Silver solder is used in aviation and the military for such joints, and
it is considered structurally-sound.

Mike B.

On 11/6/2012 11:05 PM, Mike S wrote:
> On 11/6/2012 8:36 PM, David Beierl wrote:
>> solder is not load-bearing.
>
> That's a myth. There's a reason they make acid core (and low temp
> silver) solder.
>
> Common 60/40 has a tensile strength of around 535 kgf/cm�, 3.5% silver
> solder, about 580. Not that much difference. The important thing is to
> ensure the joint is properly wetted, and keep the joint stationary while
> cooling. Using a eutectic alloy (63/37) almost eliminates the issues
> cause by movement.
>
> I suspect the "non-mechanical" part comes from people making 60/40
> joints and allowing them to move while in the plastic zone.
> Mechanically, a proper soldered joint of equal overlap (and no twist)
> will be stronger than a non-soldered WU splice with stranded wire, so it
> should be apparent where the strength comes from. WU splices are really
> only effective on solid wire, which shouldn't ever be used in an
> automotive environment.
>
> That's not to say that a soldered WU splice isn't the best thing to do
> in most cases.