Metal Cladding

IDL Industries Ltd. diversified into manufacture of Explosive clad products in 1978, and set up the metal cladding division with a licence from E.I. DuPont USA which was updated & adapted to Indian conditions. This division harnesses the energy released by Explosives to metallurgically weld various metals into composite clad plates, harden metals, compact powders, etc.

IDL is one of the few leading companies in the world offering EXPLOBOND (IDL's registered trade mark) clad products for over two decades to the industry.

Explosion Cladding Process

The cladding plate is placed over the backer plate with a small gap between the two. A layer of specially prepared explosive charge is spread on top of the cladding plate. On detonation, the cladding plate collides progressively with the backer plate at a high velocity . This collision is completed in milliseconds and removes the contaminating surface films like oxides and absorbed gases in the form of a fine jet at the collision front thereby bringing together two virgin metal surfaces to form a metallurgical bond by electron sharing. This unique solid state welding process of Explosion cladding is capable of bonding almost all metals and the resulting composite clad retains the individual characteristics of each metal such as corrosion resistance of the cladding metal and strength/economy of the backer metal.

The process is very versatile as most of the common metals can be clad. The metals which cannot be clad readily by conventional methods, eg. Aluminium+Steel, Titanium+Steel can be easily clad by this process. The process is flexible and a wide range of sizes and quantities can be handled as required by users.

Advantages of Explobond Products

Guaranteed strong metallurgical bonds
Wide range of metal combinations
Economic use of scarce and dearer metals
Wide range of sizes and composite thicknesses
Custom made products
Adoption of conventional fabrication procedures
Extremely low electrical resistance at interface
Retention of individual metal properties
Good heat transfer
Short processing time.

Metal Combinations

Click here to view an exhaustive Metal Combinations chart.

Cladding on both sides of a backer metal with the same / different cladding metal is also possible.

Certain Explobond clad products can be further rolled / extruded into thinner gauges and can be considered when technically feasible and quantities are adequate.

In case your requirement does not fit into the above range, we can, together, find a solution. Please do not hesitate to contact us.

Supplies

Normally, Explobond clad plates for shell and dish heads are flattened to commercial tolerances and are supplied untrimmed with nonbonds along the edges, if any, marked.

Explobond clad plates are supplied as clad, as heat treated, or when required with the cladding surface ground to 80 grit finish.

Explobond clad tube plates are flattened to special tolerances and extra thickness is provided for machining if required.

When desired, we can take up cutting, machining, forming and supply clad tube sheet blanks duly machined, or clad dish heads to your requirements. In special cases, we also offer fabricated equipment involving clad metals.

Efforts in Related Areas

Explosive Hardening
Components / Castings made of austenitic manganese steel such as railway crossings, shovel teeth and jaw crusher plates can be prehardned before use to increase their service lives.

Explosive Compaction
Ceramic and metal powders can be explosively compacted into rods.

Explosive Tube to Tube Plate Welding
Small explosive charges are used to expand / weld tubes to tube plates, even incompatable metals can be welded by this process.

IDLWELD System for insitu welding/brazing
IDLWELD is a proprietory weld composition developed by IDL Industries for connecting copper conductors (signaling cables) to steel rail. IDLWELD works on the principle of thermite reaction. When ignited, the IDLWELD composition yields molten copper of a suitable composition on account of the exothermic reaction.

This liquid on solidification brazes the conductor to rail with excellent strength and electrical properties. The composition consists of an upper layer which is a special ignitor composition for easy start up with a spark ignitor .

The process does not require any external power source. There is no need for elaborate equipment and highly skilled personnel.

The process can also be suitably modified for other allied applications such as welding of earthing elements, welding of cables etc.

IDLWELD has been in service of the first underground tube rail system in India at Metro Railways, Calcutta, for joining copper cable to steel rail.

See Also