ISO 9455‑16 specifies a method for the assessment of the efficacy of a soft soldering flux, known as the wetting balance method, and gives a qualitative assessment of the comparative efficacy of two fluxes based on their capacity to promote the wetting of a metal surface by liquid solder. The method in ISO 9455‑16 is applicable to all flux types in liquid form classified in ISO 9454-1.
NOTE: It is hoped that future developments using improved techniques for obtaining a reproducible range of test surfaces will enable this method for assessing flux efficacy to be quantitative. For this reason, several alternative procedures for preparing the surface of the test piece are included in the present method.
ISO 9455‑16 on soft soldering fluxes is relevant to:
Liquid solder flux is a substance that is essential for soldering battery cables and terminals. The liquid flux cleans oxidation build-up from copper and solder. Liquid flux also reduces surface tension, allowing the solder to flow more freely and evenly along the application's surface.
It is very important to evaluate the efficacy of a soft soldering flux for a particular application, in order to ensure an adequate service life of the welded joints and assembly. The guidelines in ISO 9455‑16 increase the durability of fluxes in the liquid form intended to use for welded joints and assemblies.
The qualitative assessment in compliance with ISO 9455‑16 facilitates soldering and brazing by efficient mitigation of oxidation of metals thereby retaining optimal bonding properties.
BS EN ISO 9455‑16:2019 supersedes BS EN ISO 9455‑16:2013, which is withdrawn. BS EN ISO 9455‑16:2019 includes some technical changes with respect to BS EN ISO 9455‑16:2013. These include:
ISO 9455-16
EN ISO 9455-16