Crystals (Jun 2020)
Comparative Study on the Activity of GaF<sub>3</sub> and Ga<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> Nanoparticle-Doped CsF-AlF<sub>3</sub> Flux for Brazing 6061 Al/Q235 Steel Joints
Abstract
The effect of trace amounts of GaF3 and Ga2O3 nanoparticles on the wettability and spreadability of CsF-AlF3 flux matched Zn-15Al filler metal were comparatively studied on 6061 aluminum alloy and Q235 low-carbon steel. The experimental results indicate that appropriate amounts of GaF3 and Ga2O3 added into the flux could significantly promote the Zn-15Al filler metal to wet and spread on the surface of 6061 aluminum alloy and Q235 low-carbon steel. The optimum ranges for GaF3 and Ga2O3 were 0.0075–0.01wt.% and 0.009–0.01 wt.%, respectively. Comparative analysis showed that the activity of CsF-AlF3 flux bearing GaF3 was higher than that bearing Ga2O3. The reason for this is that the former flux has a stronger ability to remove oxides of the base metal and reduce the interfacial tension of the molten filler metal and the base metal.
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