Structure and Properties of Functionally Organized Steel-Aluminum Compositions Manufactured by Liquid and Solid Phase Methods

Functionally organized steel-aluminum compositions were manufactured by liquid and solid phase methods, namely arc, friction surfacing, and explosion welding processes. The influence of the manufacturing process on the characteristics of the diffusion zone separating the pure aluminum functional layer and the steel substrate has been determined. It has been established that a layer of FexAly double intermetallic compounds of different stoichiometric composition is formed between the functional layer and the substrate. It has been shown that this layer is characterized by a discrete nature and an average thickness of 16 µm in compositions manufactured by the explosion welding process. The use of arc or friction surfacing processes leads to the formation of a continuous intermetallic layer with an average thickness of 8.2 and 2 µm, respectively. The level of adhesive strength of manufactured functionally organized steel-aluminum compositions was assessed in order to determine their properties.