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Competence in Aluminium
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ALUMINIUM BRAZING
Brazing process
Advantages of aluminium brazing
The use of aluminium alloys in heat exchanger applications has steadily increased over the last two decades and because of the continuing drive for lightweight design and cost reductions, aluminium has virtually replaced copper and brass. Manufacturers have derived full advantage from the properties of aluminium brazing material concerning strength, weight, thermal conductivity, formability and corrosion resistance. Therefore brazed aluminium heat exchangers have become quite common in radiators, oil coolers, condensers, evaporators, intercoolers and air conditioning equipment. And this success is directly linked to the development of joining processes.
Illustration of grain size and brazing joint
History
At the beginning of the 1970s aluminium heat exchangers were mechanically assembled; then in the middle of this decade the fluxless vacuum brazing (VAC) process was introduced into large scale production. Subsequently, the improved, flux-based controlled atmosphere brazing (CAB) technique developed in the early 1980s, led to a steady increase in the use of aluminium brazing material for heat exchanger applications.
330.0 m
303.9 m
VAC-CAB process
As aluminium alloys form a stable and high melting oxide film, all the brazing methods include the Al-oxide layer penetration step. The fluxless vacuum brazing process (VAC) and the flux based controlled atmosphere brazing (CAB) overcome this problem by means of two differing procedures. In vacuum brazing the filler alloy contains 1.0-2.0% magnesium, which diffuses on the surface during the brazing cycle and then vaporizes at 600C due to low pressure of 10-5 mbar. The Mg-vapour disrupts the oxide layer and thus enables the filler alloy to flow. This Mg-vapour deposits on the cold furnace walls during vacuum brazing and must be regularly removed to ensure efficient furnace operation. In controlled atmosphere brazing a non corrosive, non hygroscopic flux is employed to dissolve and break up the oxide layer before the filler alloy melts. A Mg-content of over 0.3% in the molten clad reduces the performance of the flux due to the formation of high melting K-Mg-F-compound. These compounds reduce the viscosity of the liquid filler and results in poor brazing results.
1 mm
Roll cladding
Today, two basic cladding techniques, roll bonding and cast cladding, have become established industrially. Roll cladding is a solid-state welding process, which is used to join similar and dissimilar aluminium alloys, and represents the primary method of manufacturing fuselage skin sheet for aircraft, bright products and brazing sheet for automotive applications. The cladding layers are attached to the core slab by welding and metallurgical bonding using hot rolling. The cast cladding technique is based on a conventional direct chill mould modified in order to allow multiple metal streams to be casted into one single aluminium ingot.
Complex assemblies can be turned into single unit by just one pass through a brazing furnace. Aluminium brazing facilitates the joining of parts with a near-eutectic Al-Si filler alloy, the liquidus temperature which is about 50C lower than that of the core. In serial heat exchanger production the filler alloy is supplied via a thin clad on a core alloy.
Compound Material
Aluminium brazing material is a sophisticated multi layer compound consisting of a core alloy which provides the strength and life cycle requirements of the heat exchanger and a clad brazing filler. A one-sided protection layer can also be clad, in order to prevent water-side radiator corrosion.
Cladding thickness
AMAGs well established, roll bonding process guarantees tight cladding thickness tolerances, which are essential for ensuring stable brazing results. Extremely thin clad layers of 1.5% can be manufactured, as well as brazing materials with a cladding thickness of 20%.
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AMAG TopClad
Typically, non heat-treatable Al-Mn based alloys of the 3xxx series are used for the core material of aluminium brazing compounds.
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03 03 04 03 05 5 63 51 50 50 53 30 30 31 31 30 00 60 69 -9 -9 3 -3 -3 -3 70 20 3 5 LL LL 5 LL
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MULTICLAD MATERIAL
Progress by innovation
AMAG MultiClad Material
The characteristics of multilayer material compounds can be modified in a wide range of properties including strength, formability and corrosion resistance. Functional interlayers for improving the forming behaviour, the corrosion protection or the diffusion resistance form a material package which meets customer specific needs.
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Rp0.2
A50
A50 [%]
CORROSION RESISTANCE
Pitting Corrosion
Heat exchangers often suffer from pitting corrosion, as in the presence of an electrolyte the surface brazing material is removed at localized points and this results in the development of cavities. The primary cause of pitting is a difference in the corrosion potential created by an inhomogeneity either in or on the material surface.
Waterside Corrosion
Water-side corrosion on the inner side of a tube can be controlled sufficiently through the use of the proper cooling liquid with appropriate inhibitors. When applied to the core, water-side clad alloys such as EN AW-1050 or EN AW-7072 can improve internal corrosion resistance.
Material Selection
The electrochemical potentials of heat exchanger materials may indicate the corrosiveness but does not include the influence of the microstructure on the corrosion. Accelerated corrosion tests (SWAAT-Test) allows AMAG to predict the durability of heat exchangers.
