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Range Between Solidus and Liquidus Metallurgy of Nickel Based Brazing Materials, Part I (Nicrobraz News, Issue 8, 1997)
Range Between Solidus and Liquidus Metallurgy of Nickel Based Brazing Materials, Part I (Nicrobraz News, Issue 8, 1997)
Range Between Solidus and Liquidus Metallurgy of Nickel Based Brazing Materials, Part I (Nicrobraz News, Issue 8, 1997)
NICROBR........
Tips and Techniques for Better Brazing
Nicrobraz LM, have very interesting Thus, to obtain a joint strength that will Technical Editor ..... Robert L. Peaslee (ext. 240)
withstand the high pressure loadings of Production/Editor .. Tanya M. Anandan (ext. 244)
properties At brazing temperature,
boron, which accounts for the low heavy machining, it is necessary to have Nicrobraz News is published by:
a fully diffused brazed joint. There
@
melting properties of the filler metal, can
be diffused out of the brazed joint and should be no secondary phase in the
into the adjoining base metal. This center of the joint.
diffusion accounts for the drop in filler
metal hardness to as low as Rb 70 when Note: Subsequent parts were run using WALL COLMONOY CORPORATION
the minimum clearance, a brazing World Headquarters
brazing steel or iron-chromium base 30261 Stephenson Highway
metals, (AISI 410) and the increase in temperature of 2150° F ( 1 175° C) and
Madison Heights, Michigan 48071, U.S.A.
the brazing joint remelt temperature to Nicrobraz LC (BNi-1 a) filler metal. The
Tel: 248-585-6400 Fax: 248-585-7960
butt joint was bent around a 5/8'
•
�
diameter bar with the braze at a right
angle to the direction of the bend. No
Smaller elements can diffuse readily at fractures were observed in the braze
higher brazing temperatures. The atomic joint (lnconel 600 to electrical iron), thus Please send your questions. suggestions and
diameters (angstrom or A) of some of indicating the fully diffusion brazed joint editorial contributions to the address above.
these smaller elements are shown here. Attn: "Nicrobraz News Editors."
was strong and ductile. A photomicro All rights reserved. Copyright 1996.
Boron 1.80 Carbon 1.54 graph also confirmed that there was no
secondary phase in this particular braze WALL COLMONOY (CANADA), INC.
Nitrogen 1.40 Oxygen 1.32 1575 Rossi Drive
combination. 00
Hydrogen 0.74 Windsor, Ontario N9A 6J3, Canada
Tel: 519-737-9300 • Fax: 519-737-9899
Originally appeared in the Welding
The larger elements shown below WALL COLMONOY LTD.
Journal, February 1991. Bob Peaslee
diffuse very slowly compared to the European Headquarters
authors a monthly Q&A column on
above elements. Pontardawe. Swansea. Wales SA8 4HL. U.K.
brazing in the Welding Journal.
Tel: 44 (1792) 862287 Fax: 44 (1792) 830124
Nickel 2.49 Chromium 2.57
•
Cobalt 2. 51 Silicon 2.65 • Trademark of /nco Alloys International. WALL COLMONOY S.A.
9 Rue des Aulnetttes
95104 Argenteuil, France
Tel: 33 (1) 30 25 98 60 • Fax: 33 (1) 39 82 88 89
Ever wonder what the say a pure metal has a melting point, compositions" and the melting point is
commonly used terms - while an alloy (brazing filler metal) has a known as a eutectic point. An example
solidus. liquidus. melting range. of a eutectic brazing filler metal compo
melting point and sition is Nicrobraz 10 (BNi-6). As the table
brazing range - really Solidus on page 5 shows, this nickel-phosphorus
mean, the difference During heating, solidus is that tempera filler metal has a solidus and liquidus
between them and why ture at which an alloy begins to melt. both at 1610° F (875° C). Other examples
these differences are Between the solidus and liquidus of eutectic compositions are Nicrobraz
Tanya M. Anandan 50 (BNi-7) and Nicrobraz 150 (BNi-9)
important? Here, we will temperatures, the alloy will be a mixture
explain these terms and their relevance to of solid and liquid phases. Just above
brazing filler metals. the solidus temperature, the mixture will Brazing Range
be mostly solid with some liquid phases In most cases, for a brazing filler metal
Melting Point vs. Melting Range (like the consistency of snow, but hotter'). to flow properly into a joint via capillary
The term melting point, as used by Just below the liquidus temperature, the action, the filler metal must be com
metallurgists, usually applies to pure mixture will be mostly liquid with some pletely molten. Thus, the liquidus is the
metals that melt at a single temperature. solid phases (like sleet). lowest temperature that should be used
However, brazing people sometimes use for brazing, and usually temperatures
melting point to refer to the liquidus Liquidus above the liquidus are needed for
temperature of a brazing filler metal. This Liquidus is the temperature above proper brazing. The exact brazing
is not technically correct. which an alloy is completely molten. In range, however, will depend upon the
other words, when an alloy exceeds the properties of the brazing filler metal and
Most brazing filler metals are alloys, or liquidus temperature, there are no solid base metals being joined. the brazing
combinations of pure elements or materi phases present. The alloy is completely process, and joint design.
