Effect of Heat Treatments on the Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of SS317L/ASTM SA516 GR60 Steel Clad Plate Fabricated Through Hot Roll Bonding

Triple-layer stainless-steel clad plate having 317L stainless steel (SS317L) as cladding layer and ASTM SA516 GR60 (GR60) as backing layer was successfully fabricated through vacuum hot roll bonding (VHRB) at 1373 K (1100 °C) temperature and strain rate regime of 1–5 s⁻¹, which were identified through process efficiency maps of the base materials (SS317L and GR60). The process efficiency maps were constructed by conducting isothermal compression tests within the temperature range of 1173 K (900 °C)–1473 K (1200 °C) and 0.1–50 s⁻¹strain rate regime. Effect of post-rolling heat treatments on the mechanical properties of clad plate was studied after solutionization at 1173 K (900 °C) for 1 h followed by cooling at different rates, i.e., water quenching, air cooling, and furnace cooling. As compared to other post-rolling heat treatments, the ultimate tensile strength, uniform plastic elongation, and maximum shear strength showed a significant change from 524 MPa, 0.46 and 519 MPa to 652 MPa, 0.36 and 410 MPa, when the normalized clad plate was solutionized at 1173 K (900 °C) and water quenched. A drastic change in shear fracture mode from gradual failure in normalized condition to catastrophic failure was also noticed after water quenching. These changes are essentially manifestation of the microstructural change in GR60 layer which led to the change in mechanical properties.