**4. Conclusions**

The present work has investigated the coupled effect of two strategies for optimizing the production of aluminum-carbon steel and aluminum-stainless steel clads by explosive welding: the use of a low-density interlayer, and the development of a low-density and low-detonation velocity explosive mixture. The following conclusions can be drawn:


**Author Contributions:** Conceptualization, G.H.S.F.L.C. and I.G.; methodology, G.H.S.F.L.C., I.G. and R.M.L.; investigation, G.H.S.F.L.C., I.G. and R.M.L.; resources, R.M. and A.L.; writing—original draft preparation and edition, G.H.S.F.L.C. and I.G.; writing—review, R.M.L., R.M. and A.L.; supervision, R.M. and A.L.; project administration, A.L.; funding acquisition, A.L. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

**Funding:** This research was funded by FEDER and FCT, as indicated in the acknowledgements. **Acknowledgments:** This research is sponsored by FEDER funds through the program COMPETE—Programa Operacional Factores de Competitividade—and by national funds through FCT—Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, under the project UIDB/00285/2020.

**Conflicts of Interest:** The authors declare no conflict of interest.
