Aws C3.6-99
Aws C3.6-99
Aws C3.6-99
Superado
Specification for
Furnace Brazing
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STDmAWS C3.b-ENGL
Key Words-
L999
AWS C3.6:1999
An American National Standard
Approved by
American National StandardsInstitute
March 11,1999
Specification for
Furnace Brazing
Supersedes ANSI/AWS C3.6-90
Prepared by
AWS Committee on Brazing and Soldering
Under the Direction of
AWS Technical Activities Committee
Approved by
AWS Board of Directors
Abstract
This specification provides minimum fabrication, equipment, material, process procedure requirements, and inspection
requirements for the furnace brazing of steels, copper, copper alloys, and heat and corrosion resistant alloys and other
materials that canbe adequately furnacebrazed. For the brazing of aluminum alloys refer to AWS C3.7, Specification for
Aluminum Brazing. This specification provides criteria for classifying furnace brazed joints based on loading and the
consequences of failure and quality assurance criteria defining
the limits of acceptability of each class. The specification
defines acceptable furnace brazing equipment, materials, and procedures, as well as the required inspection for each
class of joint.
All standards (codes, specifications, recommended practices, methods, classifications, and guides) of the American
Welding Society are voluntary consensus standards that have been developed in accordance with the rules of the
American National Standards Institute. When AWS standards are either incorporated in, or made part of, documents that
are included in federal or state lawsand regulations, or the regulations of other governmental bodies, their provisions
carry the full legal authority of the statute. In such cases, any changes in those AWS standards must be approved by the
governmental body having statutory jurisdiction before they can become a part of those laws and regulations. In all
cases, these standards carry the full legal authority of the contract or other document that invokes the AWS standards.
Where this contractual relationship exists, changesin or deviations from requirements of an AWS standard must be by
agreement between the contractingparties.
This standard is subject to revision at any time by the AWS Committee on Brazing and Soldering. It must be reviewed
every 5 years and if not revised, it must be either reapproved or withdrawn. Comments (recommendations,additions, or
deletions) and any pertinent data that may be of use in improving this standard are requested and should be addressed to
AWS Headquarters. Such commentswill receive careful consideration by the AWS Committee on Brazing and Soldering
and the author of the comments will be informed of the Committees response to the comments.Guests are invited to attend
all meetings of the AWS Committee onBrazing and Soldering to express their comments verbally. Procedures for appeal
of an adverse decision concerning all such comments are provided in the Rules of Operation of the Technical Activities
Committee. A copy of these Rules can be obtained from the American Welding Society, 550 N.W. LeJeune Road, Miami,
FL 33 126.
Photocopy Rights
Authorization to photocopy items for internal, personal, or educational classroom use only, or the internal, personal, or
educational classroom use only of specific clients, is granted by the American Welding Society (AWS) provided that the
appropriate feeis paid to the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, Tel: 978-750-8400;
online: http://www.copyright.com
Personnel
AWS Committee on Brazing and Soldering
M. J. Lucas, Chair
D. W Bucholz, 1st Vice Chair
C. B. Pollock, Secretary
*A. Baldantoni
B. Barten
*R. E. Beal
S.S. Bhargava
*A. B. Cedilote
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N. C. Cole
*R. E. Cook
R. G. Fairbanks
C. E. Fuerstenau
f! K. Gupta
R. L. Hall, Jr.
M. J. Higgins
E M. Hosking
J. R. Jachna
*H. Lichtenberger
*M. Manning
C. Moyer
T. Oyama
R. L. Peaslee
*D. D. Peter
A. Rabinkin
W D. Rupert
M. L. Santella
J. L. Schuster
A. Severin
J. R. Terriff
I! Vanco
*R. W Walls
*Advisor
...
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Foreword
This specification is one of a series prepared at the request of the Aerospace Industries Association and a number of
others to replace MIL-B-7883. This military specification covered all brazing processes and had become obsolete as
such processes had proliferated and the technology had become more complex.
Attempting to cover all of the diverse brazing processes in one concise, easily understood document was found to be
impossible, and therefore a series of four independent specifications on brazing were written, all in the same format.
They are AWS C3.4, Specification for Torch Brazing, AWS C3.5, Specification for Induction Brazing, and AWS C3.6,
Specification for Furnace Brazing. Torch, induction and furnace brazing of aluminum alloys are covered in AWS C3.7,
Specification for Aluminum Brazing. It was decided to subdivide the technology in this way based upon a survey of production brazing applications conducted by the AWS Committee on Brazing and Soldering. The committee is currently
working to complete a specification on resistance brazing.
