RESEARCH ON THE MICROSTRUCTURE OF A Ti6Al4V-AA1050 EXPLOSIVE-WELDED BIMETALLIC JOINT

Some of the most interesting materials with superior ballistic resistance are light-alloy laminated composite plates. The appropriate technology to produce these composites is the explosive-welding method. In this study, Ti6Al4V and AA1050 were successfully bonded during an explosive-welding process. The microstructure of the obtained bimetal joint was examined with scanning electron microscopy on the samples prepared using the ion-polishing method. Scanning electron microscopy allowed us to investigate the grain size in the joint area and the presence of the melted zones in the joint area, formed as a result of local mixing of both joined materials. In order to investigate the melted zones in terms of the presence of intermetallic compounds, linescans and transmission-electron-microscopy observations with SAED were performed. The obtained results allowed us to identify the intermetallic compounds, which occurred in the melted zones. The scanning-electron-microscope observations indicated a severe plastic deformation of both materials in the joint zone. An analysis of the microstructure of the joint zone with a particular emphasis on the melted zones was performed together with the tomography carried out with the focused-ion-beam scanning-electron-microscope method (FIB/SEM). The strain hardening of the joined materials was established with a microhardness analysis.