als. Alloys have very different melting melted and flowing.
characteristics compared to their pure When brazing joints with wide gaps, it is
forms. Most alloys do not have a single Eutectic Point advantageous to braze with a more
melting temperature or melting point; A few special alloy compositions have a sluggish brazing filler metal that will not
instead they have a melting range. The specific melting point like that of a pure flow all over the joint. This is why, as
upper and lower limits of this range are metal, in other words the solidus and shown on page 5, the low end of the
called the liquidus and solidus tempera liquidus are the same temperature. brazing range for certain brazing filler
tures. Therefore, most metallurgists will Alloys of this type are called "eutectic
continued on page 6
2
Solidus and Liquidus The course covers:
contmued from page 2 • scientific principles behind
brazing techniques
metals is below the liquidus. For
instance, Nicrobraz 130 (BNi-3) has
• joint design and filler metal
a solidus at 1800° F (980° C) and a
application
liquidus at 1900° F ( 1040° C), but a
brazing range of 1850-2150° F • use of controlled atmospheres and
(1010-1175° C). The brazing range vacuum environments
actually begins 50° F below the liquidus.
• inspection techniques for evaluating
At the low end of its brazing range,
braze quality
Nicrobraz 130 will become fluid enough
to flow into a wide joint gap, but not so • practical problem-solving ideas
fluid that it flows out of control. Other
brazing filler metals with similar charac
teristics include Nicrobraz LC (BNi-1a)
Fall Brazing The conference will be held at the
Holiday Inn in Troy, Michigan, about 40
and Nicrobraz 160. Conference in Session minutes from Detroit Metro Airport. For
more information, request a brochure
Now that you know the difference Our three-day brazing course returns on the enclosed reply card. or call
between solidus and liquidus, melting November 5-7. Led by Bob Peaslee, Marianne Huesing at 248-585-6400,
point and melting range, and how they the panel of instructors has over 80 ext. 248; fax 248-585-7960. Class size
relate to the brazing process, you will be years of combined experience in the is limited to 35 participants. so reserve
able to look at the table on page 5 with brazing field. your spot early!
greater understanding. Basically, a
brazing filler metal will begin to melt at
its solidus and continue to melt until it
reaches the liquidus where it is com Help Us Find Our Baby!
pletely molten. In most cases, this is the
minimum temperature at which brazing
is done. To obtain good brazing filler For the contest in our
metal flow and capillary action. a temper last issue, we asked
ature somewhere within the brazing our readers to
range must be maintained for a given guess the vital
period of time (time at temperature). statistics of the
first baby born
in the U.S. in the
new year. Many
Tanya Anandan is Marketing Manager of you sent in We need the following statistics on
for Wall Colmonoy. In addition to your contest Baby New Year 1997:
overseeing corporate communications, entries which
Tanya is responsible for developing 1. Time of birth (hour, minute
we held until the
marketing plans, pricing strategies and and second).
clock struck
researching new market opportunities 2. Gender (boy or girl).
midnight for the
for Wall Colmonoy's Products and 3. Birth place (U.S. city).
last time in
Processing Groups. 4. Source of statistics (must be
1996. Then
credible and verifiable).
we started
Tanya has been writing articles for searching for
Nicrobraz News, and coordinating its
TO ENTER:
our baby new year. Include the required statistics and
publication and circulation since the first
issue in 1992. Her department pub your source on the enclosed reply
We sent e-mail messages to editors card, make any necessary changes
lished the new Nicrobraz brochure of major U.S. newspapers and
enclosed with this edition. Coming this to the mailing label, and mail it to our
checked other popular sources, but Michigan address. Or fax a copy of
Fall, Tanya will launch our new Web Site to no avail. Now we're asking for
at wallcolmonoy.com. the reply card with your answers and
your help! We need a super sleuth1 mailing label visible, to 248-585-7960.
U
An on-going course • low tensile strength, higher hardness Phosphorus (P)
in furnace brazing • lower corrosion resistance Similar to boron and silicon, phosphorus
from the ivy halls of • excessive fluidity when molten also reduces the melting point of nickel,
Wall Colmonoy in fact quite dramatically as shown in
"University" Thus, there are no commercially Figure 22. When alloyed with 11 wt%
available binary nickel-boron brazing phosphorus, the melting point of nickel
filler metals. All nickel-based filler metals is reduced by 1035° F to 1616° F (880° C).
