NOBELCLAD TECHNICAL BULLETIN NT 200
NOBELCLAD TECHNICAL BULLETIN NT 200
EXPLOSION BONDING PROCESS
A. NOBILI
NOBELCLAD
Rivesaltes plant - France
INTRODUCTION
The explosion bonding process, also known as "cladding by the explosion welding process", is a technically based
industrial welding process. As any other welding process, it complies with well understood, reliable principles. The
process uses an explosive detonation as the energy source to produce a metallurgical bond between metal components. It
can be used to join virtually any metals combination, both those that aremetallurgically compatible and those that are
known as non-weldable by conventional processes. Furthermore, this process can clad one or more layers onto one or
both faces of a base metal, with the potential for each to be a different metal type or alloy.
Due to its use of explosive energy, the process occurs extremely fast; unlike conventional welding processes, parameters
cannot be fine-tuned during the bonding operation. The bonded product quality is assured through selection of proper
process parameters, which can be well controlled. These include material surface preparation, plate separation distance
prior to bonding, and explosive load, velocity, and detonation energy. Selection of parameters is based upon the
mechanical properties, mass, and acoustic velocity of each component metal being bonded. Optimum bonding
parameters, which result in consistent product quality, have been established for most metals combinations. Parameters
for other systems can be determined by calculation using established formulas.
The explosion cladding process was discovered in the late 1950s. By the end of the 1960s the process had been
industrialized worldwide. During the near forty years of industrial application, the process has been continuously
refined. Nobelclad and other experienced manufacturers have codified the technology and the method of determining
bonding parameters. In comparison to the 1960s, today manufacturers can produced much larger plates, up to 30 square
meters, and have mastered the more difficult metals combinations including cladding zirconium onto stainless steel.
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NOBELCLAD TECHNICAL BULLETIN NT 200
TERMINOLOGY
As with other welding processes, the explosion cladding process applies special terminology to many of the process
variables.
The Cladding Metal (also called the cladder) is the plate, which is in contact with the explosive. It is typically the thinner
component.
The Base Metal is the plate onto which the cladding metal is being bonded.
The Standoff Distance is the separation distance between the cladding metal and the base metal whenfixtured parallel to
each other prior to the bonding operation.
The Assembly Operation is the process in which the metals are fixtured into the proper positions for bonding, including
setting standoff distance and explosive load.
The Bonding Operation is the period in which the explosive detonation occurs and in which the actual bonding occurs.
PRINCIPLE
Preparation: The first step of the cladding operation
is the preparation of the two surfaces that are to be
bonded together. These surfaces are ground or
polished to achieve a uniform surface finish with a
roughness Ra of 3 m (140RMS) or below,
dependent upon the metals combination and
thicknesses .
Assembly: The cladding plate is positioned parallel
to and above the base plate, at a standoff distance
which has been predetermined for the specific
metals combination being bonded. This distance is
selected to assure that the cladding plate collides
with the base plate after accelerating to a specific
collision velocity. The standoff distance typically
varies from 0.5 to 4 times the cladder sheet
thickness dependent upon the choice of impact
parameters as described below. The limited
tolerance in collision velocity results in a similar
tolerance control of the standoff distance.
The standoff distance is controlled by support spacers at the plate edges and internally as needed. Internal standoff
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devices are designed to be consumed by the jet, which is discussed below.
An explosive containment frame is placed around the edges of the cladding metal plate. The height of the frame is set to
contain a specific amount of explosive providing a specific energy release per unit area.
Bonding Operation : The explosive composition and type is selected to yield a specific energy release and a specific
detonation rate (the speed at which the detonation front travels across the explosive layer). The detonation rate must be
subsonic to the acoustic velocities of the metals.
The explosive, which is generally granular, is uniformly distributed on the cladding plate surface filling the containment
frame. It is ignited at a predetermined point on the plate surface using a high velocity explosive booster. The detonation
travels away from the initiation point and across the plate surface at the specified detonation rate. The gas expansion of
the explosive detonation accelerates the cladding plate across the standoff gap resulting in an angular collision at the
specified collision velocity. The resultant impact creates very high-localized pressures at the collision point.
