sniper hero wrote:very nice how-to

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I don't get why it doesn't suck vacuum
and according to the copper handbook a proper soldered 1" 50/50 tin lead can take 200 psi at a temprature of 100F
Thanks. I hope it encourages others to build something like it.
Can you expand on the "doesn't suck vacuum" bit?
You are correct in your interpretation of the charts in the copper handbook.
HOWEVER;
Lets take a quick look at good old 50/50 lead/tin and see what it's ACTUALLY good for, Hmm? (mind you, I still prefer 95/5 Tin/Antimony)
The shear strength of 50/50 is 36Mpa, that's 5221psi
The bonding area of a 3/4" type M joint is approximately 2.062 in2
That means that the maximum FORCE on the joint would be 2532 pounds(@ failure)
EDIT: I should NOT be doing (attempting?) math so far past my bedtime.
The correct answer is 10765.7 pounds of force @ failure. Obviously this will alter the rest of the calculations, so I'll re-do them too.
If we put that in terms of pressure, we get ~4213 psi
Edit: Nope, its 17942.83 psi (10765.7lb acting on .60in2)
This is the actual calculated failure point of our good old 50/50. As you can see, it's nowhere near the recommended max of 200 psi.
Edit: Still holds true.
Do I recommend you use 50/50 at anywhere near 17942.83psi?
HELL... NO
But am I going to get excited about this joint at 400psi ?
Not if I know it's properly soldered.
Edit:
A short treatise on brazing and joint lap/strength calculations;
http://www.thefabricator.com/TubePipeFa ... cfm?ID=575
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