Effect of silicon carbide reinforcement in a dissimilar-alloy composite fabricated by explosive welding

The present study is focused on joining Al 5052 (aluminium alloy) and AZ31B (magnesium alloy) with and without silicon carbide particles (SiC(p)) through explosive welding. The scanning electron microscopy image of the weld interface reveals the formation of a molten zone and pores in the AZ31B and Al 5052 weld (without SiC(p) particles), whereas they are absent if SiC(p) is introduced between the alloys. The X-ray diffraction analysis reveals Al$_{12}$Mg$_{17}$ and AlMg intermetallic compounds in the conventional weld (without SiC(p)), whereas no intermetallic compounds are detected in the silicon carbide reinforced weld. The maximum microhardness is witnessed close to the interface due to significant plastic strains of colliding plates. The shear (124.5 MPa) and tensile (201 MPa) strengths of the silicon carbide reinforced weld are higher than those of the conventional weld without SiC(p) particles (104 MPa and 135 MPa, respectively). Concerning the corrosion behavior, after 120 days of immersion of samples in the marine broth solution, the weight reduction is negligible (0.01692 g/cm${}$).