Metals and alloys terminology

Does not embrittle kovar.

General purpose filler metal, can be used with brazeable aluminiums in all types of brazing.

For carbides, stainless steels, tool steels, and nickel alloys.

For copper, nickel, kovar, and molybdenum-manganese metallized ceramics.

For complex chromium-titanium carbides, stainless steel, Stellite, Inconel.

Close to eutectic, narrow melting range, suitable for low heating rates, e.g. in furnace brazing.

Widely used for joining metalized ceramics to metals in vacuum.

Low vapor pressure.

Corrosion-resistant.

For carbides, steels, stainless steels, cast iron, and nickel refractory alloys.

Extensively used in nuclear industry except in high-neutron flux regions and in contact with liquid sodium or potassium.

Generally provides joints stronger than the base metals.

Free-flowing, for ferrous alloys, nickel, copper and their alloys, and combinations.

For copper alloys, brass, nickel silver, bronze, mild steel, stainless steel, nickel, and Monel.

Good performance in nitrogen-bearing atmospheres.

Due to low melting point suitable for joining copper to brass, as dezincification of brass is less pronounced.

Used for fluxless brazing in refrigeration, air conditioning, medical gas pipework, and heat exchangers.

Can be used also on silver, tungsten and molybdenum.

85 7 8
Cu85Sn15 Cu-Sn 789/960[32] – Cutin.

Can be used also on silver, tungsten and molybdenum.

Light copper color.

Traces of bismuth and beryllium disrupt the surface aluminium oxide.

Excellent wetting properties, used extensively for attaching tungsten carbide bits to cutting tools and rock drills.

Does not outgas during titanium nitride coating.

Titanium forms an interfacial layer with Si3N4, yielding TiN, TiSi, and Ti5Si3.[70]

For joining tungsten carbide, beryllium copper and aluminium bronze to steel.

Widely used for joining metalized ceramics to metals in vacuum.

Preforms made by rapid solidification.

Used for fluxless brazing in refrigeration, air conditioning, medical gas pipework, and heat exchangers.

For complex chromium-titanium carbides, stainless steel, Stellite, Inconel.

For use on brass, bronze, and low carbon steel.

For carbides, steels, stainless steels, cast iron, and nickel refractory alloys.

Can be used for brazing stainless-steel to phosphorus-deoxidized or OFHC copper.

Absence of lead and cadmium allows use of long heating cycles.

For alloys of iron, copper, and nickel.

Free-flowing, most fluid of aluminium filler metals.

For high-temperature applications e.g. on jet engines, especially on stainless steel; maximum service temperature 371 °C. Used in many jet engine subassemblies for US Air Force.

For attaching carbides to alloy steels.

Used where joint strength needs to be higher than achievable by solders and temperature must be low, e.g. thermostatic bellows operating at temperatures too high for soft solders and requiring being joined below their annealing temperature.

Excellent wetting of carbides, stainless steel and copper.

Alloy of choice for joining gold-plated and gold-alloy plated surfaces.

Brasses are often used on mild steel assemblies.

Grayish-white color.

Similar to Cusil-ABA.

Can be used for joining aluminium and titanium to dissimilar metals; the risk of galvanic corrosion then has to be considered.

Silver-white color; used in silversmithing due to color match.

Used in refrigeration and air conditioning systems, and brass and copper pipe fitting.

Can be used for infiltrating porous components made by powder metallurgy ("infiltration brazing"); the lubricity of silver and its resistance to galling makes it attractive for bearings.

Traces of bismuth and beryllium disrupt the surface aluminium oxide.

Used where joint strength needs to be higher than achievable by solders and temperature must be low, e.g. thermostatic bellows operating at temperatures too high for soft solders and requiring being joined below their annealing temperature.

860/882[79] – Wieland Porta Optimum 880.

For aluminium-to-aluminium and aluminium-to-copper.

Fluxless brazing requires vacuum, argon or dry hydrogen atmosphere.

Used in some gas turbine applications.

For carbides, stainless steels, tool steels, and nickel alloys.

For heat exchanger return bends, hot water cylinders, refrigeration pipes.

Very fluid at high temperatures, suitable for deep penetration to tight-fitting joints.

Can be used for brazing ceramics, metal-ceramics, graphite, diamond, corundum, sapphire, ruby.

1015/1055[85] – Wieland Porta IP V-1.

Used for e.g. immersion heaters and thermocouple harnesses.

Free-flowing, most fluid of aluminium filler metals.

Can fill gaps and form fillets.

Tendency to liquation, has to be heated rapidly through the melting range.

Au62Ag17Cu7Zn6In5Pd3 710/770[87] – Wieland Auropal M-1.

Requires very intense heating, e.g. electric arc.

General-purpose.

Coefficient of expansion matching many common materials.

Can be used without flux in hydrogen, inert gas, or vacuum.

Low tarnishing due to germanium content; transparent passivation layer of germanium oxide protects against silver sulfide formation.

Cu-Zn 855/915[29] – Hi-Temp 080.

General purpose filler metal for aluminium soldering/brazing with a torch.

See also Argentium sterling silver.

For electrical contacts and copper-tungsten electrodes.

For attaching carbides to alloy steels.

As the braze does not contain active elements, the carbon-based material may have to be surface-treated for sufficient wetting, e.g. by a solid-state reaction with chromium.[34]

Used in plumbing.

