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Effect of Annealing Treatment on the Microstructure and Hardness of AlxCoCrFeNi (x = 0.75, 1.25) High Entropy Alloys

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Abstract

Two AlxCoCrFeNi (x = 0.75, 1.25) high entropy alloys (HEAs) were prepared and annealed with different temperatures (800, 1000 and 1200 °C) and holding times (2 h, 4 h and 8 h) using furnace cooling. Effects of annealing treatment details on the microstructure and hardness of the HEAs were investigated. It was found that the σ-phase did not form in the Al0.75CoCrFeNi alloy for whatever annealing temperatures or holding times. The σ-phase was produced at 610 °C and dissolved at 930 °C in the Al1.25CoCrFeNi alloy. After dissolution, the σ-phase could reappear when this alloy furnace cooled from higher annealed temperature (1200 °C for 4 h) or longer duration time (1000 °C for 8 h). The reason is that the redistribution of Cr element in the post-holding stage or furnace cooling stage was sufficient to precipitate σ-phase. The formation and dissolution of σ-phase and their influences on the hardness in the HEAs were analyzed and discussed thoroughly.

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Acknowledgments

This work is financially sponsored by Shanghai Sailing Program (19YF1446600 and 20YF1415800). We also thank Mr. Pan from Shiyanjia Lab (www.shiyanjia.com) for the SEM analysis.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shanghai Institute of Technology, 100 Haiquan Road, Shanghai, 201418, People’s Republic of China

    Min Liu, Shidong Zhang, Lianbo Wang, Zemin Wang & Zhanyong Wang

  2. School of Materials Engineering, Shanghai University of Engineering Science, 333 Longteng Road, Shanghai, 201602, People’s Republic of China

    Fangjie Li & Yeyu Sha

  3. School of Mechanical and Automotive Engineering, Shanghai University of Engineering Science, 333 Longteng Road, Shanghai, 201602, People’s Republic of China

    Qin Shen

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  1. Min Liu
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Liu, M., Zhang, S., Li, F. et al. Effect of Annealing Treatment on the Microstructure and Hardness of AlxCoCrFeNi (x = 0.75, 1.25) High Entropy Alloys . J. of Materi Eng and Perform 31, 1444–1455 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11665-021-06240-y

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