Disclosed is a method for activating a surface of metals, such as self-passivated metals, and of metal-oxide dissolution, effected using a fluoroanion-containing composition. Also disclosed is an electrochemical cell utilizing an aluminum-containing anode material and a fluoroanion-containing electrolyte, characterized by high efficiency, low corrosion, and optionally mechanical or electrochemical rechargeability. Also disclosed is a process for fusing (welding, soldering etc.) a self-passivated metal at relatively low temperature and ambient atmosphere, and a method for electrodepositing a metal on a self-passivated metal using metal-oxide source.

A flux composition includes a component (A) that is a powder of an alkali metal zinc fluoroaluminate represented by “M.sub.wZn.sub.xAl.sub.yF.sub.z (1)” (wherein M is K or Cs, and w, x, y, and z are a positive integer, the greatest common divisor of w, x, y, and z being 1), the content of the component (A) in the flux composition being 50 mass % or more. The flux composition prevents occurrence of a brazing defect and discoloration even when an aluminum alloy is brazed in an atmosphere having a high oxygen concentration, or an atmosphere having high humidity.

Provided is a flux-cored wire which can be MIG-welded at any welding position using a pure Ar gas as a shielding gas. A flux-cored wire having a flux filled in the outer skin thereof, wherein TiO.sub.2, Al.sub.2O.sub.3, SiO.sub.2 and ZrO.sub.2 are contained in amounts of 4.7 to 8.5% by mass, 0.5 to 3.5% by mass, 0.5 to 2.0% by mass and 0.8 to 3.0% by mass, respectively, and metal oxides are also contained in the total amount of 8.0 to 13.5% by mass all relative to the total mass of the wire, and the amount of a metal fluoride is limited to 0.02% by mass or less (including 0% by mass).

The disclosed method relates to manufacturing a heat exchanger which causes no brazing defects, and a heat exchanger manufactured by the method. The method relates to manufacturing a heat exchanger having an aluminum alloy tube defining a cooling-medium flowing passage and a copper alloy tube defining a water flowing passage, wherein a heat exchange is carried out between a cooling medium flowing through the cooling-medium flowing passage and water flowing through the water flowing passage. The aluminum alloy tube and the copper alloy tube are brazed to each other at a temperature of less than 548° C.

A flux-cored wire for are welding of a duplex stainless steel includes a stainless-steel sheath filled with a flux and contains, with respect to the total mass of the wire, predetermined amounts of Cr, Ni, Mo, N, Mn, and Si, in which letting a Ti alloy content in terms of Ti be [Ti] and letting an Al alloy content in terms of Al be [Al], [Ti] and [Al] are predetermined values, and in which parameter A expressed as A=[Ti]+2×[Al] satisfies a predetermined value, and the balance is composed of Fe, a slag-forming component, and incidental impurities.

The disclosed technology generally relates to consumable electrode wires and more particularly to consumable electrode wires having a core-shell structure, where the core comprises aluminum. In one aspect, a welding wire comprises a sheath having a steel composition and a core surrounded by the sheath. The core comprises aluminum (Al) at a concentration between about 3 weight % and about 20 weight % on the basis of the total weight of the welding wire, where Al is in an elemental form or is alloyed with a different metal element. The disclosed technology also relates to welding methods and systems adapted for using the aluminum-comprising electrode wires.

[Object] There is provided a flux-cored wire capable of obtaining a weld metal having excellent low temperature toughness and improving welding efficiency, in which preheating performed for preventing cold cracking can be omitted or simplified. [Means for Solving Problems] The flux-cored wire includes one or more of CaF.sub.2, BaF.sub.2, SrF.sub.2, MgF.sub.2, and LiF and, when a total amount thereof is defined as α, the α is 2.0% to 7.0%, by mass %, with respect to a total mass of the flux-cored wire, one or more of a Ti oxide, a Si oxide, a Mg oxide, an Al oxide, a Zr oxide, and a Ca oxide are included in the flux-cored wire, and when a total amount thereof is defined as β, the β is 0.2% to 0.9%, by mass %, with respect to the total mass of the flux-cored wire, a ratio of an amount of the CaF.sub.2 with respect to the α is 0.90 or more, and a ratio of the α with respect to the β is 3.0 or more and 15.0 or less.

The invention provides an ignition flux for arc stud welding, including at least 30 wt % of an active agent, with the active agent selected from a group consisting of SiO.sub.2 and TiO.sub.2. As such, the electric arc can be easily created and smoothly formed. The invention further provides an arc stud welding method utilizing such ignition flux. As such, the fastener and the metal workpiece can be tightly connected together without the need of inserting an ignition tip into the welding portion of a fastener.

Provided is a welding method using a special torch and a flux cored wire, in which the special torch has a suction nozzle between the contact tip and the shield nozzle, and the flux cored wire has a flux filled inside the steel outer casing, and a seam portion where both ends of a metal in a width direction of the steel outer casing are butted or overlapped in a longitudinal direction of the flux cored wire.

The present invention relates to a flux-cored wire which can be used for straight-polarity gas-shielded arc welding, wherein a flux contains one or several types of metal compound powders and, when one or several metal elements constituting the metal compound powders are formed into stable compounds under a high-temperature environment, the relationship between the weighted geometric mean value (Φ) of the work functions of the stable compounds and the wire diameter (D) of the flux-cored wire satisfies the following formula: {1.00≤Φ≤−0.0908D.sup.2+0.5473D+1.547}.