Influence of the Al Content on the Properties of Mechanically Alloyed CoCrFeNiMnXAl20−X High-Entropy Alloys

Abstract

The equiatomic CoCrFeNiMn alloy prepared by mechanical alloying and spark plasma sintering underwent partial substitution of Mn by Al (5, 10 and 15 at.%) to determine its influence on mechanical properties and thermal stability. It was discovered that the higher the Al content, the higher the volume fraction of the hard phase with primitive cubic (PC) crystallographic lattice, which increases the hardness and strength of the alloys. The most promising mechanical properties have been achieved in the CoCrFeNiMn5Al15 alloy reaching the compressive yield strength (CYS) of 2135 ± 21 MPa and the ultimate compressive strength (UCS) of 2496 ± 21 MPa. All the prepared alloys showed good thermal stability as they maintained or only slightly reduced their initial hardness during the 100 h annealing at 800 °C. Furthermore, the higher the Al content, the higher the resistance against high-temperature oxidation. The oxidic layer changed its composition from Mn-oxides (CoCrFeNiMn15Al15 alloy) to Al-based oxides with exceptional protective properties.