Experimental and numerical investigation on interface microstructure and phase constitution of radiation resistant Pb/316L stainless steel explosive welded composite plate

Abstract

As one of the shielding materials, lead (Pb) and its alloy exhibit excellent ray absorption and radiation shielding ability due to its high density and atomic mass. In this work, the explosive welding technique was successfully performed to join Pb/316L dissimilar metals. To revel the microstructure characteristics and phase constitution of the joining interface, the electron backscattered diffraction test and numerical simulation were carried out. It was concluded that the slight waveform structure without obvious defects or cracks was obtained at the explosive welded interface. The fine grains zone, sub-grains and twin structures were formed due to the severe plastic deformation. Meanwhile, the recrystallized structures, substructures and deformed structures were also confirmed at the joining interface during the high strain rate impact. In addition, five different deformation textures and recrystallization textures were confirmed due to severe plastic deformation and dynamic recrystallization. Furthermore, the numerical simulation results also showed a slight waveform structure at the Pb/316L explosive welded interface, which was consistent with the experimental results.