Bethlehem Lukens Plate:Roll Bonded Clad 2 of 12

Bethlehem Lukens Plate
Roll-Bonded Clad Steels
High Alloy Performance at Lower Cost

How Clad Plate Works

Clad plate is a composite, the thickness of which is comprised of two metals bonded across their interface by mill rolling. Because the two metals are integrally bonded, clad plates behave mechanically like single, homogeneous plates.

The base metal in the composite is either carbon or alloy steel and is the thicker of the two metals. This economical "backing steel" normally provides the required strength to the composite.

The thinner layer of the composite, usually ranging between 10% and 20% of the total thickness, but available from 5% to 40%, may be stainless steel, solid nickel, nickel alloy, copper or copper alloy. This "cladding", normally selected for corrosion resistance, allows the designer to gain the desired benefit of solid high-alloy plate.

In summary, roll-bonded clad steels provide several important benefits to the designer and fabricator:

They are economical, providing the same level of performance as solid high-alloy plates, at a fraction of the cost.

They provide structural stability, with a carbon or alloy steel providing the required strength.

They offer design freedom, with integral bonding that allows for design and fabrication of shapes to meet a range of process and space needs.