Effects of Heat Treatment on

Mechanical Property and

Microstructure of Aluminum=Stainless
Steel Bimetal Plate
Weng-Sing Hwang1
e-mail: wshwang@mail.ncku.edu.tw

Tian-I Wu
Wen-Chung Sung
Department of Materials Science and Engineering,
National Cheng Kung University,
Tainan 70101, Taiwan

The effects of postrolling heat treatment on the mechanical property and microstructure of 1050 aluminum alloy and 304 stainless steel (SS) clad metals were investigated. Clad metals were
made by cold rolling after surface treatments of both sheets followed by heat treatment at 500  C for various annealing times.
The effects of transformation of microstructure at the interface
on bonding strength are discussed. The initial clad roll bonding
of Al=stainless steel clad metal was bonded by mechanical locking at the interface. The protruding stainless steel in the interface
is the diffusion route and forms the better joint with aluminum in
the annealing process, which results in the enhancement of the
bonding strength. Intermediate layers were formed for over 2 h.
It resulted in the weakening of the bonding strength and the fracture surface transforms into a brittle structure. As Al=stainless
steel clad metals were under 13% reduction ratio, it had the
optimum bond strength with a heat treatment for 1 h at 500  C.
[DOI: 10.1115/1.4003107]
Keywords: clad metal, intermediate layer, bond strength, rolling

Introduction

Clad metals, such as Al=stainless steel, Al=Cu, Cu=stainless

steel, Cu=Ag, and Al=Ni, Steel=Ti [14], have become increasingly popular for industrial applications in recent years because of
their comprehensive properties. Al=stainless steel clad metals are
widely applied on kitchenware due to their mechanical, thermal
properties, and corrosion resistance. From the metallurgical perspective in the bonding process, Al and stainless steel are incompatible metals because of their high diffusion affinity to each other
at temperatures above 500  C, which results in the formation of
intermetallic compounds. Several previous investigations revealed
that the intermetallic compounds of aluminum and iron are brittle
and the formation of the intermetallic compounds will decrease
the bonding strengths [57]. Clad metal can be produced by several solid-state welding processes such as co-axial extrusion [8,9],
explosion welding [10,11], friction stir welding [12], diffusion
bonding [13], and clad roll bonding [1,3,4]. However, the most
economic and productive manufacturing process for large size flat
clad metal sheets and foils is the clad roll bonding. This technique
includes cold and hot clad roll bonding. For joints occurring at
room temperature, bonding does not occur until a certain threshold deformation of one or two metals is reached. Generally, that
1
Corresponding author.
Contributed by the Materials Division of ASME for publication in the JOURNAL OF
ENGINEERING MATERIALS AND TECHNOLOGY. Manuscript received January 20, 2010;
final manuscript received September 27, 2010; published online December 8, 2011.
Assoc. Editor: Hamid Garmestani.

threshold deformation for aluminum clad to steel is at a reduction

of up to 60%. In hot clad roll bonding, higher roll temperatures
lead to a greater degree of recovery and recrystallization of metal
and soft materials, which reduces the threshold deformation to
lower than 50% and increases the bonding strength. However,
higher roll temperatures also increase the oxide formation on the
metal surface in the air and reduce the effective contact area. For
an aluminum-steel bimetallic sheet, aluminum develops a thin
film of aluminum oxide that acts as a barrier and continues to oxidize in a short heating time. The brittle thin film of aluminum oxide formed by surface treatment and heating will fragment under
lower reduction in a roll mill, and then fresh, unoxidized metal
extruded through the cracks and contact with the other metal.
Postrolling heat treatment (annealing) is commonly used to
enhance the bond strength of the clad metals after rolling. Previous investigations have revealed that the process parameters have
a crucial influence on the final properties of the Al=stainless steel
clad metals. Parameters that may affect the bonding strength during rolling include surface preparation, rolling reduction, rolling
temperature, annealing temperature, and time. The annealing process affects both the bonding strength and the mechanical properties [14,15]. In this study, Al/stainless steel clad metals are made
using cold rolling. The development of interfacial structure is performed and identified at different annealing conditions.
The objective of this study is to investigate the effect of the development of the intermetallic compound on mechanical properties during annealing treatment at various annealing times. The
relationship between the interfacial development and fracture
mechanism can provide a valuable information in controlling the
process parameters.

