Cladding of Stainless Steel (SS304) on Aluminium Alloy (AA1100) by Explosive Welding

Abstract In the present work stainless steel (SS304) and aluminium alloy (AA1100) plates were cladded using explosive welding technique. The welding parameters were optimized to produce uniform and good quality welds. The welded plates were characterized by destructive and non-destructive testing to check their integrity. The microstructure was evaluated at the weld-interface using optical and scanning electron microscopy. Mechanical properties were investigated by carrying out chisel test and measurement of hardness. Ultrasonic testing was done to verify the bonding of the two materials. After successful joining of plates, the bonding interface had a wavy morphology free from major cracks. No delamination was observed at the interface of the clad plate when subjected to the chisel test.