These pressures travel away from the collision point at the acoustic velocity of the metals. Since the collision is moving
forward at a subsonic rate, pressures are created at the immediately approaching adjacent surfaces, which are sufficient to
spall a thin layer of metal from each surface and eject it away in a jet. The surface contaminants, oxides and impurities are
stripped away in the jet. At the collision point, the newly created clean metal surfaces impact at high pressures of several
GPa (Figure 2). Although there is much heat generated in the explosive detonation, there is no time for heat transfer to the
metals. The result is an ideal metal-metal bond without melting or diffusion.
Impact parameters: The proper impact parameters for a specific metal combination are dependent upon the metal types,
thicknesses , and mechanical properties. Selection of the proper parameters is critical to assure a strong, high quality,
ductile bond. The impact conditions are associated by the equation:
Vp = 2 Vc sin ( / 2)
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NOBELCLAD TECHNICAL BULLETIN NT 200
Since the plates are parallel, the impact point
velocity, Vc, is equal to the detonation velocityVd.
Explosive detonation velocity, Vd, (2000 to 3500
m/s) is an independent variable selected to achieve
required impact conditions.
Standoff Distance is an independent variable
selected to achieve required impact conditions.
The impact angle is a dependent variable, controlled by
Vd and the standoff distance. It is typically 5 to 25 .
The plate collision velocity at the impact point, Vp,
is typically in the 250 to 500 m/s range, with the
specific value being dependent upon metal types,
their physical and mechanical properties and
chemical compatibility.
The shooting parameters: The independent
variables in the above equation, explosive
detonation rate and standoff distance, are two major
shooting parameters. These are selected to achieve
the desired impact parameters. The explosive type
and amount per sq-m is selected to achieve the
necessary detonation energy and detonation
velocity.
In combination with this, the plate separation distance is selected to achieve the collision velocity. These values are
calculated for each metal combination using established formulas. Cladding metal thickness and mechanical properties of
both metals are critical factors in these calculations. Most manufacturers have these calculations computerized.
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NOBELCLAD TECHNICAL BULLETIN NT 200
- The amount of explosive per
sq-meter C, is a function of the
explosive energy E, the R ratio
(unit area weight of explosive
divided by unit are weight of
cladding metal), the physical and
mechanical properties of the
metals.
Vp = (E,R)
- The standoff distance, as well as
the above parameters controls the
specific plate velocity at the
collision point.
- C and e typically vary with
cladding metal thickness as shown
in Figure 4.
Process Variables: Table 1 lists the process variables and indicates those that are essential and non-essential parameters of
the cladding process.
Field
Base metal
Variable
Type and grade
Thickness
Heat Treat Condition
Cladder metal Type and grade
Global
Essential
Non
Essential
Thickness
Heat Treat Condition
Plate surface area
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NOBELCLAD TECHNICAL BULLETIN NT 200
dimensions
Thickness ratio (Clad:Base)
Length and Width
Stand-off distance
Explosive, weight/sq-m
Cladding
Explosive type and
composition
Operation
Surfaces preparation
Variables
Ignition kind and point
Spacers device types
Total weight of explosive
Explosive Detonation rate
Explosive Confinement
Table I: Explosion Cladding process Variables
Practical Manufacturing Considerations:The tolerances for explosive detonation rate and explosive energy are highly
controlled for two reasons: 1) for many metals combinations the detonation rate window for bonding is small, 2)
Non-uniformity in the explosion front can result in the jet front converging which causes nonbonding and damage. The
explosives must comply with very strict standards for uniformity of detonation energy and detonation velocity. Proper
understanding of the explosive manufacturing parameters and quality control processes is mandatory for consistent,
reliable cladding.
Since out-of-flatness of the cladding and base plates results in standoff variations, flatness requirements of component
metals for cladding are typically much tighter than standard commercial tolerances.
Interface: The interface generally exhibits wavy
bond morphology (Figure 5). The wavelength and
the height h of the waves depend on the impact
parameters. The angle and the thickness e of the
cladding plate directly determine the wavelength .
