Ford Motor Company Limited

Warren A Smith

Matthew John Zaluzec

Gerald Adam Grab

Alan L Study

An extrudable brazeable corrosion resistant aluminum alloy, consisting essentially of, by weight percent, 0.1-0.2 titanium, 0.6-1.2 manganese, up to 0.1 silicon, up to 0.2 iron, and other impurities up to 0.15, with each such other impurity no greater than 0.03, and the remainder aluminum. A method of fabricating a heat exchange tube array, by (i) extruding aluminum alloy tubing of the above composition to a uniform wall thickness of about 0.4mm; (ii) bending and/or arranging the tubes to form a tube array for conducting a fluid medium therethrough; (iii) interposing an aluminum-based heat exchange means between and in contact with the tubes of the array to provide for heat transfer; (iv) brazing the heat exchange means to the tube array by heating to the temperature range of 595.degree. C. whereby the tube array will not be adversely affected metallurgically by the brazing operation.

Extrudable corrosion resistant aluminum alloy

An improved method of brazing of two unclad aluminum shapes, particularly for automotive heat exchangers, which brazing joint does not leave a physically apparent layer of brazing material and which effects a stronger, sounder autogenous joint. A thin film of aluminum eutectic forming material (Si, Al-Si or Al-Zn) is deposited onto a zone of at least one of the shapes to be brazed or joined. The shapes are placed in joining relationship to form an assembly with a joint at the zone. The assembly is heated to a temperature to diffuse the eutectic forming material into the aluminum members to form a sacrificial bond between the shapes at the joining zone. It is desirable that at least one of the unclad aluminum shapes to be joined is extruded tubing having a precise diametrical configuration and said film is deposited as a physically vapor deposited layer in a thickness range of 1-50 microns.

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Milan, MI, United States of America

Warren A Smith