On the development of a novel multi-phase high entropy alloy with transformation-induced plasticity effect

In the present work, microstructural evolution, and mechanical behavior of a novel high entropy alloy (HEA) are investigated through thermo-mechanical processing. The homogenized samples possess a single-phase cubic structure with high ductility. The rolled and subsequently annealed samples at various treatment conditions exhibit multi-phase microstructures. This study confirms that the sigma phase contribution becomes more significant on the mechanical response at higher annealing temperatures. Effects of phase distribution and degree of recrystallization on the microstructural evolution are examined in detail to probe the variation in the mechanical response. Samples subjected to annealing exhibit transformation-induced plasticity (TRIP) under plastic deformation. As such, the designed TRIP-assisted multi-phase HEA enables a combination of 1 GPa yield strength and about 10% of strain at failure. (C) 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.