Brazing process and assembly employing spacing elements and capillary-sized passages

Claim 1

A BRAZING ASSEMBLY COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF ARTICLES TO BE JOINED, AN ESSENTIALLY CONTINUOUS LAYER OF BRAZING MATERIAL BETWEEN THE OPPOSED FACES OF EACH PAIR OF SAID ARTICLES, SAID BRAZING LAYER INCLUDING A PLURALITY OF SPACER ELEMENTS OF HIGHER MELTING POINT MATERIAL THAN SAID BRAZING MATERIAL, AND SEPARATES STAND OFF ELEMENTS OF BRAZING MATERIAL AND OF MATERIALLY LESSER AREA THAN SAID LAYER SPACING SAID BRAZING LAYER FROM THE SURFACES OF SAID ARTICLES AND LEAVING OPEN PASSAGES OF CAPILLARY SIZE BETWEEN EACH BRAZING MATERIAL LAYER AND THE ADJACENT FACES OF THE CORRESPONDING ARTICLES.

Claim 3

A METHOD OF JOINING ARTICLES COMPRISING SPACING A PAIR OF ARTICLES TO BE JOINED ON THE OPPOSITE SIDES OF A LAYER OF BRAZING MATERIAL, SAID LAYER INCLUDING A PLURALITY OF SPACED APERTURES, INSERTING SPACER ELEMENTS OF HIGHER MELTING POINT MATERIAL THAN SAID BRAZING LAYER IN SAID APERTURES, COVERING THE OPPOSITE ENDS OF SAID APERTURES WITH STAND OFF BLOCKS OF BRAZING MATERIAL SAID STAND OFF ELEMENTS PROVIDING CAPILLARY SIZED PASSAGES BETWEEN SAID BRAZING MATERIAL LAYER AND THE ARTICLES TO BE JOINED, THE PASSAGES EXTENDING OVER A MAJOR PORTION OF THE AREA OF SAID LAYER OF BRAZING MATERIAL, PLACING SAID ARTICLES IN A COMPRESSIVE JIG, IMMERSING SAID JIG IN A MOLTEN SALT FLUX BATH AT A TEMPERATURE LOWER THAN BRAZING TEMPERATURE, HEATING SAID BATH TO BRAZING TEMPERATURE AND THEREAFTER REMOVING SAID JIG FROM SAID BATH.

Claim 4

A METHOD OF JOINING ARTICLES COMPRISING SPACING A PAIR OF ARTICLES TO BE JOINED ON THE OPPOSITE SIDES OF A LAYER OF BRAZING MATERIAL, SAID LAYER INCLUDING A PLURALITY OF SPACED APERTURES, INSERTING SPACER ELEMENTS OF HIGHER MELTING POINT MATERIAL THAN SAID BRAZING LAYER IN SAID APERTURES, COVERING THE OPPOSITE ENDS OF SAID APERTURES WITH STAND OFF BLOCKS OF BRAZING MATERIAL SAID STAND OFF ELEMENTS PROVIDING CAPILLARY SIZED PASSAGES BETWEEN SAID BRAZING MATERIAL LAYER AND THE ARTICLES TO BE JOINED, THE PASSAGES EXTENDING OVER A MAJOR PORTION OF THE AREA OF SAID LAYER OF BRAZING MATERIAL, PLACING SAID ARTICLES IN A COMPRESSIVE JIG, IMMERSING SAID JIG IN A MOLTEN SALT FLUX BATH AT A TEMPERATURE LOWER THAN BRAZING TEMPERATURE, HEATING SAID BATH TO BRAZING TEMPERATURE AND THEREAFTER REMOVING SAID JIG FROM SAID BATH.