The survey showed that these categories would cover the vast majority of brazing done in the United States today. An
additional document is ANSI/AWS C3.8, Ultrasonic Inspection of Brazed Joints. In the preparation of the first four
brazing specifications, it was found that no such document existed which could be referenced bythem to provide
specific criteria and requirements for the application of this important new technology to brazed joints.
Comments and suggestionsfor theimprovement of this specification are welcome.They should be sent to the
Secretary, Committee on Brazing and Soldering, AmericanWelding Society, 550 N.W. LeJeune Road, Miami, FL
33126.
Official interpretations of any of the technical requirements of the specification may be obtained by sending a request
in writing to the Managing Director, Technical Services, American Welding Society. A formal reply will be issued after
the request has been reviewed by appropriate personnel following established procedures.
iv
Copyright American Welding Society
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No reproduction or networking permitted without license from IHS
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(This Foreword is not a part of AWS C3.6:1999, Specification for Furnace Brazing, but is included for information
purposes only.)
Table of Contents
Page No.
...
Personnel ....................................................................................................................................................................
Foreword ...................................................................................................................................................................
111
iv
2. Applicable Documents
............................................................................................................................................
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
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5. Quality Assurance Provisions
5.1 Responsibility for Inspection .........................................................................................................................
5.2 Requirements for Compliance .......................................................................................................................
5.3 Sequence of Inspection and Manufacturing Operations ................................................................................
5.4 Required Inspections of Brazed Joints ...........................................................................................................
5.5 Acceptance Criteria........................................................................................................................................
5.6 Process Completion ........................................................................................................................................
6. Definitions ..............................................................................................................................................................
2
4
4
5
5
5
5
5
5
5
7
8
8
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1. Scope ....................................................................................................................................................................... 1
= 07842b5
0533384 L34 W
AWS C3.6:1999
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1. Scope
Document Sources:
2. Applicable Documents
The following documents form a part of this specification, as referenced by this specification. Unless otherwise specified by the Organization Having Quality
Responsibility, the revision of these documents in force
at the time a contract
or purchase order isissued shall be
used.
(1) ANSIIAWS A2.4, Symbols for Welding, Brazing,
and Nondestructive Examination
(2) ANSIIAWS A3.0, StandardWeldingTermsand
Definitions
(3) ANSIIAWS A5.8, Specification for Filler Metals
for Brazing and Braze Welding
American Society for Quality (ASQ), 611 East Wisconsin Avenue, Milwaukee, W1 53201
American
Society
for Testing and Materials
(ASTM),100 Barr Harbor Dr., West Conshohocken, PA
19428-2959
National Conference of Standards Laboratories, 1800
30th Street; Suite 305B,Boulder, CO 80301
Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE), 400 Commonwealth Drive, Warrendale, PA 15096-0001
1
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STD-AWS C 3 - b - E N G L
AWS C3.6:1999
4.2.2 Temperature
Measurement
and Control
Instruments. In closed, batch-type furnaces, suitable
instrumentation and thermocouples (see 4.2.3) shall be
provided to measureand
control the temperature of
assemblies being brazed. In equipment where AMS2750
is not used in its entirety the provisions of this section
shall apply. The instrument shall be of the potentiometer
type capable of measuring, recording, and providing a
permanent record of the temperature through the entire
brazing thermal cycle. In furnaces with multiple heating
zones (i.e., preheat zone, braze zone, postheat zone),
such instrumentation shall be provided for each zone.
All instruments used to measure the temperature of
assemblies being brazed or to control furnace temperature, or both, shall have an indicated temperature accuracy range of not more than plus or minus 0.5 percent of
the maximum for which the furnace is qualified over the
entire operating range, including each furnace heat zone.
The indicated temperature accuracy of the instrument
shall be determined in accordance with the equipment
manufacturer's recommendations usinga known electromotive force input traceable to the National Institute of
Standards and Technology.'
All instruments shall be calibrated in accordance with
AMS 2750 and ANSI/NCSL 2540-1. Instruments shall
be calibrated on a regular schedule or whenever repairs
or modifications are made to them.
3.2 Class A Joints. Class A joints are those joints subjected to high stresses, cyclic stresses, or both, the failure
of which could result in significant risk topersons or property, or could result in a significant operational failure.
