Interface Microstructure and Deformation Behavior of an Al-Cu Dissimilar Metal Plate

The aim of this article is to elucidate the influence of reduction ratio during roll bonding on the microstructural evolution, mechanical properties and room-temperature formability of Al-Cu 2-ply clad metal. The evolution of the interface microstructure was first characterized by a scanning electron microscope (SEM) and transmission electron microscope (TEM) attached with energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). The presence of an intermetallic compound as well as severe grain refinement was detected at the interface of the Al-Cu bimetal fabricated under the highest reduction ratio of 65% adopted in this study. Taking into account the difference of the microstructure with a reduction the ratio, mechanical properties and bonding strength were then evaluated by uniaxial tensile and peel tests. It was observed that the bonding strength, elongation and tensile strength for Al-Cu 2-ply sheets were incomparably reduced by decreasing the reduction ratio during the roll bonding process, which directly correlated with the microstructural evolution at the interface. Moreover, the higher reduction ratio during the roll bonding, the more room temperature formability could be achieved for Al-Cu 2-ply sheet by applying both three-point bending and Erichsen tests. †(Received November 22, 2012)