Journal of Welding Science

In this study, the metallurgical and mechanical properties of the interface obtained by explosive welding of 8-92 phosphor bronze to St37 carbon steel were investigated. The effects of explosive welding parameters such as explosive charge amount and stand-off distance on the shape and microstructure of the interface, mechanical properties and corrosion behavior were investigated. The results showed that with increasing stand-off distance and explosive charge amount, the velocity and angle of impact increased, and this phenomenon led to the interface transforming from a smooth to a wavy state and resulting in melted and separated regions. The results obtained from scanning electron microscope (SEM) images showed that with increasing stand-off distance and explosive charge amount and consequently increasing impact velocity, the length and height of the waves created at the interface increased. Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis showed that no intermetallic compounds were formed at the joint interface. The results of the microhardness test also indicated that the hardness around the joint interface increased by 25% due to plastic deformation and work hardening caused by the intense impact of the base and flying plates. By performing shear strength tests, it was found that in all samples, failure occurred in the phosohor bronze layer and no failure occurred due to separation of the samples from the interface. By performing tensile tests, it was found that the ultimate tensile strength increased from 430 to 488 MPa with increasing stand-off distance and explosive load. Polarization acquisition and impedance spectroscopy (EIS) tests showed that with increasing impact energy, the corrosion potential decreased and the corrosion current density increased significantly from 5.5 to 13.2 μA/cm².