2011年12月19日星期一

Stainless Steel Brazing: Frequently Asked Questions

Valued for its strength and appearance, stainless steel has numerous applications. But the preferred heating process for forming it into assemblies is always the same: brazing. In brazing, pieces of metal are joined by liquefying filler metal, distributing it between the pieces, and cooling the assembly until the metal solidifies, forming a mbt tembea mink permanent bond. If you are considering outsourcing stainless steel brazing, but you have questions about the brazing process, the answers below can be informative:

Why Can't Stainless Steel Be Welded Instead of Brazed?

Stainless Steel is brazed instead of welded for two reasons: welding can form a layer of oxide on the metal that compromises its appearance, and it can result in a weak bond between the filler metal and base metal. Because it leaves an irregular, beaded joint, welding is also avoided when stainless steel must have a shiny surface.

What Type of Equipment is used to Braze Stainless Steel?

Steel brazing is typically performed in a continuous furnace that features design elements (e.g. curtain boxes and directional flow control) that maintain a controlled atmosphere, or a vacuum furnace that contains one or more chambers to which a vacuum is applied to remove gmbt shoes clearance ases. These furnaces prevent metal from oxidizing as it is brazed, preserving its appearance and strength.

What is a Controlled Brazing Atmosphere?

For stainless steel, a controlled atmosphere is usually one that consists of pure hydrogen, pure nitrogen, or a mixture of hydrogen and nitrogen. These atmospheres prevent metal from oxidizing as it is brazed. A vacuum atmosphere, which is inert, can also be used.

What Happens When an Assembly is Too mbt shoes outlet Large for a Furnace?

Brazing furnaces can be quite large. But if an assembly were too large to fit inside one, torch brazing would be the likely alternative. To reduce the chance of oxidization, the pieces could be subjected to special cleansing processes prior to being brazed, and a layer of flux could be applied. After the filler metal cooled, processes that removed visual imperfections or trace amounts of oxidization from the assembly could be performed.

How Easily Can Stainless Steel Be Joined With Other Metals?

When brazing is used, steel can be joined with other metals rather easily. This is because brazing liquefies the filler metal and not the work pieces. By comparison, welding can make it difficult to join different types of metals, as it melts the work pieces in order to bond them.

Conclusion

Brazing is the ideal method for forming bonds between pieces of stainless steel. But not just any brazing method should be used. To maintain its bright appearance, and to ensure that the filler metal bonds securely to the base metal, the metal should be braised in a controlled atmosphere or a vacuum atmosphere.

Due to the expertise and special equipment that steel brazing requires, most manufacturers that require stainless steel assemblies purchase them already assembled from professional metal workers. To learn more about the benefits of outsourcing for this, contact a metal treatment service.

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