Significant Enhancement of Strength and Ductility in a Tri-Phase FeMnCoCrAl High-Entropy Alloy Through the Design of a Heterogeneous Layered Structure

doi:10.1007/s40195-025-01904-3

Abstract

Abstract:

This study optimizes the thermomechanical processing to design a heterogeneous layered structure of a tri-phase FeMnCoCrAl high-entropy alloy (HEA), achieving a significant improvement in both strength and ductility compared to the fully recrystallized structure. After annealing at 1023 K for 10 min, the microstructure of the alloy consists of a soft domain of fully recrystallized face-centered cubic (FCC) phase, a hard domain of partially recrystallized FCC phase, and a hard domain of partially recrystallized body-centered cubic phase. The tensile strength and yield strength are 604 MPa and 781 MPa, respectively, with a total elongation of 31.1%. Compared to the fully recrystallized alloy, the tensile strength is enhanced by 25%, and the total elongation increases by 23%. The comprehensive improvement in strength and ductility is attributed to multiple strengthening and toughening mechanisms within the microstructure: grain refinement strengthening from recrystallized grains, dislocation strengthening from partial recrystallization, long-range back-stress effects from the soft-hard domain structure, and deformation mechanisms such as stacking fault nucleation and the transformation-induced plasticity (TRIP)-twinning-induced plasticity (TWIP) effect, which are unique to composite the HEA.

Key words: High-entropy alloy, Heterogeneous structure, Mechanical properties

Zeyu You, Zhengyou Tang, Li Zhao, Dongdong Cao, Zhibing Chu, Hailian Gui, Hua Ding. Significant Enhancement of Strength and Ductility in a Tri-Phase FeMnCoCrAl High-Entropy Alloy Through the Design of a Heterogeneous Layered Structure[J]. Acta Metallurgica Sinica (English Letters), 2025, 38(11): 1965-1973.

Figures/Tables 8

Fig. 1 SEM images of microstructure after different annealing processes: a 1023 K-3 min, b 1023 K-5 min, c 1023 K-10 min, d 1023 K-1 h, e 1373 K-10 min (AT: annealing twin), f enlarged image at the red box in c

Fig. 2 Tensile properties of heterogeneous layered structures and fully recrystallized structures: a engineering stress-strain curve, b work hardening rate curve

Table 1 Summary of mechanical properties of heterogeneous layered and fully recrystallized samples

	Yield strength (MPa)	Tensile strength (MPa)	Total elongation (%)
1023 K-3 min	726 ± 5	837 ± 6	25.8 ± 2
1023 K-5 min	700 ± 7	807 ± 5	25.7 ± 3
1023 K-10 min	604 ± 3	781 ± 7	31.1 ± 1
1023 K-1 h	644 ± 8	767 ± 5	19.4 ± 3
1373 K-10 min	425 ± 6	625 ± 8	25.3 ± 2

Fig. 3 X-ray diffraction patterns of annealed samples before and after tensile

Fig. 4 EBSD analysis of microstructure of 1023 K-10 min sample before and after tensile: a-d before tensile, a′-d′ the region near the fracture after tensile fracture, a inverse pole figure (IPF) map, b phase map, c grain orientation spread (GOS) + band contrast (BC) map, d kernel average misorientation (KAM) map

Fig. 5 EBSD analysis of microstructure of 1373 K-10 min sample before and after tensile: a, b before tensile, c-e the region near the fracture after tensile fracture. a, c IPF map, b, d phase map, e KAM map

Fig. 6 LUR true stress-strain curves and HDI stress variation trends of 1023 K-10 min and 1373 K-10 min samples: a LUR true stress-strain curve, b partial magnification of the 1023 K-10 min sample curve in a, c variation of HDI stress with true strain

Fig. 7 TEM images of the microstructures of 1023 K-10 min annealed samples during tensile: a, c ε = 15%, b, d ε = 31%, a stacking faults and deformation twinning in FCC phase, b generation of hcp phase in strain, c dislocation cells in BCC phase and accumulation of dislocations at the phase boundary in FCC phase, d dual slip systems in BCC phase

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