S. A. A. Hashemi Milani, R. Tavangar, M. Azadbeh, Kahinpoor, H. Sadeghi-Nasab,
Volume 6, Issue 1 (Journal OF Welding Science and Technology 2020)
Abstract
During the brazing of aluminum-based heat exchangers, the flux dry-off temperature plays a crucial role to get sound joints with maximum strength. In the present study, the NOCOLOK® flux consists of two phases of K2AlF5.H2O and KAlF4 with a melting point around 580 °C was used for brazing AA3003 as base metal with a clad-coating of AA4343 as filler metal. The slurry was applied on the joints and they dried at 220, 300 and 380 °C in air. The tensile shear test revealed that when the slurry dried at 300 °C, the joint withstand maximum shear stress of 44 MPa without defective features. At 220 °C and 380 °C, joint shear stresses were 34 MPa, 30 MPa respectively. However, drying at 380 °C under protective nitrogen gas enhanced the shear strength of up to 39 MPa. Having applied a change in current dryer temperature in the factory from 360 °C to 300 °C reduced the percentage of heat exchangers leakage from 3.2% to 0.6%, approximately, on a weekly basis.
S. H. Hashemi, R. Vafaei, R. Shoja-Razavi,
Volume 9, Issue 2 (Journal OF Welding Science and Technology 2024)
Abstract
316 steel is used in transportation, space, and chemical equipment. This steel is in demand in these industries due to its durability. It is used to increase the lifespan and renovate equipment. The research explores the impact of laser energy density on st6 cladding. It specifically focuses on the microstructure and geometric characteristics of the cladding. The cladding is applied on 316 steel. The experiment was designed with energy density changes from 40 to 116 J/mm and powder rate changes between 12 and 20 g/min. Optical and electron microscopic images were used to evaluate the samples. The results indicated that the dendritic arms grew larger with increased energy density. The dimensions increased from 1.5 to approximately 3. In other words, the speed of cooling is doubled. Increasing energy density from 40 to 75 J/mm reduced cobalt to chromium ratio from 2 to 0.7. It also decreased cobalt to iron ratio from 35 to 3. The changes emphasize how energy density affects microstructure and phase transformations.