Experimental Method

2.1 Fabrication of Al=Stainless Steel. The sheet used in this

study was a stainless steel (SS304) with a dimension of
200  65  0:5 mm3 and aluminum (AA1050) with a dimension
of 200  65  1 mm3 , as shown in Table 1. Cold rolling was performed to produce an Al=stainless steel clad metal sheet using a
laboratory rolling mill with a loading capacity of 200 tons. The
roll diameter was 400 mm and the rolling speed was 10 m=min.
Prior to rolling, Al and stainless steel sheets were both mechanically and chemically polished in an atmospheric environment to
obtain a clean surface. Acetone is a widely used chemical agent
for removing oil and contamination in the surface treatment process. In this study, the initial surfaces of the plates were degreased
using acetone and then wire-brushed to remove contamination and
oxidation layer. A suitable surface roughness can be obtained
before roll bonding. Surface scratch-brushing would create a suitable surface roughness and enable a higher surface decontaminating effect. The Al sheets were heated at a temperature of 420  C,
and then rapidly taken out to stack with the stainless steel sheets
followed by immediate rolling at room temperature, as shown in
Fig. 1.
2.2 Heat Treatment. After rolling, the Al=stainless steel
clad metals were annealed at 500  C. A resistance heated furnace
was used for the heat treatment. The bimetal samples produced
were heat treated at different temperatures under various times of
15 min, 60 min, 120 min, 180 min, 240 min, 300 min, and 360
min. The heating rate was around 100  C=min.
2.3 Peeling Test. Bond strengths of the annealed Al=stainless
steel clad metal samples were measured using a peel test, as shown
in Fig. 2. A standard peel test (ASTM-D903-49) was applied to test
the bonding force of the clad metal. An Al=stainless steel bimetal
sheet specimen of 15 mm in width is first prepared. The two metal
sheets are first pulled apart for 10 mm in length, as shown in Fig.
2(a). The specimen is then annealed under the desired temperature
and time. The two separated metal sheets are gripped by the test

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Table 1 Specification of aluminum and stainless steel plate

Plate thickness (mm)
Grade
Al 1050
SUS 304

Chemical composition (mass%)

Before bonding

After bonding

99.5Al, Si 0.03, Fe 0.34, Cu 0.034, and other <0.05

18Cr, 8Ni, C 0.08 max, P 0.045 max, and Si 1 max

1
0.5

0.8
0.5

apparatus and the T-peel test is performed by mechanical debonding. The peel test measures the strength required to pull apart a
bonded surface.
The peel test was performed using an Instron tensile testing
machine with a 50 kN load cell and a crosshead speed of

Fig. 1 A schematic illustration of clad roll bonding process

Fig. 4 Variation of break-off peel strength for various annealing times under the annealing temperature of 500  C

Fig. 2 A schematic illustration of peel test and dimensions of

the peel test sample

Fig. 3 Peeling strength versus crosshead displacement curves

with annealing temperature of 500  C and various annealing
times

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Fig. 5 As-rolled Al=stainless steel clad metals for a reduction

ratio of 13%: (a) Backscattered electron image of interface. ((b)
and (c)) Fracture morphology of stainless steel-side and Alside, respectively.

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10 mm min1 . The peeling strength was taken as the average peel

force divided by the bond width, which could be expressed as
follows:
rp Fbreakoff =Lsample width
where rp is the break-off peeling strength N cm1 , F is the
breaking-off force (N), and L is the width of the test sample (cm).
After the samples were peeled, the fracture surface morphology
of the various samples and the development of interfacial structures were observed through a field emission scanning electron
microscope (Hitachi S-4100) and a wavelength-dispersive spectrometer. Furthermore, backscattered electron image (BEI) was
used to observe the diffusion layer at the interface.

