Quality Parameters of Explosively Welded Spring Steel and Carbon Steel

Abstract

Explosive plating, or welding, is a process where part of the kinetic energy of the detonation of a certain amount of civil explosive material is used to accelerate the plate, which will form a welded joint upon an oblique impact on a stationary plate. The conditions that must be met to achieve a good weld are determined by welding criteria. Today, the most commonly used welding criteria are based on the speed of the collision point and the collision angle. In this paper a research is presented on explosion welding of two different steels and on quality of the obtained welded joint. Carbon steel and spring steel were welded using Amonex 4 explosive in different quantities. Basic characterization of the explosive was carried out: bulk density and detonation velocity were determined. Quality of the welded joint was inspected using the ultrasonic method. Possible intermetallic zones at the joint site created by the effect of increased temperature were examined by optical and scanning electron microscopy. Fracture toughness of the welded plates was determined, as well as hardness. The achieved experimental results were compared to theoretical predictions.

Keywords

• carbon steel
• detonation wave
• explosion welding
• intermetallic zone
• melting zone
• spring steel