Effect of the Rolling Process on the Properties of the Mg/Al Bimetallic Bars Obtained by the Explosive Welding Method

This study aims to analyze the influence of the rolling process on the microstructure and corrosion properties of the Mg/Al bimetallic bars obtained by the explosive welding method. The bars investigated were rolled using two different types of rolling: classical rolling (Variant I) and modified rolling (Variant II). Two different temperatures (300 °C and 400 °C) for each of the variables were applied as well. In this study, rods with an aluminum plating layer constituting 16.8% of the cross-sectional area and an average thickness of about 0.93 mm were investigated. Based on the revealed results, it was found that after the rolling process, the material shows clearly lower values of both i(cor) and current in the passive range. In the joint zone of Mg/Al rods rolled at 400 °C, Al(3)Mg(2) and Mg(17)Al(12) intermetallic phases are distinguished, localized next to the Mg core, and characterized by columnar, coarser grains. In the transition zone closer to the Al layer, only the Al(3)Mg(2) phase is revealed, characterized by a refined, small grain size.