TA2/Al1060/SiC/Al5083 Ceramic Composite Armor: Explosive Welding and Characteristics

doi:10.3901/JME.260118

Abstract

Abstract: To resolve the challenges in achieving large-area, high-quality, and cost-effective fabrication of ceramic compo-site armor, SiC and SiC composite plates were solid-phase encapsulated using explosive welding technology with TA2 and Al5083. A weldability window was constructed to constrain ce-ramic fracture, and explosive welding parameters were selected within specified ranges determined by numerical simulations to optimize static parameters for welding experiments. Analysis focused on the influence of ceramic dimensions and their positioning relative to base plate on welding interfaces and ceramic deformation. Success-ful solid-phase encapsulation of SiC and SiC composite plates was achieved through the design of four compo-site armor configurations and experimental procedures aimed at enhancing material impact toughness. Testing and analysis of the four welded composite plates included ceramic fracture level and characteristics, mechanical properties, microstructural morphology of welding interfaces, and airflow. Results indicated that tensile strength, shear strength, and microhardness of welding interfaces between flying plate and base plate reached 380.02 MPa, 143.01 MPa, and 118.65 HV, respectively. The ceramic specifications and the interlayer can affect the fracture of ceramic and the welding quality during explosive welding. Although encapsulated ceramics influence the exhaust path, they do not affect the welding quality of the TA2/Al1060/Al5083 composite, nor the formation mechanisms and processes of the melted layer and molten zones. It is demonstrated that explosive welding can be used for the solid-state encapsulation of hard and brittle materials such as ceramic and ceramic composite plate.

Key words: explosive welding, ceramic composite armour, ceramic fracture, numerical simulation, performance analysis

CLC Number:

TG456

CAI Yonggen, SHI Changgen, WU Xiaoming, SUN Zerui, LUO Xuchuan. TA2/Al1060/SiC/Al5083 Ceramic Composite Armor: Explosive Welding and Characteristics[J]. Journal of Mechanical Engineering, 2026, 62(4): 203-214.

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