Experimental and numerical studies on aluminum-stainless steel explosive cladding

In this study,the effect of varied loading ratio(mass of the explosive/mass of flyer plate)on the nature of interface,temperature and pressure developed in aluminum-steel explosive cladding is presented.Increase in the loading ratio,R,enhances the pressure developed,kinetic energy utilization and deformation work performed.Interfacial microstructures exhibit the formation of molten layer at few spots,owing to the increase in temperature beyond the melting point of parent alloy.The increase in temperature and the quantum of pressure developed were determined by numerical simulation performed in Ansys AUTODYN by employing smoothed particle hydrodynamics(SPH)method.The positioning of the experimental conditions on the weldability window is presented as well.

Microstructure,strength and welding window of aluminum alloy-stainless steel explosive cladding with different interlayers

Aluminum 5052(Al 5052)-stainless steel 316(SS 316)plates were explosively cladded with Al 1100,pure copper and SS 304 interlayers.The operational parameters viz.,standoff distance,explosive mass ratio(mass ratio of the explosive to the flyer plate)and inclination angle were varied and the results were presented.The advent of interlayer relocates the lower boundary of the welding window,and enhances the welding regime by 40%.A triaxial welding window,considering the influence of the third operational parameter,was developed as well.Use of interlayer transforms the continuous molten layer formed in the traditional Al 5052-SS 316 explosive clad interfaces into a smooth interface devoid or with a slender presence of intermetallic compounds.The microhardness,ram tensile and shear strengths of the interlayered clads are higher than those of the traditional explosive clads,and the maximum values are witnessed for stainless steel interlaced Al 5052-SS 316 explosive clads.

Effect of wire mesh interlayer in explosive cladding of dissimilar grade aluminum plates

Explosive cladding of Al 5052–Al 1100 plate, interfaced with a stainless steel wire mesh interlayer, is attempted. Loading ratio and standoff distance were varied. An increase in loading ratio (R) and standoff distance (S) enhances the plate velocity (Vp), dynamic bend angle (β) and pressure developed (P). The interface morphology of the explosive clads confirms strong metallurgical bond between the wire mesh and aluminum plates. Further, a smooth transition from straight to undulating interlayered topography is witnessed. The introduction of a wire mesh, as interlayer, leads to an improvement in mechanical strength with a slender reduction in overall corrosion resistance of the “explosive clads”.

Microstructure and Mechanical Strength Predictive Modeling in Al 5052-Trapezoidal Grooved SS 304 Explosive Cladding

Aluminum alloy plates were explosively cladded to stainless steel plates with trapezoidal grooves on the mating surface.The process parameters viz,loading ratio,standoff distance and flyer plate thickness were varied based on the Taguchi analogy.The variation in the process parameters alters the kinetic energy dissipation and the deformation work performed at the interface,and dictates the interfacial wave amplitude and the mechanical strength of the dissimilar explosive clad.The optimum level of process parameters for attaining higher tensile and shear strength is computed by signal-to-noise ratio.Further,a mathematical model is developed for calculating tensile and shear strength of the clad,based on the regression analysis using statistical software Minitab-16,and the level of fit is determined by analysis of variance.

Numerical and experimental investigation on aluminum 6061-Vgrooved stainless steel 304 explosive cladding

This study attempts to analyze the microstructure and interface behavior of aluminum 6061(Al 6061)-Vgrooved stainless steel(SS304)explosive cladding by numerical and experimental methods.Numerical simulation was performed by Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics(SPH)technique,in ANSYS AUTODYN,and the results are correlated with experimental outcome.The machining of V-grooves on the base plate transform the melted layer formed in conventional cladding(without grooves on the base plate)into a smooth undulating interface,for a similar experimental condition.The flyer plate and collision velocities,observed in numerical simulation,are in good agreement to the analytical expectations.The pressure developed in the flyer plate is higher than the base plate and the maximum pressure is witnessed at the collision point irrespective of grooved base plate or otherwise.The temperature developed in the collision point of conventional explosive cladding exceeds the melting point of both the participant metals,whereas,it exceeds the melting point of aluminum alone,in case of V-grooved base plate cladding.The shear and impact strengths of the V-grooved base plate clads are higher than the conventional clads and the fracture surfaces exhibit mixed modes of fracture.

Microstructural characterization of silicon carbide reinforced dissimilar grade aluminium explosive clads

Aluminium composites are inevitable in ship building,commercial and defence aircrafts construction due to their light weight,high strength to weight ratio,admirable properties and cost affordability.In this study,the microstructural characteristics of explosive cladded dissimilar grade aluminium(Al 1100-Al 5052) clad composites reinforced with silicon carbide(SiC) particles is presented.Microstructure taken at the interface by optical and scanning electron microscopes(SEM) revealed the formation of a silicon carbide layer between the dissimilar grade aluminium sheets.Though reaction layers were witnessed at few locations along the interface,the diffusion of atoms between the participant metals is not visible as confirmed by energy dispersive spectroscopy,elemental mapping,line analysis and X-ray diffraction(XRD).The variation in microhardness at various regions of the silicon carbide reinforced dissimilar aluminium explosive clad is reported.The increase in tensile strength of the SiC laced clad is also presented.

Effect of silicon carbide and wire-mesh reinforcements in dissimilar grade aluminium explosive clad composites

Aluminium composites are inevitable in the manufacture of aircraft structural elements owing to less weight,superior corrosion resistance and higher specific properties.These composites reduce the weight of the aircraft,improve the fuel efficiency and enhance the maintenance duration.This study proposes the development of dissimilar grade aluminium(aluminium 1100-aluminium 5052)composites with different reinforcement’s viz.,stainless steel wire-mesh,silicon carbide(SiC)powders and SiC powder interspersed wire-mesh,by explosive cladding technique.Wire-mesh enhances the friction and restricts the movement of flyer plate to craft a defect free clad,while SiC particles form a band on the interface.Highest strength is obtained when SiC powder interspersed wire mesh is employed as reinforcement.The dissimilar aluminium explosive clad with SiC particle reinforcement results in lower strength,which is higher than that of the weaker parent alloy and that of the conventional dissimilar aluminium explosive clads without any reinforcement.

Lower limit law of welding windows for explosive welding of dissimilar metals

The influence of explosive charge thickness on the quality of explosive welding of dissimilar metals was investigated.The lower limit law should be followed in the course of explosive welding.Three welding experiments of stainless steel（410S）and steel（Q345R）were carried out in three different kinds of explosive charge thicknesses,namely 15,25and 35mm.Interfaces of morphology and mechanical properties of three samples were observed and tested.It was found that micro and small wavy bonding is mainly formed for charge thickness of 15mm whose strength is the highest with minor deformation and few defects in the interface;small and middle wavy bonding are mainly formed for charge thickness of 25 mm whose strength is comparatively mediocre;big wavy bonding is mainly formed for charge thickness of 35 mm whose strength is the lowest.The cause of high bonding strength of the micro and small wavy interface was analyzed and verified on the basis of the results of Electron Probe Micro-Analyzer（EPMA）tests of three selected samples.