= k e sin ( /2) k is a constant which varies with
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metals types and properties.
Thus, the wavelength can be controlled through
impact parameters to achieve specific bond features
as needed.
The wave shape is perfectly symmetric for metals with the same density and becomes increasingly asymmetric as the
density differences increase. At excessive detonation rates, the vortex of the wave can exhibit localized melting due to
adiabatic heating.
From the metallurgical perspective, the bond of an
explosive clad plate is a direct interface between
grains of the two different metal types.
There is no diffusion as a result of the low
temperatures of bonding. Metallurgically, the bond
is very similar to a high-energy grain boundary,
Figure 6. Due to the cold deformation of bond wave
formation there is a slight increase in hardness in
the bond area.
Limitations: Explosive cladding deforms the metals
at very high rates (104 up to 105 sec-1 ). The metals
must be ductile enough to undergo this
deformation without cracking. Limits usually
accepted are a minimum elongation of 15% and a
notch toughness value above 30 J at bonding
temperature. Most common engineering metals
meet these criteria and are readily bondable.
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NOBELCLAD TECHNICAL BULLETIN NT 200
Cladding metal
Shear Strength
Shear Strength
(MPa) *
(MPa) **
Stainless steel
210
520
Nickel alloys
210
470
Cu-Ni alloys
140
285
Cu-Al alloys
140
400
Titanium Gr. 1
140
290
Zirconium 702
140
240
* Mini. Guaranteed by NOBELCLAD NC 501specification.
** According to NOBELCLAD tests.
Performance: The strength of the interface is usually greater
than the strength of the weaker component metal. Shear
testing or bend testing typically measures Bond strength.
Bond integrity is normally measured using an ultrasonic test.
Tests are performed to international standards. Typical shear
strengths and minimum guaranteed values are shown in
Table II.
Extensive tests over the past 40 years have shown that the
process has slight effect on the mechanical properties of the
base metal. These results have led to establishing additional
specification requirements for the purchasing the metal that
is to be bonded. Thus at the final step of production
operations, including heat treatments if needed, the base
metal complies with the customers required specifications.
Table II : Shear Strength of explosion bonding plates
INDUSTRIALISATION
Cladding metal
Base Metal (ASTM)
DUPLEX
Rolling CSteel
SSteel 300
A 516
SSteel 400
A 387
Copper and alloys
Forged CSteel
Aluminum and alloys
A 266, A 350
Nickel and alloys
A 182
Titanium gr.1,7,12, etc.
Forged or RolledSSteel 300
Zirconium gr. 702
Tantalum
Table III : Main combinations done by explosive bonding
The explosion cladding process is commonly used for flat
plates. The process can also be used for the manufacture of
concentrically bonded tubes and pipes. In tube cladding,
the explosive can be place inside the bore, or on the outside
of the outer tube, dependent upon diameters, wall
thicknesses and other factors. The process is not suitable for
cladding of complex contoured surfaces. When shaped
products are required, such as heads, the clad is produced
as flat plate and formed into the required product
configuration after bonding.
Table III shows the wide range of combinations that can be
done with explosion bonding
The cladding global dimensions are typically limited only
by the availability of flat component metal sheet or plate and
transport constraints. Maximum plate size may also be
limited by explosive detonation limits, such a noise and
environmental constraints. Rarely is size limited by
cladding know-how.
The following maximum plate sizes can typically be produced:
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Length 12,000 mm
Width 5,000 mm
Base thickness 500 mm
Cladding thickness 25 mm
Surface 35 m
Annex I shows an example of a manufacture control chart. As shown, Nobelclad uses bar codes to track process
operations and to optimize scheduling and work flow.
FABRICATION
Clad metal can be readily formed and welded as needed to construct process equipment. However, it is not the aim of this
paper address clad metal fabrication process. Many equipment fabricators worldwide have extensive expertise and know
how in this area. Head and shell forming and welding of clad plates is well known by fabricators specializing in clad. For
additional information, have a look at Nobelclad technical bulletins or Nobelclad web sitehttp://www.nobelclad..com/.
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