This article describes the physical principles of brazing with illustrations and details elements of the brazing process. The elements of brazing process include filler-metal flow, base-metal characteristics, filler-metal characteristics, surface preparation, joint design and clearance, temperature and time, rate and source of heating, and protection by an atmosphere or flux. The article explains the different types of brazing processes: manual torch brazing, furnace brazing, induction brazing, dip brazing, resistance brazing, infrared (quartz) brazing, exothermic brazing, electron-beam and laser brazing, microwave brazing, and braze welding.

Exothermic brazing is a process that utilizes the heat produced in a solid-state chemical reaction to melt a conventional filler metal or to produce molten filler metal as a product of the reaction. This article provides the pros and cons of exothermic brazing, describes procedure of the process, and illustrates a typical arrangement for the exothermic brazing of tube. It provides information on the exothermic compounds used for brazing refractory metals and aluminum alloys.