Explosive Welding of Copper to High Nitrogen Austenitic Stainless Steel

In this work, T2 red copper and high nitrogen austenitic stainless steel (HNASS) were explosively welded for the first time. The welding window was theoretically developed, and the experiment was designed by considering the effect of explosive loading on welding quality. To evaluate the welding quality, the microstructure and mechanical properties of the composite material were systematically investigated. The results showed that the welding quality was in good agreement with the results predicted by the welding window. The micromorphology of the welding interface changed with a varied welding parameter, and no intermetallic compounds were found at the welding interface by EDS analysis. The microhardness of the two raw materials both increased near the welding interface, and the enhancement increased with the explosive loading. The failure pattern of the welding interface in the tension-shear experiments was dominated by the strength failure of the red copper.