An article by one of the leading authorities on titanium brazing – vetted and accepted for publication in the peer-reviewed ASM Handbook, Volume 6, Welding, Brazing, and Soldering – is now available online in digital form. “Brazing of Conventional Titanium Alloys,” a comprehensive, fact-filled survey by industry expert Alexander E. Shapiro, Ph.D., Titanium Brazing Inc., offers in-depth analysis and practical advice on how to braze commercially pure and alloyed titanium with itself as well as with other materials such as copper, stainless steel, carbon steel, ceramics, graphite, and titanium aluminide.
Brazing, as Shapiro explains, is a thermally activated, metallurgical bonding process involving two contacting surfaces separated by a filler metal. During heating, base metal elements diffuse from opposite sides of the joint to a thin region of molten filler metal. The heated elements interact, forming precipitates and intermetallic compounds that harden into distinct layers across the resulting junction. Dozens of images like the one above are used throughout the article to explain the nature of these formations and how they relate to the quality of the metallurgical joint.
The images also bring focus to the equally important, overarching discussion on why joints fail and how to make them better. To that end, the article gives special attention to filler metals, brazing technologies, and gap design, covering them in depth within the context of specific materials and applications. It also examines common risk factors that can lead to premature joint failure along with potential mitigation strategies. Barrier coatings, for example, can prevent unwanted diffusion associated with the formation of brittle intermetallics. Precisely dosed filler metals and tight gap clearances, on the other hand, can reduce base metal erosion and, in some cases, form composite-like belts that resist crack propagation.
Design, manufacturing, test, and quality engineers as well as materials scientists – particularly those involved in aerospace, defense, medical, marine, and oil and gas applications – will benefit greatly by reading Shapiro’s latest work, which compresses decades of discovery and learning into 25 pages of useful information that addresses everything from product design to process optimization, fixturing, assembly, and quality control. The article, a collaborative publication of the American Welding Society and ASM International, is available free to subscribers of ASM Handbooks Online and may be accessed by others in the ASM Store for a small download fee.