Results and Discussion

3.1 Mechanical Property. Figure 3 shows the peeling

strength versus the crosshead displacement curves of the
Al=stainless steel clad metal at a reduction ratio of 13% with various annealing times at 500  C. As seen in Fig. 3, the Al=stainless
steel clad metal displays a certain bond strength 96 N cm1 after
cold rolling. The bonding strength of the clad metal after 15 min
annealing was 250 N cm1 , which is obviously superior to that of
the as-rolled. The optimum annealing time was observed to be 1 h
where the bonding strength was over 500 N cm1 . The 2 h annealing sample also exhibited an excellent bonding strength, yet the
clad metal fractured at a crosshead displacement of 2 mm. This
occurred at the aluminum matrix side. The phenomenon

Fig. 6 Al=stainless steel clad metals heated at a temperature of 500  C for 15 min: (a) The interfacial mapping image. ((b) and (c)) Fracture morphology of stainless steel-side and Al-side,
respectively.

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annealing time of 1 h. It then starts to decrease and falls drastically after 2 h.

By comparing the bonding strength between the annealed and
the as-rolled samples, it can be seen that the appropriate annealing
process could enhance the bond strength of the clad metal.
3.2 As-Rolled Condition. Figure 5(a) illustrates the backscattered electron image of the as-rolled clad metal interface;
Figs. 5(b) and 5(c) are the fracture morphology on the stainless
steel-side and the Al-side, respectively. Al was discovered on
stainless steel-side by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy analysis. This is thought to be evidence that the primary bond strength
is created by the mechanical locking from the initial rolling
process.
3.3 Postannealing Condition

Fig. 7 Al=stainless steel clad metals heated at a temperature

of 500  C for 1 h: (a) Backscattered electron image of the interface. ((b) and (c)) Fracture morphology of stainless steel-side
and Al-side, respectively.

represents that a good bonding has formed between the two metals. The relationship between peeling strength and annealing time
is shown in Fig. 4. The peeling strength can be seen to increase
with the increasing annealing time and reaches a maximum at the

3.3.1. Annealing for 15 min and 60 min. The annealing temperature of 500  C is sufficient for the diffusion of Ni, Cr, and Fe
elements into the Al metal and form intermetallic compounds. In
this study, some intermetallic compounds will form while the
annealing temperature is higher than 400  C for a suitable holding
time.
Figure 6(a) shows the interfacial structure of an Al=stainless
steel bimetal sheet annealed at 500  C for 15 min. Atomic interdiffusion between the two plates contributed to strengthening by
solid-solution and increased the bonding strength. Atoms of Al
and constituent element of stainless steel could be found in both
stainless steel and Al matrix, respectively, as shown in Figs. 6(b)
and 6(c). It can be deduced that Al atoms from the Al-side have
diffused into the stainless steel matrix; meanwhile, Ni, Cr, and Fe
atoms from the stainless steel-side also diffused into the Al matrix. The Al(Fe, Cr, Ni) phases corresponding to the measured
atomic concentrations are categorized to be Al3 Fe; Cr; Ni
and Al5 Fe; Cr; Ni2 . Al3 Fe; Cr; Ni is near the Al base and
Al5 Fe; Cr; Ni2 is near the stainless steel side. Those intermetallic
compounds developed are believed to be by the substitutional

Fig. 8 The backscattered electron image of Al=stainless steel clad metals heated at a temperature of 500  C for 2 h. (a) Smooth region and (b) the protruding stainless steel region.