3.3 Class B Joints. Class B joints are those joints subjected to low or moderate stresses, cyclic stresses or
both, the failure of which could result in significant risk
to persons or property, or could result in a significant
operational failure.
3.4 Class C Joints. Class C joints are those joints subjected to low or moderate stresses, cyclic stresses or
both, the failure of which would have no significant, detrimental effect.
4. Process Requirements
which assembled components, with filler metal preplaced, are loaded into the furnace. The furnace then is
purged with a neutral or reducing atmosphere, or evacuated of air, and heated to a temperature (generally above
the liquidus of the filler metal) but less than the melting
point of the base metals. The brazements are then cooled
or quenched at an appropriate rate so as to minimize distortion and produce the required properties in the filler
metal and base material. This cycle is designed to produce the melting andsolidification of the filler metal required to join the components without melting or
damaging the base metals.
4.2 Equipment
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Not for Resale
AWS C3.6:1999
m3
required to determine the temperature uniformity in the
work zone of any furnace.
The thermocouples shall be symmetrically distributed
within the work zone. Qualification shall be performed at
the highest and lowest brazing temperature at which the
furnace is used, and at intermediate temperature such
that the difference between qualification temperaturesis
not greater than 315C (600F). The temperature ofall
test and furnace control thermocouples shall berecorded
at intervals of no more than 5 minutes starting immediately after heating begins. Temperature measurement and
recording shall continue at least 30 minutes after equilibrium has been reached to determine the temperature pattern of the furnace. The resultsof the test shall be posted
at the furnace, and shall include the dateof testing, due
date of next test, the size of the work zone, and the results of the tests including the location within the work
zone of the hottest and coldest location.
4.2.8 Vacuum Furnace Requirements. Vacuum furnaces shall comply with the following performance requirements. A cold and previously outgassed furnace
shall leak no more than2.6 Pa (20 x
torr) perhour
when the vacuum chamber is isolated from the pumping
system after being evacuated to 0.65 Pa (5 x 10 torr).
Less than 1.3 Pa (10 x
torr) per hour is required for
more critical applications. It shall be measured over a
time period of no less than 15 minutes. Such a leak rate
test shall be performed at least once a week,or whenever
there is reason to suspect that an unacceptable leak rate
exists. The furnace should have the capability of introducing argon, hydrogen, helium,or nitrogen if required
for rapid cooling or to backfill after evacuation to maintain a partial pressure if required to prevent sublimation
of elements from the brazing fillermetal.
4.2.6.1 Furnace Qualification Procedure. Temperature uniformity tests shall be conducted with a furnace load representative of production parts, material,
racks, and using a typical production atmosphere or
vacuum level. The test shall be conducted using new or
calibrated thermocouples. The potentiometric
measuring
equipment shallmeet the requirements of 4.2.2.
Instruments usedto control the furnace during production brazing shall not be used to monitor the qualification thermocouples. Aminimum of two thermocouples
shall be used to determine the temperature uniformity of
furnaces having a work zone volume of 0.28 m3 (10 ft3),
or less. A minimum of nine thermocouples or one thermocouple per 0.71 m3 (25 ft3) of working zone, whichever is greater, shall be used to detem-he the uniformity
3
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4.2.7AtmosphereFurnaceRequirements.
Atmosphere controls shall be suitable for the intended purpose
and in good workingorder. The gas supplyand purification system shall be capable of supplying atmosphere
gases in accordance with the approved brazing procedure
specification (see 4.4.7).
STD.AWS C3.b-ENGL
AWS C3.6:1999
4.2.9Fixtures. When required, furnace brazing fixtures shall be made of suitable materials which will not
contaminate the furnace or workload either upon contact
or by vaporization. Fixtures shall be designed, built, and
maintained to provide adequate support of assemblies,
maintain proper braze joint clearance, accommodate
thermal expansion, and not adversely affect mass load
and uniformity. Appropriate conditioning of the fixtures
is required to prevent or minimize brazing of the fixtures.
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4.4.3 Joint Clearance. Joint clearance between mating surfaces of joints to be furnace brazed, if not otherwise specified by the engineering drawing, shall be
controlled by the assembly procedures so that proper
joint clearance is provided at the brazing temperature.
