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Tests have been conducted to evaluate materials suitable for headers of CAB brazed aluminum radiators, particularly as concerns pressure cycle endurance. These tests were done on different alloy compositions, for both standard and proprietary versions from series 6000 and 3000, with or without post-braze heat treatment. The results from those tests have helped to evaluate the influence of various material characteristics over the pressure cycling resistance. In particular, they have shown that post-braze yield strength was not the only parameter to consider. It appeared also that none of the materials tested could give good results for all designs and test conditions, but, at least, this study has helped to state more precisely what the contents of a specification for an ideal material should be.

Recent trends in the automotive industry call for a significant increase in radiator long-term durability. At the same time, the manufacturers are also calling for lower weight and less mixing of dissimilar metals. These factors contribute to the problems of designing radiators that are capable of high levels of corrosion resistance in our everchanging environmental conditions. In most cases, the corrosion process during normal use of aluminum radiators is too slow, and consequently, it is necessary to perform accelerated testing to evaluate corrosion resistance. The purpose of the internal corrosion test is to simulate the conditions experienced in an automobile engine cooling system operated with improperly maintained coolant in an accelerated time period. However, no specific standard for internal corrosion testing exists, and the producers and customers of radiators use different parameters to perform this test.