Resistance of Explosion-Bonded Stainless Steel Clads to Intergranular Corrosion and Stress Corrosion Cracking

Intergranular corrosion of stabilized austenitic stainless steel is not accelerated when this material is explosion-clad to carbon steel. Heat-treatment in the sensitization range causes carbon diffusion across the bond interface and precipitation of chromium carbides; this influences the corrosion rates within the diffusion band. Outside of this relatively small area, corrosion rates are similar to those characteristic of nonclad material subjected to the same heat treatment. Stress corrosion cracking of both a stabilized and an unstabilized grade of austenitic stainless steel is not accelerated by explosion cladding to carbon steel. Stainless steel-to-steel explosion clads thus do not appear to pose any special corrosion problems.