Interfacial characteristics and properties of a low-clad-ratio AA4045/AA3003 cladding billet fabricated by semi-continuous casting

A low-clad-ratio AA4045/AA3003 cladding billet was fabricated using a semi-continuous casting process and was subsequently extruded indirectly into a cladding pipe. The temperature distribution near the interface was measured. The microstructures, elemental distribution, Vickers hardness around the bonding interface, and the interfacial shear strength were examined. The results showed that the interface temperature rebounded when AA4045 melt contacted the supporting layer. The two alloys bonded well, with few defects, via the diffusion of Si and Mn in the temperature range from 569°C to 632°C. The mean shear strength of the bonding interface was 82.3 MPa, which was greater than that of AA3003 (75.8 MPa), indicating that the two alloys bonded with each other metallurgically via elemental interdiffusion. Moreover, no relative slip occurred between the two alloys during the extrusion process.