Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of a Refractory CoCrMoNbTi High-Entropy Alloy

In this work, a new refractory high-entropy alloy, the Co-Cr-Mo-Nb-Ti system, was proposed as a family of candidate materials for high-temperature structural applications. CoCrMoNbTix (x values in terms of molar ratios, x = 0, 0.2, 0.4, 0.5 and 1.0) alloys were prepared by vacuum arc melting. The effects of variations in the Ti content on the phase constituents, microstructure and mechanical properties of the alloys were investigated using x-ray diffractometry, scanning electron microscopy equipped with energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy and compressive testing. The results showed that the CoCrMoNbTi0.4 alloy possessed a typical cast dendritic microstructure consisting of a single body-centered cubic (BCC) solid solution. Laves phases (Cr2Nb and Co2Ti) were formed in other alloys with different Ti contents. The results were discussed in terms of the mixing enthalpy, atomic size difference, electronegativity difference and valance electron concentrations among the elements within alloys. The alloy hardness exhibited a slightly decreasing trend as the Ti content increased, resulting from the coarser microstructure and reduced amount of Laves phases. Augmented Ti content increased the compressive strength, but decreased the ductility. Particularly, for the CoCrMoNbTi0.2 alloy, the hardness, compressive strength and fracture strain were as high as 916.46 HV0.5, 1906 MPa and 5.07%, respectively. The solid solution strengthening of the BCC matrix and the formation of hard Laves phases were two main factors contributing to alloy strengthening.