Comparison between Explosive Welding and Roll-Bonding Processes of AA1050/Mg AZ31B Bilayer Composite Sheets Considering Microstructure and Mechanical Properties

Abstract

In this article, the effect of the manufacturing process on the microstructure and mechanical properties of AA1050/Mg-AZ31B bilayer composite sheets has been studied experimentally. In multilayer composite sheets, the interface bond strength plays a significant role in the mechanical properties of the composite. The most important factor affecting the bond strength is the manufacturing process of these sheets. So, two processes of explosive welding and roll bonding have been used to manufacture the bilayer composite sheets. The results show that the atomic diffusion in the interface is 6.5 microns in the explosive welding and 6.7 microns in the roll bonding. No intermetallic compounds have been observed in the interface of the studied bonding methods. The wavy and straight interface morphologies have been observed for explosive welding and roll bonding, respectively. Also, recrystallization has been observed in the microstructure of both methods. In the magnesium microstructure of rolled sample, twinning and deformation bands have been seen, while adiabatic shear bands have been formed in the explosive-welded sample. The ultimate tensile strength, elongation, and work of fracture (WOF) of explosive-welded sheets have been increased by 145%, 31%, and 407% relative to the rolled sheets, respectively. Besides, considering the separation of layers in the tensile test of rolled sheets compared to explosive welded ones, it can be stated that the structural failure in explosive welding occurs simultaneously for all layers. However, for roll bonding, the layer failure is independent of the entire structure failure. In this case, first, necking and fracture of the magnesium layer occur, and then, after the separation of the interface, the fracture of the aluminum layer happens.