Effects of Annealing and Deformation on Sagging Resistance of a Hot-Rolled, Four-Layered Al Alloy Clad Sheet

Multilayer brazeable aluminum alloy sheet is prone to collapse during high-temperature brazing process. The sagging resistance of the aluminum composite sheet needs to be further improved for quality control. Effects of annealing and rate of reduction on sagging resistance, microstructure, and Si diffusion of a hot-rolled, four-layered Al clad sheet (4343/3003/6111/3003) were investigated by means of a sagging device, OM, SEM, and TEM. Results showed that once annealed at 360°C, the sagging distance was increased from 3 to 15.7 mm as the reduction rate changed from 10% to 40%. By increasing annealing temperature to 410°C, those were changed from 3.1 to 20.8 mm accordingly. At 360°C/40% and 410°C/40%, specimens exhibited weak sagging resistance, whereas fine recrystallized grains were formed in the core promoting Si penetration along grain boundaries. While the specimens were treated at 360°C/10% and 410°C/10%, better sagging resistance was observed due to the formation of coarse recrystallized grains that can suppress erosion of Si. At the same reduction rate, the sagging resistance was higher for the sample annealed at a lower temperature as more precipitates appeared in the core (at 360°C), thus leading to an increase in strength.