Effect of Hot Rolling Temperature on Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Horizontal Continuous Liquid–Solid Composite Cast Stainless Steel Clad Plate

Stainless steel clad plates were prepared by a novel technique of horizontal continuous liquid–solid composite casting, following with hot rolling at different temperatures. The interfacial composition, microstructure, mechanical properties and uniaxial tension deformation behaviors were investigated, and the effects of rolling temperature on strengthening and toughening were analyzed. The stainless steel clad plates rolled at 1100 °C had the highest yield strength of 408 MPa, tensile strength of 547 MPa, elongation of 31% and interfacial shear strength of 499 MPa, which increased by 16.6%, 9.2%, 6.9% and 13.7%, respectively, compared with those of the plates rolled at 1200 °C. During uniaxial tensile deformation, local high strain regions with sharp strain gradient emerged first at the cladding interface zone, where geometrically necessary dislocations (GNDs) gradually accumulate and cracks form. Higher rolling temperature promoted diffusion of carbon at cladding interface and dynamic recrystallization. Therefore, the relative diffusion distances reached maximum of 2.18 and 1.4, and finer grains of 40.2 and 7.6 μm and higher GNDs density of 2.69 × 10 14 and 2.55 × 10 14 m −2 formed in both stainless steel and carbon steel when rolled at 1100 °C, resulting in simultaneously improved interfacial shear strength, tensile strength and ductility.