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A Study of the Structure and Mechanical Properties of Nb-Mo-Co-X (X = Hf, Zr, Ti) Refractory High-Entropy Alloys

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Abstract

Refractory high-entropy alloys (HEAs) are a new class of metallic materials based on group 4–6 elements of the periodic table with possible additions of Al, Si, Re, C, or B. Some single-phase refractory HEAs can maintain high strength up to 1600°C, while multiphase compositions have more attractive specific properties at temperatures up to 1200°C. Here we examine the structure and mechanical properties of refractory HEAs Nb30Mo30Co20Hf20, Nb30Mo30Co20Zr20, and Nb30Mo30Co20Ti20 (at %). The alloys consisted of an intermetallic B2 matrix and particles of a disordered bcc phase, as well as a minor volume fraction of additional bcc (Nb30Mo30Co20Hf20 and Nb30Mo30Co20Zr20) or fcc (Nb30Mo30Co20Ti20) phases. When tested for uniaxial compression, Nb30Mo30Co20Ti20 alloy showed a higher yield strength in the temperature range of 22–1000°C than Nb30Mo30Co20Hf20 and Nb30Mo30Co20Zr20 alloys. Nb30Mo30Co20Zr20 alloy did not fail at temperatures of 22–800°C to a given 50% strain, while Nb30Mo30Co20Ti20 alloy turned out to be brittle. All alloys demonstrated high strain hardening in the temperature range of 22–800°C, and they can compete in terms of specific strength with commercial nickel and cobalt superalloys.

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Funding

The work was financially supported by Russian Science Foundation project No. 21-79-10043 (https://rscf.ru/project/21-79-10043/). The work was carried out using the equipment of the Technologies and Materials CUC of the Belgorod State University funded by the Ministry of Higher Education and Science of the Russian Federation under agreement No. 075-15-2021-690 (project identifier RF 2296.61321X0030).

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  1. Belgorod State University, 308015, Belgorod, Russia

    E. S. Panina, N. Yu. Yurchenko, A. A. Tozhibaev, M. V. Mishunin, S. V. Zherebtsov & N. D. Stepanov

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Panina, E.S., Yurchenko, N.Y., Tozhibaev, A.A. et al. A Study of the Structure and Mechanical Properties of Nb-Mo-Co-X (X = Hf, Zr, Ti) Refractory High-Entropy Alloys. Phys Mesomech 26, 666–677 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1134/S1029959923060061

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