Joining Aluminium Alloy 5A06 to Stainless Steel 321 by Vaporizing Foil Actuators Welding with an Interlayer

Direct aluminium–stainless steel joints are difficult to create by the vaporized foil actuator welding (VFAW) method because brittle intermetallic compounds (IMCs) tend to form along the interface. The use of an interlayer as a transition layer between the two materials with vast difference in hardness and ductility was proposed as a solution to reduce the formation of the IMCs. In this work, VFAW was used to successfully weld sheet aluminium alloy 5A06 to stainless steel 321 with a 3003 aluminium alloy interlayer. Input energy levels of 6 kJ, 8 kJ, 10 kJ, and 12 kJ were used and as a trend, higher energy inputs resulted in higher impact velocities, larger weld area, and better mechanical properties. In lap-shear and peel testing, all samples failed at the interface of the interlayer and target. At 10 kJ energy input, flyer velocities up to 935 m/s, lap-shear peak load of 44 kN, and peel load of 2.15 kN were achieved. Microstructure characterization and element distribution were performed, and the results show a wavy pattern created between the flyer and interlayer which have similar properties, and the interface between the interlayer and target was dominated by element diffusion and IMCs identified mainly as FeAl3 and FeAl. The results demonstrate VFAW is a suitable joining method for dissimilar metals such as aluminium alloy and stainless steel, which has a broad and significant application prospect in aerospace and chemical industry.