Very fluid, for tight-fitting joints.

For alloys like kovar and invar to copper, for vacuum tubes.

Maximum service temperature 149 °C, intermittently 204 °C. Steel gray color.

Used in refrigeration and air conditioning systems, and brass and copper pipe fitting.

Low vibration resistance.

May facilitate stress cracking of some alloys by liquid metal embrittlement; prior stress relief annealing is required then, or use of a higher melting point alloy that does not melt until stress relief temperature of the base metal is reached.

In furnace brazing the heat cycles should be kept short, as otherwise zinc could volatilize and leave pinholes in the alloy.

Does not tend to produce porous fillets despite manganese content.

Hallmark-compliant, specifically tailored to meet sterling silver standard, used in jewellery.

For stainless steels, nickel, molybdenum, tungsten, and fast brazing cycles on titanium.

Good for tight-fitting copper pipes and tubing.

860/882[79] – Wieland Porta Optimum 880.

Good for materials where copper-brazing would require too high temperature or where boron alloys would be detrimental.

Suitable for automotive industry for brazing steel components where higher-temperature bronze alloys can not be used.

Used for special purposes, e.g. brazing CFC (carbon fibre composites), pure copper, copper-zirconium alloys and molybdenum.[33]

Indium improves wetting of ferrous alloys.

Can be used for brazing otherwise unbrazeable aluminiums, e.g. castings.

Very similar mechanical and physical properties and application temperature.

As the braze does not contain active elements, the carbon-based material may have to be surface-treated for sufficient wetting, e.g. by a solid-state reaction with chromium.[34]

For steam turbine blades.

For iron, silverware, and nickel alloys.

For band instruments, brass lamps, ship piping, aircraft engine oil coolers.

Good wetting, high strength, low creep, high corrosion resistance, high thermal conductivity, high surface tension, zero wetting angle.

Excellent wetting properties, used extensively for attaching tungsten carbide bits to cutting tools and rock drills.

Low tarnishing due to germanium content; transparent passivation layer of germanium oxide protects against silver sulfide formation.

In furnace brazing the heat cycles should be kept short, as otherwise zinc could volatilize and leave pinholes in the alloy.

Can be strain-hardened by mechanical cold working.[72]

87.5 0.25 Ge12
Ag38Cu32Zn28Sn2 Ag-Cu-Zn 649/721[8]
650/720[35]
660/720[36] – BAg-34, AMS 4761, Braze 380, Silvaloy A38T.

Used in refrigeration and air conditioning systems, and brass and copper pipe fitting.

Unsuitable for vacuum brazing due to high zinc content.

For high-temperature applications e.g. on jet engines, especially on stainless steel; maximum service temperature 371 °C. Used in many jet engine subassemblies for US Air Force.

Strontium refines grain structure of the brazing alloy, improving ductility and toughness.

Often used for joining skins to honeycomb cores of airframe structures made of precipitation-hardened steels.

Ag-Cu-Zn – 18.3 25.62 45.75 1.93
Ag50Cu20Zn28Ni2 Ag-Cu-Zn 660/707[8]
660/705[39] – BAg-24, AMS 4788, Braze 505, Silvaloy A50N, Argo-braze 502.

When joining martensitic stainless steels, cracks appear in the fillets on cooling (due to volume strain caused by martensitic transition of the base metal) and may reduce fatigue life of the joint; this can be prevented by a time-intensive stress relief heating just above the martensitic transition of the base metal, or by using BNi-1A, a reduced-carbon version, which reduces modulus of the filler alloy enough to prevent crack formation.[5]

Used for special purposes, e.g. brazing CFC (carbon fibre composites), pure copper, copper-zirconium alloys and molybdenum.[33]

Used in construction industry, electrotechnics and automotive industry.[46]

Pale yellow color.

Light copper color.

Wets tungsten, molybdenum, tantalum and superalloys.

Yellow-white color.

For joining aluminium and its alloys.

Grayish-white color.

Grayish-white color.

Close to eutectic, narrow melting range, suitable for low heating rates, e.g. in furnace brazing.

Large use on small electric motors, where soft soldering would fail on overheating.

Used in refrigeration and air conditioning systems, and brass and copper pipe fitting.

Can be used for infiltrating porous components made by powder metallurgy ("infiltration brazing"); the lubricity of silver and its resistance to galling makes it attractive for bearings.

Preforms made by rapid solidification.

For copper, copper alloys, brass, bronze.

Excellent wetting of carbides, stainless steel and copper.

For carbides, steels, stainless steels, cast iron, and nickel refractory alloys.

May contain 0.2% silicon for better flow.

(Somebody check the composition, one percent of something is missing.)

Sluggish at low temperatures, suitable for gap-filling.

Allows larger joint clearances.

General purpose filler metal, can be used with brazeable aluminiums in all types of brazing.

For use on carbon and galvanized steel, slightly higher tensile strength than CU 302.

General purpose filler metal, can be used with brazeable aluminiums in all types of brazing.

Traces of bismuth and beryllium disrupt the surface aluminium oxide.

Can be used also on silver, tungsten and molybdenum.

Usable for both flame and furnace brazing.

Strontium refines grain structure of the brazing alloy, improving ductility and toughness.

Used for die attachment and attachment of metal lids to semiconductor packages, e.g. kovar lids to ceramic chip carriers.

Oxidation resistance exceeds palladium-bearing alloys.