On the Cold Rolling of Explosive Welded Al/Cu Bimetallic Sheets

Abstract

The explosive welding method has a wide range of applications, which is still growing. A rapid worldwide growth of interest is evident, since the use of multi-layer materials is becoming increasingly vital for the industry. However, the materials produced by explosive welding rarely possesses their final application characteristics. Therefore, post-welding processes are in most of the cases necessary to form or improve the properties of the product of explosive welding. This paper describes a study on the suitability of cold rolling processes for formation and/or properties’ improvement of explosively welded bimetallic aluminum-copper specimens. Two different cold rolling processes are tested. The rolling process products are examined as regards their hardness and the microstructure of the intermetallic layer on the bonding surface. Defects, such as lateral spread, observed during cold rolling are also evaluated.