This article is intended to assist the development of procedures for the brazing of ceramic-to-ceramic or ceramic-to-metal joints for service under elevated temperatures, mechanical or thermal stresses, or corrosive atmospheres. It describes the factors considered in preparing a procedure for the brazing of graphitic materials.

Many applications of ceramics and glasses require them to be joined to each other or to other materials such as metals. This article focuses on ceramic joining technologies, including glass-metal sealing, glass-ceramic/metal joining, ceramic-metal joining, ceramic-ceramic joining, and the more advanced joining of nonoxide ceramics. It also discusses metallizing, brazing, diffusion bonding, and chemical bonding.

This article describes the solid-phase and liquid-phase processes involved in diffusion bonding of metals. It provides a detailed discussion on the diffusion bonding of steels and their alloys, nonferrous alloys, and dissimilar metals. Ceramic-ceramic diffusion welding and a variation on this process in which ceramic powder compacts are simultaneously sintered and bonded are also discussed.

Total joint replacement in orthopedic surgery can be achieved by excision, interposition, and replacement arthroplasty. This article details the most common materials used in total replacement synovial joints: metals, ceramics, and ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE). The principal physical properties and tribological characteristics of these materials are summarized. The article discusses pin-on-disk experiments and pin-on-plate experiments for determining friction and wear characteristics. It explains the use of various types of joint simulators, such as hip joint simulators and knee joint simulators, to evaluate the performance of engineering tribological components in machine simulators. The article concludes with a section on the in vivo assessment of total joint replacement performance.

The design process for ceramic materials is more complex than that of metals because of low-strain tolerance, low fracture toughness and brittleness. The application of structural ceramics to engineering systems hinges on the functional benefits to be derived and is manifested in the conceptual design for acceptable reliability. This article discusses the design considerations for the use of structural ceramics for engineering applications. It describes the conceptual design and deals with fast fracture reliability, lifetime reliability, joints, attachments, interfaces, and thermal shock in detailed design procedure. The article provides information on the proof testing of ceramics, and presents a short note on public domain software that helps determine the reliability of a loaded ceramic component. The article concludes with several design scenarios for gas turbine components, turbine wheels, ceramic valves, and sliding parts.

This article describes the factors considered in the analysis of brazeability and solderability of engineering materials. These are the wetting and spreading behavior, joint mechanical properties, corrosion resistance, metallurgical considerations, and residual stress levels. It discusses the application of brazed and soldered joints in sophisticated mechanical assemblies, such as aerospace equipment, chemical reactors, electronic packaging, nuclear applications, and heat exchangers. The article also provides a detailed discussion on the joining process characteristics of different types of engineering materials considered in the selection of a brazing process. The engineering materials include low-carbon steels, low-alloy steels, and tool steels; cast irons; aluminum alloys; copper and copper alloys; nickel-base alloys; heat-resistant alloys; titanium and titanium alloys; refractory metals; cobalt-base alloys; and ceramic materials.

Corrosion is often thought of as rusting, the process of deterioration undergone by a metal when it is exposed to air or water. This article provides the fundamentals of joints corrosion and primarily addresses the various forms of corrosion observed in brazed and soldered joints and their causes. It describes the role of proper brazing procedures in controlling corrosion. The article concludes with information on the corrosion resistance of various brazing alloy systems.

This article discusses the effects of brazing temperature and thermal treatment on structure and mechanical behavior of different classes of titanium base metals such as commercially pure (CP) titanium, alpha or near-alpha alloys, alpha-beta alloys, and beta alloys. The classification, properties, and potential heat treatment of titanium base alloys are presented in tables. The article provides information on brazed joints of titanium with carbon steels, as well as ceramics and graphite. It discusses the risks involved in titanium brazing, including erosion of base metal, brittle intermetallics, and low ductility. The article reviews induction and torch brazing, infrared brazing, diffusion brazing, and brazing by heating with ion bombardment. It concludes by describing the design criteria and limitations of brazing.

This article begins with a discussion on fiber-reinforced composite materials and describes the generic behavior and structure/property relationships of composites. The article summarizes lamina properties and presents equations that help in the calculation of lamina properties. Composite laminates are constructed from lamina with uniaxial fiber orientation and frequently from textile fabrics as well. The article explains the characteristics of symmetric in-plane and through-thickness laminates; asymmetric in-plane and symmetric through-thickness laminates; asymmetric laminates; and curved laminates. It provides information on controlled thermal expansion composites, metal-matrix composites, and ceramic-matrix composites. The article illustrates the types of bonded joints and concludes with a discussion on design for manufacturing.

Post-processing includes various processes that might be required to produce finished components from the ceramic-matrix composites (CMC) materials. The processes consist of machining or finishing operations, coating, joining, assembly operations, and nondestructive evaluation of CMCs and its components. This article discusses the specific needs for science and technology in these areas relative to the goal of employing CMCs in a variety of applications.

Dip soldering is accomplished by submerging parts to be joined into a molten solder bath. This article provides an overview of dip soldering, its applications, and the equipment used. The article also provides information on the safety measures to be taken by production personnel when operating solder pots.

Joining is key to the manufacture of large or complex devices or assemblies; construction of large and complex structures; and repair of parts, assemblies, or structures in service. This article describes the three forces for joining: physical, chemical, and mechanical. It provides an overview of the joining processes, namely, mechanical fastening, integral attachment, adhesive bonding, welding, brazing, and soldering. The article concludes with information on the various aspects of joint design and location that determine the selection of a suitable joining method.

Soldering represents the primary method of attaching electronic components, such as resistors, capacitors, or packaged integrated circuits, to either printed wiring board whose defects is minimized by consideration of proper PWB design, device packages, and board assembly. This article discusses the categories that are most important to successful electronic soldering, namely, solders and fluxes selection, nature of base materials and finishes, solder joint design, and solderability testing.

The human internal environment plays a vital role in the friction and wear of implants and prosthetic devices. This article describes the tribological/wear behavior of implants. It discusses the classification of active tribological pairs, namely, amphiarthosis joints and diarthosis joints. The article details the classification of total knee replacement, depending on the type of mechanical stability, including nonconstrained knee replacement, semiconstrained knee replacement, and constrained knee replacement. It also discusses the classifications of passive tribological pairs, namely, total disc replacement in the spine, dental implants, and temporomandibular joint. It describes the various testing methods for characterizing the implant materials used in hip, knee, spine, and dental applications. The article also describes the typical standards used for testing wear behavior of tribological pairs, namely, hip-wear simulation standards, knee-wear simulation standards, and spinal disc-wear simulation standards.

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.