One of a number of important applications of explosive cladding is to produce layer-metal composites. The strength of a titanium bar explosively clad with a stainless steel tube of 3.5 mm wall thickness is equal to the strength of titanium (known as a equal-strength bonding). Metallographic observation of the bonding interface indicats that the metal flow at the interface is proper, and intermetallic compound formation does not occur. Direct contact between titanium and stainless steel results in a perfect jont. The proportion of tensile-shear strength to tensile strength of the titanium is 0.6 similar to 0.7. The high strength originates from interaction between the two kinds of atoms existing at the interface, i. e. a direct metallurgical bond unperturbed but metallurgical defects. Explosive cladding process leads to a wave-patterned interface, one of the morphological characteristics of equal-strength bonding.
