Metal Laminate

Abstract

A method for making a metal laminate comprising at least one plating step and at least one cold roll bonding step. A metal laminate comprising a plurality of alternating structural layers and non-structural layers, where the structural layers contribute significantly to the overall strength of the metal laminate, while the non-structural layers do not contribute significantly to the overall strength of the metal laminate, but serve to bind the structural layers together.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]The present Application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application 60 / 734,517, titled “Metal Laminate” and filed Nov. 7, 2005, the contents of which are incorporated in this disclosure by reference in their entiretyBACKGROUND[0002]Metal laminates are used for many industrial applications that require materials with a specific combination of mechanical and physical properties not available in a single metal. Metal laminates can be produced using a number of methods. For example, metal laminates can be produced of two or more metals that are cold roll bonded together resulting in a laminate that has different properties on the surface of the laminate than within the laminate. Disadvantageously, however, some metals do not form satisfactory bonds to one another when cold roll bonded, or form a laminate that is prone to cracking or separation during use. Further, some laminates cannot be cold reduced after they have been cold r...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0081]Next, a layer of low carbon steel coil 3.7 mm thick was placed between the nickel sides of two diffusion bonded stainless steel-nickel laminates as produced above, and the five layers were cold roll bonded together by Engineered Material Systems (Attleboro, Mass. US) forming a five layer laminate with stainless steel on both outer surfaces, low carbon steel in the middle and relatively thin nickel layers between the stainless steel and low carbon steel. The resultant five layer metal laminate had a total thickness of about 1.6 mm. This five layer laminate was then annealed in a batch furnace at 725° C. for one hour producing a five layer metal laminate of superior corrosion resistance compared to carbon steel having the same thickness and weight, and that will not delaminate or crack in service compared to a similar three sheet laminate that does not include the intermediate, non-structural layers, and does not waste valuable nickel with relatively thick intermediate sheets of nickel as compared to the steel layers.

Problems solved by technology

Disadvantageously, however, some metals do not form satisfactory bonds to one another when cold roll bonded, or form a laminate that is prone to cracking or separation during use.

Further, some laminates cannot be cold reduced after they have been cold roll bonded.

In some cases, such as with laminates produced of two different kinds of steel, there is no known method to produce a laminate by cold roll bonding without including a separate intermediate layer of a different metal.

Disadvantageously, however, making steel laminates by such cold roll bonding creates laminates with relatively thick intermediate layers that do not contribute to the strength of the laminate but that are necessary to bind the steel layers together.

Producing laminates of two different kinds of steel by hot roll bonding, however, is expensive and frequently produces a laminate prone to cracking or separation.

Disadvantageously, however, making metal laminates having five or more layers is generally time consuming, and creates laminates with relatively thick intermediate layers that do not contribute to the strength of the laminate but that are necessary to bind the layers that provide strength to the laminate.

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