title = "Brazing and Soldering in Metal Fabrication"

content = """
Brazing and soldering are joining processes that bond metals using a filler metal that melts and flows into closely fitted joint gaps by capillary action, without melting the base metal. At Ridgecrest Metalworks, brazing is used for joining dissimilar metals, copper tube assemblies, carbide tool brazing, and components where welding heat would cause unacceptable distortion or damage.

Brazing uses a filler metal with a liquidus temperature above 840°F (450°C) but below the melting point of the base metals. Common brazing filler metals include: silver brazing alloys (BAg series, melting range 1145–1650°F / 618–900°C)—used for copper, steel, and stainless joints; copper-zinc brazing alloys (BCuZn, "brazing brass")—used for ferrous metals; copper-phosphorus alloys (BCuP)—self-fluxing on copper, used for copper and copper alloy plumbing and refrigeration joints; and nickel brazing alloys (BNi)—used for high-temperature applications, aerospace components, and stainless steel at temperatures of 1850–2200°F (1010–1204°C) in controlled atmosphere or vacuum furnaces.

Flux is required for most brazing processes to prevent oxidation of the base metal and filler during heating and to promote filler flow. Flux is applied to the joint area before or during heating. After brazing, flux residue must be completely removed (typically by water washing or chemical cleaning) to prevent corrosion.

Brazing heat sources include torch (oxy-acetylene, air-propane, or induction coil for localized joints), batch furnace (for high-volume production, controlled atmosphere), and vacuum furnace (for aerospace and high-purity applications where zero oxidation and flux-free joints are required).

Joint clearance is critical in brazing: the gap between faying surfaces must be small (0.001–0.005 inch / 0.025–0.125 mm) to allow capillary action to draw filler through the joint. Excessively large gaps break capillary action and produce voids; too small a gap prevents filler flow.

Soldering uses filler metals with liquidus below 840°F (450°C). Tin-lead solders (now largely replaced by lead-free alloys) and tin-silver-copper (SAC) alloys are used for electrical/electronic joints and some light-duty mechanical joints. Soldering produces joints with much lower strength than brazing and is not used for structural metalwork at Ridgecrest.
"""

version = "0.0.1"
