Rapid in situ alloying of CoCrFeMnNi high-entropy alloy from elemental feedstock toward high-throughput synthesis via laser powder bed fusion

Abstract

High-entropy alloys (HEAs) are considered alternatives to traditional structural materials because of their superior mechanical, physical, and chemical properties. However, alloy composition combinations are too numerous to explore. Finding a rapid synthesis method to accelerate the development of HEA bulks is imperative. Existing in situ synthesis methods based on additive manufacturing are insufficient for efficiently controlling the uniformity and accuracy of components. In this work, laser powder bed fusion (L-PBF) is adopted for the in situ synthesis of equiatomic CoCrFeMnNi HEA from elemental powder mixtures. High composition accuracy is achieved in parallel with ensuring internal density. The L-PBF-based process parameters are optimized; and two different methods, namely, a multi-melting process and homogenization heat treatment, are adopted to address the problem of incompletely melted Cr particles in the single-melted samples. X-ray diffraction indicates that HEA microstructure can be obtained from elemental powders via L-PBF. In the triple-melted samples, a strong crystallographic texture can be observed through electron backscatter diffraction, with a maximum polar density of 9.92 and a high ultimate tensile strength (UTS) of (735.3 ± 14.1) MPa. The homogenization heat-treated samples appear more like coarse equiaxed grains, with a UTS of (650.8 ± 16.1) MPa and an elongation of (40.2% ± 1.3%). Cellular substructures are also observed in the triple-melted samples, but not in the homogenization heat-treated samples. The differences in mechanical properties primarily originate from the changes in strengthening mechanism. The even and flat fractographic morphologies of the homogenization heat-treated samples represent a more uniform internal microstructure that is different from the complex morphologies of the triple-melted samples. Relative to the multi-melted samples, the homogenization heat-treated samples exhibit better processability, with a smaller composition deviation, i.e., ≤ 0.32 at.%. The two methods presented in this study are expected to have considerable potential for developing HEAs with high composition accuracy and composition flexibility.

Graphical abstract

Keywords

laser powder bed fusion (L-PBF) / in situ alloying / high-entropy alloys / heat treatment / rapid synthesis

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Nomenclature

Abbreviations
AM	Additive manufacturing
EBSD	Electron backscatter diffraction
EDS	Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy
FCC	Face-centered cubic
HEA	High-entropy alloy
ICP	Inductively coupled plasma
IPF	Inverse pole figure
L-PBF	Laser powder bed fusion
LMD	Laser metal deposition
PF	Pole figure
SEM	Scanning electron microscopy
TEM	Transmission electron microscopy
UTS	Ultimate tensile strength
VED	Volumetric energy density
XRD	X-ray diffraction
YS	Yield strength
Variables
a	A constant
b	Burgers vector
d	Average grain size
G	Shear modulus
h	Hatch spacing
k	Strengthening coefficient
M	Taylor factor
P	Laser power
t	Layer thickness
v	Scanning speed
ρ	Dislocation density
σ0	Friction stress
σdis	Strengthened dislocation
σGB	Grain boundary strengthening
σy	Yield strength
εf	Elongation to failure

Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Innovation Institute of Additive Manufacturing, China. The authors thanked Chao Li of the Instrument Analysis Center of Xi’an Jiaotong University for conducting field-emission transmission electron microscopy analysis.

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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