The Need for Heat Treating in the Aerospace Industry: Part 1

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Since its inception over 100 years ago, the aerospace industry continues to reach new heights, largely due to advances in technology and improvements in manufacturing processes. The umbrella term “aerospace industry” now covers a broad range of products for commercial, industrial, and military uses. With the impending arrival of private space travel, we can expect the industry to expand even more in the years to come.

Aerospace products are made from a variety of materials. Steel and alloys are commonly used in these components due to the strength and durability that they offer under the grueling conditions of the industry. Heat treating is used on these parts to improve strength or ductility, decrease brittleness, bond materials together, and relieve metal stress caused by other processes. From turbine blades to rocket nozzles to hydraulic assemblies, many products in the aerospace industry undergo heat treating. One method of heat treating, brazing, is used for bonding or joining parts together.

Brazing in the aerospace industry

Brazing allows for the creation of complex components by joining parts with the use of a braze metal or alloy that has a lower melting point of the parts being joined. When heated, braze metal flows into the tiny spaces between the parts to create an exceptional strong, sealed joint.

Brazing is similar to soldering a pipe or electrical components, except that brazing takes place at temperatures greater than 824 degrees Fahrenheit (450 Celsius). It is also different from welding, in which manufacturers heat the materials to their melting points then press or hammer the pieces together. Brazing is essential to the aerospace industry in that it creates tight fits, strong joints, and is used to join together parts of the same or different metals made from cold stamping and forming, casting, forging, extrusion, fabrication or machining. Brazing works on any metal or alloy and even on ceramics.

Heat treat furnaces for the aerospace industry

Heat treat furnaces for the aerospace industry need to be designed to meet demanding specifications and Lindberg/MPH’s experienced team works side by side with customers to meet these requirements.  The aerospace industrial furnace options offered by Lindberg/MPH include a variety of configurations and atmospheres which allow customers to custom design a furnace to best meet their application. For more information on heat treat furnaces for the aerospace industry visit www.lindbergmph.com. Be sure to follow Lindberg/MPH on both Facebook and LinkedIn for more information like the above along with company and product updates!