Brass copper radiators and Aluminum
Car heat exchangers From the earliest days of the use of the water cooling system in car engines were made of brass pipes that were connected to copper blades using the soldering method.
High thermal conductivity, good forming ability, good corrosion resistance, ease of connection and reasonable price have been the reasons for using copper and brass in the construction of radiators of cars. Aluminum was also used in some ancillary cases, and in some cases where weight was less important, a sheet of steel was used to make the blade, which was cheaper. Thus, from the first days of the emergence of radiators , various competitors were present in this industry, but brass copper radiators were in the first place.
New conditions arose in the early 1970s. Copper prices rose to unprecedented levels, and forecasts indicated that the market would face a shortage of copper in the near future (it was in this decade that the Chilean Revolution and the American coup d'état took place. On the contrary, it was predicted at the same time that the price of aluminum would be stable for a long time. During this period, aluminum bonding methods were significantly developed and the Brazing method was used appropriately. The new brazing method was first successfully used in Germany and the United States. A mechanical connection scheme was developed by Sofia from Valeo and this radiator was used by Volkswagen in new models of cold water.
Aluminum radiators with vacuum brazing or vacuum / gas shielding technology were used in cars made in Europe. Even this led to the development of the old soldering method. All these activities were systematically pursued in the aluminum industry. During the energy crisis in the seventies also needed
Lighter radiators in lighter engines were another powerful stimulus to reduce fuel consumption, from copper-brass products to aluminum. As a result of these events, high-efficiency production units for the production of aluminum converters were created first in Europe and then in the United States.
Due to the booming market, the copper industry did not pay special attention to these changes and alternatives except in limited cases. Factories producing brass copper radiators generally produced with old facilities and equipment and were labor-intensive, and as a result, the products were not of good quality and were offered to the market at a high price. They used advanced and new equipment with high efficiency. Low slack in the dimensions, proper adhesion of pipes and fins, and cleanliness of the production line and advanced equipment caused the production to have a low rate of return. Thus, the difference between brass copper radiators on the one hand and aluminum radiators on the other hand became very obvious. This difference was exacerbated in the 1980s due to attention to quality in the world. Of course, there was one exception to this that continues to this day, and that is in Japan, where high-quality brass copper radiators are produced. The nineties made new moves and presented new designs and many studies were done in this field, including the new designs of brass copper with Cupro Braze technology, which is highly promoted by the Swedish company Outo Kumpu. In any case, according to unofficial statistics, the spare parts market has two types of radiators equally, but 90% of the car manufacturers' needs are in the hands of the producers of aluminum radiators .