A study of the effect of filler metal thickness on tensile strength for a stainless steel plate-fin structure by experiment and finite element method

Abstract: This paper presents a study of the effect of filler metal thickness on tensile strength for a stainless steel plate-fin structure by finite element method and experiment. The results show that the filler metal thickness has a great effect on tensile strength. The tensile strength is increased with the filler metal thickness increase, then it keeps stable when the filler metal thickness is 105–140μm. But it decreases rapidly when the filler metal thickness is larger than 140μm. The fracture location is shown at the end of vertical fin when the filler metal thickness is 105–140μm. Specimens with filler metal thickness smaller or larger than 105–140μm rupture in the brazed filler metal. The optimal filler metal thickness is 105μm, using which can get higher strength for 304 stainless steel plate-fin structures. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]