Effect of roll bonding reduction ratio on the microstructure and mechanical properties of TA1/304 clad plates with corrugated interfaces

Conventional flat rolling (FR) of titanium/stainless steel clad plates often suffers from continuous brittle intermetallic compounds (IMCs) and limited bonding strength. To overcome these limitations, this study employed the corrugated + flat rolling (CFR) process to prepare TA1/304 clad plates with reduction ratios of 42%, 49%, and 57%. An FR-processed TA1/304 plate at 49% reduction served as reference. Interfacial integrity, phase composition, and near-interface microstructure were characterized by SEM, EBSD, and XRD, while mechanical properties were evaluated through tensile, interfacial shear, and impact tests. Results show CFR at 49% and 57% cumulative reduction significantly reduced interfacial defects and suppressed excessive IMC growth. EBSD revealed that CFR-introduced normal pressure and interfacial shear dispersed near-interface grain orientations, with finer grains and pronounced spatial variation along the corrugated direction. Notably, local deformation and boundary changes were most significant in the peak and waist regions. The TA1/304 clad plate at 49% reduction exhibited excellent comprehensive performance, delivering a yield strength of 665.0 MPa, an ultimate tensile strength of 784.0 MPa, an elongation of 40.6%, a peak interfacial shear strength of 369.95 MPa at the wave-waist region, an impact energy absorption of 11.44 J, and a maximum impact load of 1.24 kN. Compared with FR, CFR offers clear advantages in both strength and ductility, providing a highly efficient and scalable route for producing high-performance TA1/304 clad plates.