Brazing & Soldering

Training Objective

After watching the program and reviewing this printed material, the viewer will become aware of the basic
principles of brazing and soldering, the differences between the two processes, and their specific
applications.

Both brazing and soldering processes are explained in detail

Fluxes and filler metals specific to each process are shown
Both manual and automated methods are demonstrated

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
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melting temperature of the filler metal. Brazing filler metals melt above 840 F / 450 C while solder filler
metals melt below that temperature. In all cases filler metal melting temperatures are below the melting
temperatures of the workpieces being joined.

Joining is accomplished by the flow of filler metal between closely fitted joints ranging from 0.001 to 0.005 of
an inch, or 0.025 to 0.13 of a millimeter in brazing, to 0.003 to 0.006 of an inch, or 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 tow 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 flanged lap joint
The butt joint
The flanged butt joint

For proper brazing and soldering joint cleaning is especially important. Grease, paint, rust, and any other
impurities must be removed. This may be accomplished by a variety of either chemical or mechanical
methods.

Brazing

As a joining process brazing has certain advantages over mechanical fastening and welding. These
advantages include:
The joining of dissimilar metals, and materials
Very thin material can be brazed which would otherwise be damaged by welding
Inaccessible joints can more easily be brazed
Brazing is easily and more economically automated than many welding processes

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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.
Filler metals typically have significantly different compositions from the materials being joined, for this reason
their selection is critical to successful brazing.

Brazing Methods

Torch brazing - uses a oxyfuel gas on previously fluxed joints. Usually a manual operation, but can be
automated.
Furnace brazing - a high production method where fixtured parts preloaded with filler metals and, when
needed, flux are put in a furnace. The furnace may be either a single batch model or a conveyor model
for continuous brazing.
Dip brazing - assembled parts are typically dipped in a heated chemical bath which serve as both fluxing
agent and heat source to melt pre-applied filler material.
Induction brazing a process that uses inductor coils to induce an alternating current into and around a
pre-assembled part. The electrical resistance of the part generates the heat to melt the filler metal.

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.

Fluxes for soldering fall into three categories, the inorganic acid fluxes, organic fluxes, and the rosin-based
fluxes. These are available as liquids, powders, 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.

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Soldering Methods

Iron soldering is the oldest and simplest soldering method and is still widely used today. Soldering irons have
copper tips which easily stores and transfers heat to the joint.

Wave soldering is a specific method used in the fabrication of electronic components and printed circuit
boards (PCB). In this method, continually circulating fountains or waves of solder are lifted into contact with
the joints. As only limited sections of the PCB are immersed in the solder, excess heat and distortion is
controlled. Due to the high speed of the process, flux and vapor entrapment is reduced. Wave solder
machines are highly automated being able to flux, preheat, solder, and remove flux residue on one
continuous conveyor.

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Review Questions

1. An advantage of both brazing and soldering is:

a. Lower production costs
b. Less operator skill needed
c. Many similar and dissimilar materials can be joined
d. Joints have excellent mechanical strength

2. The essential difference between brazing and soldering is the:

a. Types of filler materials
b. Means of automation
c. Melting temperature of the filler metals
d. Melting temperature of the fluxes

3. Joint clearances for both brazing and soldering commonly range from:
a. 0.001 - 0.006 of an inch / 0.025 - 0.15 of a millimeter
b. 0.003 - 0.008 of an inch / 0.08 - 0.20 of a millimeter
c. 0.005 - 0.010 of an inch / 0.127 - 0.254 of a millimeter
d. 0.010 - 0.015 of an inch / 0.254 - 0.381 of a millimeter

4. Another term for capillary action is:

a. Flow
b. Bonding
c. Spreading
d. Wetting

5. A brazing process that does not use torches, brazing furnaces or electric
coils is:
a. Braze welding
b. Silver brazing
c. Dip brazing
d. Electrical bonding

6. A limitation of the soldering process is:

a. Joint brittleness
b. Joints are corrosion prone
c. Joints retain excessive flux residue
d. Lack of mechanical strength

7. Soldering is not used to join:

a. Thermoplastics
b. Metal to ceramics
c. Metal to glass
d. Ferrous to non-ferrous metals

8. In wave soldering excess heat and distortion of the PCBs is avoided by:
a. The amount of flux applied before soldering
b. Exposing only a small area of the board to the solder at any one time
c. Using special low melting point solder
d. Employing cooling fans as the boards travel through the machine

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Answer Key

1. c
2. c
3. a
4. d
5. c
6. d
7. a
8. b

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