Comparisons between Assembly Technologies by Welding and Brazing of Aluminium Alloys from the Sight of Assembly Quality

Abstract

Aluminum and its alloys are finding use in more and more industrial fields. Since the early 1970s, when many companies in the automotive, pharmaceutical and aeronautical industries replaced the classic components of iron alloys with those of aluminum alloys, they faced various difficulties in the non-removable assembly of designed components.The first assembly technologies used were welding, followed in the 1980s by brazing. Due to its economic advantages, in many cases brazing technologies are preferred by manufacturers. The present paper aims to make a comparative study, based on experimental data, between the non-removable assembly technology by welding and brazing for aluminum alloys of group 6000. Due to the high costs of materials and labor, it is preferable to use relevant non-destructive control methods that can indicate any discontinuities that may occur in welded or brazed structures. These defects can provide valuable information and may indicate either non-compliance with the required technological conditions or the wrong choice of assembly method. Non-destructive testing methods that can highlight interior defects, such as radiographic control with penetrating radiation and ultrasound will be used, as well as less expensive equipment and labor methods that may highlight surface defects or which communicates with the surface such as the method of control with penetrating liquids. Thus, the joint areas of the base and filler materials will be analyzed, as well as the areas in the immediate vicinity that have been thermally influenced. The experimental results will be able to lead to pertinent conclusions in the way of choosing the non-removable assembly technology, results that can be easily generalized in the industrial fields. Thus, each company will be able to choose according to the conditions imposed by the product specifications a certain technology that will satisfy its requirements.