When one of the mating surfaces is straight-line knurled
in the direction of filler metal flow into the joint, a lineto-line fit is permitted. The depth of such knurling shall
not exceed 0.13 mm (0.005 in.) below the original surface. Suggested joint clearances for typical materials
may be found in the AWS Brazing Handbook, Table 2.1.
43.4 FurnaceAtmosphereGases.
Furnace atmosphere gases shall be compatible with the filler and base
metals and suitablefor the particular application.
4.3.5 Braze Stopoff. Braze stopoff, if used, shall be
suitable forthe intended purpose and compatible with the
base metal(s), filler metal, and furnace atmosphere. In
certain specialized applications, residues from stopoff
materials can produce unacceptable contamination of the
product. If any doubt exists, permission of the Organizution Having Quality Responsibility should be obtained
prior to use.
STD-AWS C3.b-ENGL
L999
II
AWS C3.6:1999
Quality Responsibility, or if ultrasonic inspection or another approved inspection procedure per 5.4.1.4 is performed to assure proper metallurgical bonding between
the filler and base metals. After filler metal application,
assemblies shall be protected from contamination by
suitable means.
5.3 Sequence of Inspection and ManufacturingOperations. Furnace brazed joints may be inspected at the assembly or subassembly level, provided the entire joint is
accessible for inspection. Parts requiring postbraze heat
treatment shallbe inspected after heat treatment has been
completed, unless otherwise specifiedon the engineering
drawing. When brazed joints are inspected in process
prior to machining of joint edges, reinspection shall be
required after machining to assure that the brazed joint
has not been damaged in the machining operations. Inspection shouldbe done after postbraze cleaning.
AWS C3.6:1999
(1) Class A joints shall be pressure tested at an internal pressure and by procedures specified in writing by
the Organization Having Quality Responsibility. No
measurable leakage shallbe allowed. They shall then be
helium leak tested in accordance with a procedure outlined by the Organization Having Quality Responsibility,
and leakage ofnot more than 3.0 x
cchecond shall
be detected with a suitable detectorin good working condition calibrated as specifiedby its manufacturer.
(2) Class B joints shall be pressure tested at an internal pressure and by procedures specified in writing by
the Organization Having Quality Responsibility. No visually detected leaks shall be allowed.
Internal pressure test fixtures and devices shall be suitable for the intended purpose and shall be adequately
shielded to prevent injury to persons in case of catastrophic failure duringpressure testing.
5.4.1.1RadiographicInspection.
Radiographic
inspection shall be performed in accordance with ASTM
E 1742, Standard Practice for Radiographic Examination. Brazed jointsshall be radiographically inspected
only when specified in the engineeringdrawing, or when
the following configurationand process requirementsare
met
(1) The clearance between the joint surfaces at assembly should be two percent or more of the total thickness of the base metals at the joint. In cases where the
joint clearance is less than 2 percent of the thickness of
the base metals, the radiographic technique shallbe demonstrated to have adequate sensitivityand be approved by
the Organization Having Quality Responsibility.
(2) The configuration of the assembly must permit
proper film placement.
(3) Filler metal shall have entered the joint proper by
capillary action during the braze cycle, i.e., no filler
metal was preplaced between the joint faces priorto the
brazing heat cycle. This does not preclude the preplacement of filler metal adjacent to the joint faces or in slots
machined within the joint area.
Ultrasonic inspection shallbe required if one or more
of these requirements are not met, except as specified in
5.4.1.4.
5.4.1.2 Ultrasonic Inspection. Ultrasonic inspection shall be performed in accordance with ANSI/AWS
C3.8, Recommended Practice for Ultrasonic Inspection
of BrazedJoints. Ultrasonic inspection shall only be performed when all of the following configuration and processcriteriaare met. Radiographic inspection shall be
required when one or more of these criteria are not met,
except as specifiedin 5.4.1.4.
(1) The surface through which the sonic pulse enters
the material shall be parallel to the joint surfaces, and the
part must be processed so that filler metal runover onto
this surface is removed prior to ultrasonic inspection.
(2) A suitable ultrasonic reference standard shall be
available. It shall be identical to the assemblies it represents as to the joint configuration,base metal(s), joint
clearance, and filler material. It shall have defects of
known size and location suitable for calibratingthe ultrasonic apparatus.
(3) Ultrasonic facsimiles may be requiredat the discretion of the Organization Having Quality Responsibility.