In lesson 7, we discussed several
factors of base metal surface condition
containing boron must have additional
elements to enhance their physical Unlike boron and silicon, phosphorus
that affect joint strength. In this issue,
properties. does produce a satisfactory brazing
we will examine the most
filler metal when alloyed alone with
common elements that
Silicon (Si) nickel. Phosphorus at 11 wt% in nickel
are alloyed together to
Another element that lowers the melting is Nicrobraz 10 (BNi-6). However, even
form nickel-based
point of nickel is silicon. Approximately though this filler metal has some satisfac
brazing filler metals and
11.8 wt% silicon alloyed with pure nickel tory brazing characteristics and an
the characteristics each
will lower the melting point by 594° F extremely low melting point, the trade
element contributes to
(330° C). But, when alloyed alone with off is low strength and ductility, and
the brazeability of the
Sam C. duBois nickel, silicon like boron will not make a greater fluidity when molten.
filler metal.
satisfactory brazing filler metal. A
binary nickel-silicon alloy will exhibit low Chromium (Cr)
Nickel-based brazing filler metals were To diminish the shortcomings associ
tensile strength, poor ductility and
developed in 1947 to provide higher ated with the binary systems we have
excessive fluidity.
temperature capabilities and improved examined thus far (nickel-boron, nickel
mechanical properties compared to silicon and nickel-phosphorus), chromium
Ni-B-Si
silver- and copper-based filler metals.
Although boron and silicon are both can be alloyed with any of these ele
The metallurgical basis for many nickel
strong melting point depressants, ments to add strength and corrosion
based brazing filler metals was derived resistance to the brazing filler metal.
neither one when alloyed alone with
from nickel-based hardfacing alloys. One example is Nicrobraz 150 (BNi-9)
nickel will produce a satisfactory
) While there are some similarities in
compositions, the alloying elements in
nickel-based filler metals serve varied
brazing filler metal. However, when
alloyed together in nickel with 1.5-3.5%
with 3.5 wt% boron, 15 wt% chromium
and the balance nickel.
boron and 2.75-4.0% silicon, suitable
purposes and are optimized differently.
To maximize the benefits of the chro
brazing filler metals can be formed.
We will now examine some of these mium addition, the time at brazing
Examples are Nicrobraz 130 (BNi-3)
important elements.
temperature can be extended (typically
with a melting point as low as 1900° F
40-60 minutes) to allow the boron to
(1040° C) and Nicrobraz 135 (BNi-4)
Boron (B) diffuse out of the braze joint and into the
at 1935° F (1055° C). The silicon
The melting point of pure nickel is base metals being joined (diffusion
addition will also enhance corrosion
2651° F (1455° C). This temperature is brazing). The boron loss will result in a
resistance in both instances.
much higher than the melting points of r----- strong, corrosion-
most base metals. Yet, according to the Figure 1 resistant braze joint
definition of brazing, base metals must with a melting point
be joined at a brazing temperature higher than the original
below their melting points. Therefore, to filler metal (above
braze with nickel filler metals, elements 1300 2500° For 1370° C).
such as boron must be alloyed with the
nickel to lower its melting point below Another example with
that of most base metals. As shown in chromium is Nicrobraz
Figure 1', when alloyed with nickel, a 30 (BNi-5), which is
mere 3.6 wt% boron will lower the melting nickel-silicon alloyed
point by 652° F to 1999° F (1093° C). with 19 wt% chro
The lower melting point allows us to use mium. This strong
nickel-boron filler metals to braze a wide (64 ksi braze joints are
variety of metals at temperatures far not uncommon)
below their melting points.
900 10.7 corrosion-resistant
brazing filler metal is
Although boron serves an important Cil("] Ill z a:! used to braze a wide
.... ....
function in lowering the melting point of _o. I range of high tem
z :z; 0 z
brazing filler metals, when alloyed alone perature applications.
with nickel, boron has some disadvan ..._.f--m-Ni4B3
tages At 2.5-3.5 wt% boron (amounts 700������� To improve a binary
commonly used in brazing filler metals), 0 10 20 30 nickel-phosphorus
the binary nickel-boron alloy will be filler metal, 14 wt%
Weight Percent Boron
deficient in the following ways. continued on page 4
3
Figure 2
boron will diffuse out high temperature strength of the braze
of the braze joint and joint. Molybdenum increases the
into the base metals. viscosity of brazing filler metals, adds
1200 This will result in a high temperature strength and en
finished braze joint hances corrosion resistance to aqueous
of Ni-Cr-Si-Fe media, especially when alloyed with
with high strength, chromium and copper.
1100 enhanced corrosion
resistance and, due During this examination of the elements
to the boron diffusion, alloyed with nickel to make many
� a higher melting point popular nickel-based brazing filler
� 1000 (Ni) (above 2300° F or metals, we discovered that melting
"§ 1260° C) than the points, strength, ductility, viscosity and
Ql
a. original brazing corrosion resistance are important
E filler metal. considerations. We showed how boron,
� silicon and phosphorus substantially
900
Carbon (C) reduce the melting point of pure nickel.
Carbon is an undesir Chromium, when alloyed with nickel
able element in most boron, nickel-silicon, nickel-phosphorus
brazing filler metals. or combinations of these elements, will
800 '-(;; I() Carbon reacts with improve the strength, ductility and
0.. 0.. 0..
M -o � chromium to form corrosion resistance of brazing filler
....... ....... .......
4
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rature Ranges
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Co Bal. Si 8 B 0.8
1920 2090 2100-2250
210 BCo-1 Cr 19 w 4 c 0.4
(1045) ( 1140) (1150-1230)
Ni 17