What Does
Lamination Mean?
A lamination is a type of thin and flat discontinuity found in a base material that is a separation of one portion of the material from another. A lamination is usually created during a forming process.
Because a lamination is a separation of a base material, it can negatively affect its mechanical properties, rendering it more susceptible to material failure and corrosion.
Corrosionpedia Explains Lamination
Although a lamination may be extremely thin, it can cause a rapid failure if placed under the wrong type of load. Loads that pull transverse to the length of a lamination usually have a greater impact than loads that are placed in parallel with a lamination.
Laminations are most frequently created during a material forming process. They usually are the result of another type of discontinuity, such as an inclusion or porosity, which is flattened during a rolling or extruding process. A lamination can be harder to detect than an inclusion or a porosity because it is microscopically thin. This makes it extremely difficult to detect by X-ray inspection if the beam is aimed perpendicular to the plane of the lamination. A nondestructive process such as ultrasonic testing may be better able to readily detect a lamination.