Fig. 9 Interface development of Al=stainless steel clad metals at different annealing conditions: (a) 500  C/3 h, (b) 500  C/4 h,
and (c) 500  C/5 h

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Fig. 10 The interfacial mapping image of the Al=stainless steel clad metal sintered at 500  C
for 3 h

atomic diffusion. Diffusion at the extruding zones of the stainless

steel is much more substantial and had become the dominative
diffusion path in this stage.
Figure 7 shows the interface backscattered electron image
and the fracture morphology for 1 h annealing. The interface
(Fig. 7(a)) became smooth compared with the as-rolled condition;
it should be due to the fact that smooth interface has lower free
energy. Bonding strength at this stage was the greatest among all
samples. It can be attributed to the large diffusion quantity. As
seen in Figs. 6 and 7, the fracture morphology was ductile. Figures
7(b) and 7(c) show the dimple characteristics on the fracture
surfaces. A bond (normally a mechanical bond) is thus obtained
through interfacial mechanical locking. The unoxidized aluminum
extrudes through the cracks and develops stable joints. Aluminum
is found to adhere to stainless steel, as shown in the figure.
3.3.2 Annealing for 2 h and Above. Figure 8 displays the
interface backscattered electron image after 2 h annealing. A
smooth region similar to that in Fig. 7(a) can be identified. It starts
to develop a certain intermediate layer around the protruding
stainless steel zone (shown in Fig. 8(b)); the layer thickness is
5:6 lm in that area. This phenomenon is due to the stress concentration developed in these regions during the cold rolling process,
and therefore more defects to accelerate interdiffusion. From the
wavelength-dispersive spectrometer analysis, this intermediate
layer was formed at the Al matrix side. The discontinuous intermediate layer decreases the bonding strength.
Table 2 Composition analysis on Fig. 9
Atomic ratio
A
B
C
D

Ni (%)

Cr (%)

Fe (%)

Al (%)

0.02
1.72
2.17
7.68

0.09
4.60
5.89
20.16

0.27
16.60
20.50
72.04

99.61
77.07
71.42
0.10

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Figures 9(a)9(c) show the interface development for 3 h, 4 h,

and 5 h annealing, respectively. The intermediate layer became
continuous and thickened with time. The layer thicknesses are
6:5 lm, 7:5 lm, and 8:9 lm. Each data point is an average of ten
measurements. Thicker intermediate layer would further decrease
the bonding strength, as depicted in Fig. 3.
Figure 10 is the interfacial mapping image of the Al=stainless
steel clad metal sintered at 500  C for 3 h. It is found that two intermediate layers developed at the interface. Wavelength-dispersive spectrometer was applied to identify the interfacial phases
developed during the annealing process. Table 2 shows the composition analysis for A, B, C, and D in Fig. 10. The intermediate
layer is indicated by arrows, and in this region the compositions
are almost constant. Hence, it is anticipated that the intermediate
layer is probably an intermetallic compound.
Figure 11(a) illustrates the backscattered electrons image of
the Al=stainless steel clad metals interface heated at temperature
of 500  C for 6 h. The intermediate layer became very thick after
6 h annealing, and the thickness of the layer is around 9:1 lm.
The wavelength-dispersive spectrometer analysis depicts that the
layer is actually composed of Al3 Fe and Al5 Fe2 intermetallic
compounds. Figures 11(c) and 11(d) show that the fracture morphology has completely transformed from ductile to brittle. The
intermediate layer decreases the bond strength for a considerable
quantity.

Conclusion

The effects of various annealing time at 500  C for cold roll

bonded aluminum and stainless steel clad metals have been investigated. The following conclusions may be drawn from this study:
1. The interfacial bond strength for the as-rolled condition primarily came from mechanical locking.
2. Due to solid-solution strengthening effect, the Al=stainless
steel clad metal under 13% reduction ratio has the highest
interfacial bonding strength for annealing at 500  C for 1 h.
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Fig. 11 Al=stainless steel clad metals heated at a temperature of 500  C for 6 h: (a) Backscattered electron image of the interface. (b) Wavelength-dispersive spectrometer study of the interface. ((c) and (d)) Fracture morphology of Al-side and SS-side,
respectively.

3. The protruding stainless steel at the interface was the diffusion route in the initial stage.
4. An intermediate layer had been formed at the interface
which diminishes the bonding strength for over 2 h annealing at 500  C.
5. Intermediate layer decreases the bonding strength of the clad
metal. The thicker the layer is, the lower the bonding
strength. The intermediate layer transforms the fracture
mechanism from ductile to brittle.

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