Patent Application
20160325369
1. Field of the Invention
The present disclosure relates to manufacturing and, more particularly, to brazing components during manufacturing.
2. Description of Related Art
Conventional construction of components which undergo high heat during operation, such as fuel injectors, nozzles, atomizers and heat exchangers, include the components bonded together by braze. The components are typically nested within one another or stacked and form a narrow gap which is filled with a braze alloy. Typically, the braze alloy is applied as a braze paste, wire ring, or as a thin sheet shim on the external surfaces or within pockets inside the assembly. Applying braze paste is a very manual process and often can be inconsistent. Braze rings are an improvement but still must be manually positioned and are sensitive to placement. Braze plating requires masking. All of these challenges can lead to high scrap rates. Too little braze creates holes and leakage in the assembly and too much braze results in excess material, e.g., that can block intended fuel or air passages in atomizers and the like. There is a need in the art to more accurately apply a specific amount of braze material to the correct locations. The present disclosure provides a solution for this need.
A method of manufacturing includes depositing a predetermined amount of braze material directly to a joint location of a first component and joining the first component to a second component at the braze joint location. The method also optionally includes depositing a predetermined amount of braze material directly to a joint location of the second component. Machining down the braze material on each of the first and second components can be used to provide a preformed braze joint.
The method can include depositing the braze material to each of the first and second components as a powder and sintering this powder to the surface through the use of a laser. The method can include depositing the braze material to each of the first and second components as a cold spray. It is also contemplated that the method can include depositing the braze material to each of the first and second components as a melted braze filament.
It is possible for the braze material to only be deposited on a portion of the first component to be joined with the second component. It is also possible for the braze material to only be deposited on a portion of the second component to be joined with the first component.
The braze material can include at least one material chosen from the group consisting of bronze-based matrix materials containing nickel, steel-based matrix materials containing nickel, and steel alloys containing chromium, nickel, molybdenum, silicon, vanadium, carbon, gold, silver and/or copper, as required.
The method can include heating the first and second components to melt the braze materials and form a braze joint. During heating of the braze material, the braze material can congeal on the respective first and second component portions.
A first component and a second component can be joined by the processes described above.
These and other features of the systems and methods of the subject disclosure will become more readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments taken in conjunction with the drawings.
So that those skilled in the art to which the subject disclosure appertains will readily understand how to make and use the devices and methods of the subject disclosure without undue experimentation, preferred embodiments thereof will be described in detail herein below with reference to certain figures, wherein:
Reference will now be made to the drawings wherein like reference numerals identify similar structural features or aspects of the subject disclosure. For purposes of explanation and illustration, and not limitation, a partial view of an exemplary embodiment of a method for manufacturing in accordance with the disclosure is shown in
With reference to
The braze material 110 is applied to the first component 112 and/or the second component 114 using laser cladding. Laser cladding is a process in which an alloy of cladding material (in the form of a wire, powder, etc.) is applied to a surface to permit accurate, consistent application of material. A concentrated laser beam moves relative to the surface to melt the applied alloy and a thin layer of the surface material to form a cladding that is metallurgically bonded. Laser cladding is similar to thermal spraying in that an energy source is used to melt the alloy that is being applied to a substrate. However, unlike thermal spraying, laser cladding also melts a thin layer of the substrate that the alloy is being applied to. This melting results in a fused metal and strong metallurgical bond between the cladding and the surface the alloy is applied to. Typically, laser cladding results in an interface with a superior bond strength over thermal spraying. Since a concentrated laser beam is used as the heat source, the heat affected zone will be minimal. Any suitable known laser cladding process may be used to deposit the braze material to the joint location.
Referring to
In certain embodiments, the distribution of braze material can also be accomplished using the ‘cold spray’ process which is an additive material process using high velocity gas to deliver an impinging stream of metal powder and gas to the substrate surface. The powder sticks to the surface due to the force of the impact of the powder onto the surface.
In another embodiment, a wire made of suitable braze material is unwound with an end of the wire in close proximity to the surface of the component part where the braze joint is intended to be formed. A laser or other heat source is applied to the filament (i.e. end of the wire) such that the braze material is melted and applied to the surface.
With reference to
The methods and systems of the present disclosure, as described above and shown in the drawings, provide for a method of manufacturing with superior properties including improved precision in brazing. While the apparatus and methods of the subject disclosure have been shown and described with reference to preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that changes and/or modifications may be made thereto without departing from the scope of the subject disclosure.
