Study of Surface Properties in Laser Surface Alloying of AlxCu0.5FeNiTi High-Entropy Alloy

Due to better alloying characteristics, high-entropy alloys may result in superior surface properties. The present paper investigates the microhardness and erosion behavior of laser surface alloyed AlxCu0.5FeNiTi high-entropy alloy on aluminum alloy (AA1050) substrate. The effects of laser power, scan speed, and powder feed rate on microhardness and erosion rates are studied comprehensively. X-ray diffraction confirms the presence of a three-phase system and a shift in the peak at high power density, which indicates more significant lattice distortion. Scanning electron microscopy images show good dispersion of the three-phase system at optimum parameters. Energy dispersive spectroscopy confirms the presence of elements with negligible precipitation. Further, experimental data are used to develop empirical models. The optimizations of these models show an appropriate selection of parameter levels that may result in an erosion-resistant alloy. At optimum parameters, microhardness and erosion rate improve by 11.56 and 22.44%, respectively.