Galvanic Protection
The principle of galvanic protection is commonly applied with regard to the critical components of the heat exchanger: When in contact with an electrolyte, a less noble (anodic) alloy corrodes preferably in comparison with a noble (cathodic) alloy. Corrosion prevention requires careful selection of alloy combinations. Depending on the electro-chemical potentials of the post-brazed materials in use, the corrosion attack on the single components can be controlled.
322.2 m 322,2 m
SUPPORT
500 m
technical data
Sheets
edge quality inside diameter outside diameter Cladding cladding cladding thickness cladding tolerance
trimmed 300 mm; 400 mm; 508 mm; 600 mm max. 1900 mm
one side; both sides 4) 1.5 20.0% cladding thickness of 1.5 < 4.0%: 0.6 cladding thickness of 4.0 < 6.0%: 1.0 cladding thickness of 6.0 < 12.0%: 1.5 cladding thickness of 12.0 20.0%: 2.0
mill finish; for thickness 0.3 3.5 mm: chemically degreased zebra marking; ink marking
Tolerances according to EN and ASME. Higher thickness on request. 3) New cut to length line available in February 2013. 4) Also with different thicknesses and alloys. Customer specific dimensions and tolerances on request.
The state-of-the-art slitting line also allows AMAG to meet the demand for ever-closer width tolerances of tube stock material. Depending on the material thickness width tolerances from max. 0.05 mm up to max. 0.20 mm can be ensured.
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0.05 0.10
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High quality rolling products require premium rolling slabs. All heat exchanger alloys are cast in Ranshofen at AMAG Casting. In addition to command of casthouse
processes customers demand comprehensive know-how in the material testing field. This know-how is to be found in the accredited AMAG testing laboratory.
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AMAG TopClad; 3xxx-non-heat-treatable alloys according to EN 573-3 and AA 3003 3004 3005 3103 1) 3105
min max. min. max. min max. min max. min max. 0.6 0.30 0.6 0.50 0.6 0.7 0.70 0.7 0.7 0.7 0.05 0.25 0.25 0.30 0.10 0.30 1.0 1.5 1.0 1.5 1.0 1.5 0.9 1.5 0.30 0.8 0.8 1.3 0.20 0.6 0.30 0.20 0.8 0.10 0.10 0.20 0.10 0.25 0.25 0.20 0.40 0.10 0.10 0.05 0.05 0.05 0.05 0.05 0.15 0.15 0.15 0.15 0.15
AMAG TopClad HS (High strength); 6xxx-heat treatable alloys according to EN 573-3 and AA 6063 6951
min. max. min. max. 0.20 0.6 0.20 0.50 0.35 0.08 0.10 0.15 0.40 0.10 0.10 0.45 0.9 0.40 0.8 0.10 0.10 0.20 0.05 0.05 0.15 0.15
AMAG TopClad UHS (Ultra High Strength); 7xxx-heat treatable alloys according to EN 573-3 and AA 7020 2)
1) 2)
min. max.
0.35
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Containing max. 0.10% (Zr+Ti) Containing 0.08% 0.25% (Zr+Ti) and 0.08% 0.20% Zr
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H12
min. max. min. max. min. max. min. max. min. max.
0.3 4.0 0.3 4.0 0.3 4.0 0.3 4.0 0.3 4.0
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95 135 115 90 95 -
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min. max.
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Post braze properties as typical value; 3 min on brazing temperature of 600C; tensile test at room temperature. Post braze properties after 8 days room temperature aging.
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position to rolling direction: 0 n4-6 = 0.24 r8-12 = 0.67 45 n4-6 = 0.25 r8-12 = 0.69 90 n4-6 = 0.24 r8-12 = 0.69
0,05
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deformation strain g
180 160 140 1.2 mm EN AW-6063 brazing sheet in temper soft
deformation strain g
180 160 140 1.2 mm LL-3503 brazing sheet in temper soft
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position to rolling direction: 0 n4-6 = 0.29 r8-12 = 0.71 45 n4-6 = 0.29 r8-12 = 0.72 90 n4-6 = 0.28 r8-12 = 0.68
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0,15
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deformation strain g
220 200 180 0.6 mm LL-3505 brazing sheet in temper soft
deformation strain g
220 200 180 1.5 mm LL-3535 brazing sheet in temper soft
160
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deformation strain g
deformation strain g
Formability Characteristics
The flow curve can be calculated from the region of uniform elongation from yield strength Rp0.2 to uniform elongation Ag in the stress-elongation curve. In order to determine the material characteristic values for forming
the force is related to the actual section area of the specimen. The flow stress kf is related to the region of plastic flow and depends on material, temperature, degree of strain and strain rate. The strain hardening exponent n can be calculated from the flow curve; the higher the value of n and the higher the uniform elongation, the lower is the tendency of the material to neck locally. Brazing sheets do not exhibit the same properties in all directions; the variation of material properties in dependence of the rolling direction is called anisotropy r.
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AMAG Austria Metall AG P.O. Box 3 5282 Ranshofen AUSTRIA T +43 7722 801 0 F +43 7722 809 498 md-amag@amag.at www.amag.at
www.amag.at
10.2012