Superior impact property and fracture mechanism of a multilayered copper/bronze laminate

Abstract In this work, a novel copper/bronze laminate was skillfully fabricated by diffusion welding. The impact resistance of such coarse-grained laminate was evaluated by Charpy notched impact testing and the evolution of its fracture mechanism was systematically elucidated. The well-bonded transition interfaces can effectively inhibit crack initiation and propagation under high impact loads. The enhanced impact toughness was achieved from delamination of heterostructured interfaces, which consumed high impact energy. Simultaneously, the coarse-grained copper/bronze layers can consume a large amount of impact energy via undergoing coordinated plastic deformation during the impact process. Consequently, this work broadens the enhancement methods on the mechanical performance of metallic materials by a new structural design strategy.