Inversion Solidification Cladding of H90-Steel Original Research Article

The variation law of cladding thickness as well as the structures and properties of H90-steel clad strip produced by inversion solidification was studied. The interface bonding mechanisms were approached. It is found that the thickness of H90 cladding goes sequentially through the solidification growth stage, holding stage, and remelting stage, with an increase in immersion time. The higher the preheating temperature of the steel coil, the thicker is the maximum cladding thickness. Observation by using optical microscopy (OM) and the electron probe microanalyzer (EPMA) shows that the microstructure of H90 cladding is composed of equiaxed grains, and that interdiffusion between Cu and Fe at interface occurs but obvious diffusion of Zn and the intermetallic layer are not observed. The diffusion layer is thin and about 4 μm. Multipass small reduction cold rolling and repeated bending tests show that the interface is firmly bonded. Tensile test shows that the mechanical properties of the as-clad strips can meet the requirements of GB5213–2001 for the F-grade deep-drawing steel plate though there is a slight difference in the mechanical properties among the clad strips with different cladding thickness.