It's probably no exaggeration to say the world would literally fall apart without solder. or signup to continue reading There are more uses for soldering than we can list here, but a start would be to look at your jewellery and other decorative items. You'll find it in cookware and in stained glass windows.
It's used in roof flashing, rain gutters and car radiators. It holds your plumbing and metalwork together, often with the related technique of brazing that uses a brass alloy filler. Then, of course, there's the electronics industry.
If you're reading this on an electronic device, that is possible because solder is connecting the components. The oldest known soldering is believed to have developed early in the history of metalworking. That dates it as far back as 3000 BC, when it was used in Sumerian swords.
From there, it spread around the Mediterranean, from the Cretans to the Etruscans, to the Romans, and beyond. One of the most impressive uses was by the ancient Romans who soldered 400 kilometres of lead water pipes. Their soldered seams could withstand considerable pressure.
In 1896, the American Electrical Heater Company was granted a patent for an electric heating apparatus, also known as the 'American Beauty'. This was the first modern electric soldering iron. Soldering covers a hugely diverse range of techniques* that vary depending on need.
Heated solder is dropped between two metal points and capillary action draws it up, where it cools to form a bond. There are many different types of solder including alloys of tin-lead, tin-silver, and tin-copper. Lead-free solder has become more popular due to health and environmental concerns.
To prevent dirt from causing a joint to fail, a flux is used. One of the earliest forms of flux was charcoal, and, more recently, pine tree resin. Since soldered joints have assumed a critical role in technology, the consequences of failure can be severe.
There are many stories of where this has occurred, but a notable case was an AirAsia flight in December 2014 over Indonesia. The crew were unable to recover when their Airbus A320 stalled at an altitude of 11,734 metres. It crashed into the Java Sea, killing 162 passengers and crew.
By analysing the aircraft's black box recorder, investigators concluded that the main cause was cracked solder joints on a control rudder's circuit board. Advertisement Sign up for our newsletter to stay up to date. We care about the protection of your data.
Read our . Advertisement.
