Welding Digest

Have you ever wanted to know more about the committees dedicated to brazing and soldering? If so, you’re in luck. Here’s a guide describing their importance. 

All about the C3 Committee 

Robert “Bob” L. Peaslee, widely known as the father of nickel brazing, detailed the history of the AWS C3 Committee on Brazing and Soldering. In that document, Peaslee stated that he joined Wall Colmonoy Corp. in Detroit, Mich., on May 1, 1950. Soon after, he joined the AWS Committee on Brazing and Soldering, which was in the process of writing the first Brazing Manual. The AWS C3 Committee on Brazing and Soldering was officially established on June 1, 1968, with 33 members. Today, the group still stands. 

“Our members are from several different areas of interest related to brazing and soldering, which allows us to be a well-rounded subcommittee, which doesn’t just address writing standards but educates, develops, and markets the brazing and soldering industry,” said Robin Gourley, chair of the C3 Committee. She’s also a principal materials engineer at Curtiss-Wright, Cheswick, Pa. 

Published documents are listed here, including AWS C3.2M/C3.2:2019, Standard Method for Evaluating the Strength of Brazed Joints; C3.3:2008 (R2016), Recommended Practices for the Design, Manufacture, and Examination of Critical Brazed Components; C3.4M/C3.4:2016, Specification for Torch Brazing; and more. Documents undergoing drafting and approval, along with a list of subcommittees, are further given. 

“The AWS C3 Committee on Brazing and Soldering is the gold standard of professional volunteers,” said Grayson Alexy, who served as chair from 2015 to 2022 and is president of Alexy Metals, Willoughby, Ohio. “This group develops the industry standards and technical specifications for brazing and soldering processes and filler metals to which all other global organizations follow.” 

For the last five years, Program Manager Kevin Bulger has served as secretary to the C3 Committee. Additionally, the members have assembled and reviewed Brazing Handbook chapters that will now comprise three volumes when released. The Soldering Handbook, a technical data source, is written by Paul T. Vianco, an active member and former chair of C3. 

BSMC Highlights 

The Brazing and Soldering Manufacturers Committee (BSMC), an AWS Standing Committee, is dedicated to providing senior management members with a forum for promoting plans and programs, sharing solutions, and more. Its duties include promoting the objectives of the Society among manufacturers of brazing and soldering equipment and supplies. 

“The BSMC is comprised of members from various aspects of the manufacturing industry with the purpose of providing education and general technical guidance to the commercial metal joining sector,” said James Bush, a member who works in technical sales at Prince & Izant Co., Cleveland, Ohio. 

BSMC helps to direct content on (brazingandsoldering.com). Visitors to the website learn about brazing and soldering. Bush noted the website also serves as a resource for Q&As, up-to-date information on relevant trade shows and conferences, and material procurement and consulting services. 

Attend IBSC 2024 

Members of the C3 Committee are heavily involved with the International Brazing and Soldering Conference (IBSC), which brings together scientists and engineers from all around the world to exchange ideas and present advanced technologies. This event has been held every three years since 2000. 

“The upcoming IBSC 2024 will be the ninth conference following the successful series held in the past two decades,” said Hui Zhao, a member of the C3 Committee and principal engineer at Creative Thermal Solutions, Urbana, Ill. 

The event is set to take place April 14–17, 2024, at the Francis Marion Hotel, Charleston, S.C. 

“The three-and-a-half-day conference starts with a full-day education session that teaches fundamental principles in different aspects of brazing and soldering technology by leading experts in the field. The session is ideal for audiences with general interests in brazing as well as professionals who want to explore advancement in special areas such as ceramic brazing, superalloy brazing, and joint strength evaluation,” Zhao said. “The following two-and-a-half-day program is dedicated to the technical program, which includes keynote lectures presented by world-renowned scientists about state-of-the-art brazing and soldering technology development, and individual sessions that focus on special topics such as brazing material properties and brazing process and applications. High-quality peer-reviewed papers will be presented and discussed in each session to inform the audience of the technology advancement in the field.” 

Focusing on the Future 

Alexander E. Shapiro, a longtime AWS C3 Committee member and CEO of Titanium Brazing Inc., Columbus, Ohio, indicated that The Ohio State University’s (OSU’s) brazing and soldering academic courses WE 4023 and WE 7123 were founded by the joint efforts of the OSU Material Science Engineering Dept. and the AWS C3 Committee in 2007.  

“Since then, the brazing class has been taught annually for two semesters, and it is the only one in our country,” Shapiro said. 

Join Up 

Now that you know more about these committees, if you’re in the field and thinking about how to contribute your knowledge to a good cause, consider taking part in C3 and/or BSMC by contacting Program Manager Kevin Bulger at kbulger@aws.org.