for the intended time inside the furnace), the filler melts and
covers the joint area. As the assembly comes out of the furnace, the filler solidifies creating the
brazed joint. Furnace is useful to braze the parts of uniform mass, the parts of all sizes having
multiple and hidden joints. This process is particularly useful for high production brazing.
Induction brazing In induction brazing, the heat necessary for brazing is obtained by the
induction heating principle. The components to be brazed are placed in the magnetic field of a
water cooled coil carrying a high frequency current. This current induces eddy currents in the
components. The induced current flow in the surface skin of the body and are concentrated in
the area closest to the coil. The depth of the heating depends on the current frequency used.
High frequency current produces skin heating in the components while lower frequency current
results in deeper heating and is thus recommended for brazing heavier sections. The heating
effect is given by the equation

Where H, I and R refer to heat produced, induced current and electrical resistance of the
material, respectively. In induction brazing, fluxing may or may not be employed and the filler
metal is usually preplaced at the joint.

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Figure shows the typical coil designs used in the induction brazing process. The primary
advantage of the induction brazing over other brazing processes is its localized heating which
minimizes oxidation, distortion and the metallurgical changes like softening of cold worked or
heat treated metal. Controlled heat input along with rapid heating rates and automatic mode
makes it a high production rate process which can be used in air.

Dip brazing- is accomplished by immersing clean and assembled parts into a molten bath
contained in a suitable pot. Dip brazing is classified into chemical bath dip brazing and molten
metal bath dip brazing.

In chemical bath dip brazing the filler metal, in a suitable form, is preplaced and the assembly
is dipped in a bath of molten salt, as shown in
Figure. The salt bath provides the required heat
and necessary protection from oxidation. The salt
bath is contained in a suitable pot, also called the
furnace, which is heated by electrical resistance.
In molten bath dip brazing, the parts are
immersed in a bath of molten brazing filler metal
contained in a furnace. The molten brazing metal
flows into the joint by capillary action. Dip
brazing is preferred for brazing small to medium
sized parts with multiple or hidden joints. It is
also useful to braze parts of irregular shapes. This process is best suited for moderate to high
production runs.
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Resistance brazing-In resistance brazing, the heat to melt the filler material is obtained by
Joules heating (i.e. resistive heating against the flow of an electrical current through the parts
being brazed). The parts become a part of the electrical circuit through electrodes made of
copper alloys or carbon-graphite. The parts to be brazed are held between two electrodes, and
proper pressure and current are applied. The pressure is maintained until the joint has solidified.
In some cases both the electrode are located on the same side of the joint with a suitable
backing to maintain the required pressure. Resistance brazing is normally used for low volume
production where heating is localized at the area to be brazed.

SELECTION OF FILLER METAL

The following factors must be considered when selecting a brazing filler metal.

[1] Compatibility with base metal and joint design.

[2] Service requirement for the brazed assembly. Compositions should be selected to suit
operating requirements, such as service temperature, thermal cycling, stress loading, corrosive
conditions and so on.

[3] Filler metals with narrow melting ranges less than 28 0C between solidus to liquidus can be
used with any heating method.

PROTECTIVE ATMOSPHERE IN BRAZING

Even though flux is required to control the formation of oxides during brazing, a controlled
atmosphere still may be desired to extend the useful life of a flux and to minimize the cleaning
of the joint area after the brazing process. In controlled atmosphere applications, the post-braze
cleaning is not necessary. Hence controlled atmosphere brazing is extremely help in the cases
where the cleaning of the flux entrapment is difficult, such as heat exchangers, thrust chambers,
and honeycomb sandwich structures. Controlled atmospheres are used in furnace, induction and
resistance brazing processes. The controlled atmospheres are of three types

Reducing atmosphere: Copper, brass, low carbon steels, medium carbon steels, high carbon
steels, nickel, nickel alloys, and monel are few metals that can be brazed in reduced atmosphere.

Inert atmosphere: alloys of titanium, zirconium, niobium, and tantalum are extremely
sensitive to the presence of minute quantities of hydrogen and become embrittled. These metals
can also be brazed equally well in a vacuum atmosphere.

Vacuum atmosphere: well suited for joining heat resistant nickel and iron base alloys that
contain aluminum and / or titanium, reactive metals, and refractory metals.

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 SOLDERING
Soldering is one of the oldest methods of joining metals. Because filler metals melt at low
temperatures there is minimum part distortion and heat damage to sensitive parts. Many
combinations of metal to metal, ceramic to metal, and glass to metal may be joined. Soldering is
used extensively in the electronics industry where its limited mechanical strength is not a major
factor.
Soldering fluxes can be classified as:
Organic Fluxes
Organic fluxes are either rosin or water soluble materials. Rosin used for fluxes are wood gum,
and other rosin which are not water soluble. Organic fluxes are mostly used for electrical and
electronic circuit making. These are chemically unstable at elevated temperature but non-
corrosive at room temperature.
Inorganic Fluxes
Inorganic fluxes are consists of inorganic acids; mixture of metal chlorides (zinc and
ammonium chlorides). These are used to achieve rapid and active fluxing where a formation of
oxide film is problem.
These are available as liquids, powders, and pastes, solid and in flux-cored wires. Soldering
fluxes may also be toxic and corrosive and require post-cleaning operations.
Filler materials include combinations of tin-lead, tin-silver-lead, tin-zinc, silver-copper-zinc and
zinc-aluminum alloys. Again, as with brazing filler metals, solders are supplied as wires, foil,
sheets, pastes, preforms, or as bars and ingots.
Fluxes should be removed after soldering either by washing with water or by chemical solvents.
The main functions performed by fluxes are:
(a) Remove oxide films and tarnish from base part surfaces,
(b) Prevent oxidation during heating, and
(c) Promote wetting of the faying surfaces.
The fluxes should
(a) be molten at soldering temperature,
(b) be readily displaced by the molten solder during the process, and
(c) Leave a residue that is non-corrosive and non-conductive.

SOLDERING METHODS

There is a lot of similarity between soldering and brazing processes. The major difference
between them is less heat and lower temperature is required in case of soldering. The different
processes (methods) used in soldering are torch soldering, furnace soldering, resistance
soldering & dip soldering. All the above methods are common to both soldering and brazing
processes.

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 DESIGN RECOMMENDATIONS FOR BRAZING AND SOLDERING

Lap joints are preferred whenever possible. The joint area (overlap) should be sufficiently
large
Butt joints are not recommended unless strength requirements are very low.
Table depicts the recommended and not recommended joint configurations.
When filler metal is used in shin form, the assembly should be such that the parts are free
to move when the filler metal melts. This allows a stronger and narrow gap joint.
If induction heating is used, the joint is designed to allow space for proper location of the
induction coil.
Dip brazed assemblies are designed so that flux from the bath is not trapped in the joint.

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 COMPARISON OF SOLDERING, BRAZING & WELDING
The three processes soldering, brazing and welding have similarity that these are bonding
processes. All uses filler metal, flux and application of heat. These processes also are dissimilar
regarding the cost involved, performance, application area, etc. This comparison is tabulated
below.