Vacuum Brazing of GT’s cold / hot section components

Hamid Dahaghin, 1402.09.06

Contents
Introduction to Brazing

Brazing aero engine / GT applications

Types of brazing (narrow, wide, .. )

Brazing consideration acc.. To relevant standards

Quality Control of brazed parts, DT & NDT

2
• Brazing allows the joining of unweldable, dissimilar
and non-metallic materials, …
Capillary
action &
Wetting
Types of Brazing
Vacuum brazing
 Applications
❑ Aerospace components
❑ Industrial gas turbine components
❑ Medical & scientific components
❑ Automotive components
❑ Space applications
❑ Electronic devices
❑ Nuclear components
❑ Offshore & petrochemical components
❑ General engineering components
❑…
Typical aero engine applications of brazing
Phase diagram
Ni-Cr-Si Phase diagram
Brazing
Procedure
Typical brazing cycle
Rebrazing & Gap width
Filler metal families, ISO:1762:2016
Brazing filler material
Brazing Filler Material (BFM)
Compositions of commercial braze alloys for WGB application
( AMDRY : Metco, BN: Nicrobraze from wall commony, MBF: Metglass braze foil)
Preformed BFM
Blast Cleaning
Vapor Degreasing
 Vapor Degreasing Cleaner using solvents
❑ The vapor degreasing process involves 4 main steps;

▪ Solvent selection
▪ Heating
▪ Vaporization
▪ Condensation

❑ Following solvents are commonly used for degreasing applications because of

their low boiling points and high solvency power;

▪ Trichloroethylene (TCE)
▪ Perchloroethylene
▪ Methylene chloride
Ultrasonic cleaning (Since World War 2)
 Ultrasonic cleaning
The process involves the creation
of microscopic bubbles through a
phenomenon known as cavitation.
The bubbles produced then
implode, creating intense pressure
changes that dislodge
contaminants from the surfaces of
the items being cleaned.
 The Principles of Ultrasonic Cleaning
❑ This technique is an efficient one because of the fact that it sends sound waves through
the water in an ultrasonic bath that ignites the cleaning process. A huge amount of
minute bubbles or often known as cavitations at times, are formed and then collapsed
because of those sound waves. This creates many small jets moving through the cleaning
liquid. These jets are used as a brush to wipe off the dirt from the object you are looking
to clean. This results in ultrasonic cleaning of various objects within the cleaner.

❑ Ultrasonic is very handy when it comes to cleaning objects that cannot be cleaned
otherwise and you do not need to rub or polish these objects.

❑ It is actually the method of displacing the sound waves in a conductive method on

which the basic technique of Ultrasonic cleaning base. This conductive medium could
very well be a mixture of the cleaning solution and simple water.
 Ultrasonic cleaning, Advantages
❑ Fluid makes a way into every corner and gap
The areas which are usually inaccessible when it comes to cleaning using manual methods can
be cleaned using ultrasonic cleaning. The fact that ultrasonic cleaning uses different fluids for
solutions, it covers the tiniest of the gaps in almost any object that you wish to clean. The
strength of these implosions makes it a lot easier of the cleaning process to be comprehensive
and accurate.

❑ No Side Effects
Ultrasonic cleaning is not only very effective, it does not have any side effects. This method of
cleaning does not damage the object to be cleaned because it uses fluids for the cleaning
purposes. This is totally opposite to manual cleaning, which rely on solid things, which can
cause damage to the object.

❑ Speedy
Ultrasonic cleaning is very fast as compared to manual methods and it can do its job in a very
quick span of time comprehensively. Manual cleaning takes time but since ultrasonic cleaning
remains untroubled by the shape of the object to be cleaned, it saves a huge amount of time.
❑ The frequency range
can have a significant
impact on the cleaning
results. Most ultrasonic
cleaners operate
between 35 and 45 kHz,
a frequency range.