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AWS C3.6:1999
5.4.23 Class A Joints. Class A Joints require inspection of every unit. No sample plans shall be used.
5.5.1.3 Erosion. Any evidence of braze filler erosion of the exposed base metal surfaces is unacceptable,
if the erosion of either member exceeds5 percent of the
thickness for Class Aand 1.5 percent for Class B or Class
C of the thinnest component of the brazed joint.
5.5.1.4 Failure to Melt. Failure of the filler metal
to melt completely is unacceptable.
5.5.1.5EdgeVoids. Voids which are continuous
across the joint between any two opposite joint edges
are
unacceptable for Class A and Class B. Through voids are
acceptable for Class C.
5.5.1.6BrazeFillerPenetration.
If the edge of
the joint opposite that to which the filler metal is applied
is visible after brazing, filler metal shall be present at that
edge of the joint. This requirement shall not apply in
cases where the edge of the joint opposite the edge to
which filler material is applied is not accessible for inspection, dueto the configuration of the assembly.
5.5.1.7 Flux or Flux Residue. Evidence of flux or
flux residue is unacceptable.
5.5.1.8Quality
of Workmanship. Quality of
workmanship shall be such that the assemblies are suitable for the intended purpose and that surfaces are freeof
excess braze filler material which could interfere with
later operations orthe function of the product.
5.4.3.3 Destructive Test of Assemblies or Samples. Destructive test of assemblies or samples shall be
performed as required for process qualification or corrective action. Destructive testing of samples or sample
parts shall not be substituted for any nondestructive examination required by this specification except as part of
an inspection procedure complyingwith 5.4.1.4.
5.5.2.2 Class B Joints.Radiographic film or ultrasonic fxsimilesof Class B joints shall showthat the total
measured void, or unbonded area, of the joint does not
exceed 25 percent of the total joint area. Thewidth of the
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Not for Resale
S T D = A W S C3.h-fNGL
L999
AWS C3.6:1999
6. Definitions
Terminology related to this specification is included
i n this section. Additional terms may be found in
ANSIIAWS A3.0, Standard Welding Terms and Definitions, Including Terms for Brazing, Soldering, Thermal
Spraying, and Thermal Cutting.
Organization Having Quality Responsibility. The organization responsible to the ultimate user of the
product for the quality of the product and its suitability for the intended use. This will usually be the
manufacturer and marketer of the final product in
commercial business and the prime contractor in government procurement. Although such organizations
may subcontract brazing and related operations to
others, they cannot delegate the ultimate responsibility for the service suitabilityof the product to those or
any other operations.
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STD-AWS C3.b-ENGL
L997
Annex A
Guidelines for Preparationof Technical Inquiries for
AWS Technical Committees
(This Annex isnot a part of AWS C3.6:1999, Specificationfor Furnace Brazing, but is included for informationpurposes only.)
Al. Introduction
involves two or more interrelated provisions. That provision must be identified in the Scope of the inquiry, along
with the edition of the standard that contains the provisions or that the Inquirer is addressing.
A2.Procedure
All inquiries must be directed to:
All inquiries must contain the name, address, and affiliation of the inquirer, andthey must provide enough information for the committee to fully understand the point
of concern in the inquiry. Where that point is not clearly
defined, the inquiry willbe returned for clarification.For
efficient handling, all inquiries should
be typewritten and
should also be in the format used here.
A2.1 Scope. Each inquiry must address one single provision of the Standard, unless the point of the inquiry
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AWS C3.6:1999
STD-AWS C3.h-ENGL
L999
AWS C3.6:1999
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10
Copyright American Welding Society
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ANSI/AWS A3.0
Standard Welding Terms and Definitions, Including Terms for Brazing, Soldering, Thermal Spraying,
and Thermal Cutting
ANSI/AWS A5.8
ANSI/AWS A5.31 Specification for Fluxes for Brazing and Braze Welding
BRH
SH
Soldering Handbook
Recommended Practices for the Design, Manufacture, and Inspection of Critical Brazed Components
AWS C3.4
Specification
for
AWS C3.5
Specification
Induction
for
Torch Brazing
Brazing
AWS C3.6
Specification
for
Furnace Brazing
AWS C3.7
Specification
for
Aluminum Brazing
ANSI/AWS C3.8
For ordering information, contact the AWS Order Department, American Welding Society, 550 N.W. LeJeune Road,
Miami, FL 33126. Telephones: (800) 334-9353, (305)443-9353, ext. 280; FAX (305) 443-7559.
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