❑ A lower frequency
such as 25 kHz
produces larger
cavitation bubbles,
releasing a larger
amount of cleaning
energy and thus more
suitable for coarse
cleaning tasks like
removing heavy grease
or even stubborn rust.
hat suits the vast
majority of cleaning
tasks.
 Fluoride Ion Cleaning (FIC)
❑ It is synonymous with Hydrogen Fluoride Ion
Cleaning (HFIC) that was introduced in 1985 as the
best cleaning process for the removal of deeply
imbedded oxides prior to weld or braze repair of
gas turbine superalloys.
❑ The process results from the reaction of fluorine
with various oxides that are formed on the parts.
At temperatures greater than 950° C, the fluorine
reacts with oxides that have formed on the surface
of the turbine components, converts them to
fluorides, and allows for their removal. This leaves
behind a clean surface as a preparation step for
vacuum brazing and other repair processes.
❑ In addition to the removal of oxides from the
surface and within cracks, surface depletion of
elements such as Ti and Al also occurs which
enhances brazeability by removing oxide
reformers.
 FIC reactions

6 HF + Al2O3 = 2 AlF3 + 3 H2O

4 HF + TiO2 = TiF4 + 2 H2O

6 HF + Cr2O3 = 3 H2O + 2 CrF2 + F2

6 HF + 2Al = 2AlF3 + 3H2

8 HF + 2Ti = 2TiF4 + 4H2

FIC, typical turbine applications
Industrial FIC furnace
Types of Vacuum brazing

❑ Narrow gap brazing

❑ Wide gap brazing

❑ Overlay brazing

❑ Honeycomb Brazing
Narrow gap brazing
Wide gap brazing
Wide gap brazing

Wide gap brazed

microstructure of AISI 304
to X-750 Ni joints, braze at
1423 K, (a) using 4777 filler
metal only, and (b) 4777
filler metal with 30vol%
additive metal
Typical WGB thermal cycle

C: Base metal powder,

D: low melting braze alloy,
F: homogeneous layer
Formed after brazing and diffusion treatment
 Wide gap brazing cycle

Brazing cycle for the brazing

hold samples brazed at
1200°C.
Stage I removed excess
moisture and binder from the
braze alloy.
Stage II is the brazing
temperature where the
commercial braze alloy
becomes liquid.
Stage III is the diffusion hold
where melting point
depressants (MDPs) diffuse
into the substrate and MAR-M
247 particles.
Stage IV is the aging hold.
 Wide gap brazing

1.5 mm wide crack on the sidewalls of an industrial

gas turbine nozzle segment
Overlay brazing
Overlay brazing
Honeycomb
brazing
Honeycombs dimension
Honeycomb brazing
Honeycomb brazing
Honeycomb brazing
Brazing of Injectors ( fuel, … )
Applying BFM & stop off
Considerations for brazing success
 Part distortion
❑ High temperature brazing can trigger
distortion under unfavourable
temperature control and uneven
temperature distribution.
❑ Are the temperature differences
sufficient high, thermal stresses can
exceed the lowered warm yield
strength respectively creep strength
then plastic deformation will take
place.
❑ Especially complex, integral, casted
components like turbine stators of
small aeroengines (sketch right) are
endangered by distortion.
❑ This is especially true for a restrained
thermal expansion between the stiff
shroud rings and the relatively thin
cross sections of the radial orientated
vanes .
❑A deformation of the vane trailing
edges influences the extremely
important and exactly to meet free
flow section.
Part distortion
AC7102 is the
baseline
checklist in
the heat-treat
commodity.
Shear & Tensile test
 VT & metallography

❑ Quality of the braze joints

❑ Lacking of braze

❑ Position of honeycomb

❑ Damages on honeycomb

❑ Excessive braze on honeycomb

❑…
VT
Microstructure evaluation
The layer-by-layer SEM images examined after
alternate polishing and observing the surface of
the joint prepared at 1090oC for 60s. The layers
from left to right: 1) unaffected substrate; 2)
substrate interface; 3 to 5) isothermally solidified
nickel with increasing amounts of chromium
boride; 6 to 7) a thermally solidified nickel with
Ni3B and Cr borides.
Hamid Dahaghin 1402 . 09 .06