Abstract
Most high-entropy alloys and medium-entropy alloys (MEAs) possess outstanding mechanical properties. In this study, a series of lightweight nonequiatomic Al50–Ti–Cr–Mn–V MEAs with a dual phase were produced through arc melting and drop casting. These cast alloys were composed of body-centered cubic and face-centered cubic phases. The density of all investigated MEAs was less than 5 g/cm3 in order to meet energy and transportation industry requirements. The effect of each element on the microstructure evolution and mechanical properties of these MEAs was investigated. All the MEAs demonstrated outstanding compressive strength, with no fractures observed after a compressive strain of 20%. Following the fine-tuning of the alloy composition, the Al50Ti20Cr10Mn15V5 MEA exhibited the most compressive strength (~1800 MPa) and ductility (~34%). A significant improvement in the mechanical compressive properties was achieved (strength of ~2000 MPa, strain of ~40%) after annealing (at 1000 °C for 0.5 h) and oil-quenching. With its extremely high specific compressive strength (452 MPa·g/cm3) and ductility, the lightweight Al50Ti20Cr10Mn15V5 MEA demonstrates good potential for energy or transportation applications in the future.
Highlights
Since the Iron Age, metallic materials have played a major role in the development of human civilization [1]
Scanning electron microscopy (SEM; F50 Inspect, FEI, Hillsboro, OR, USA) with energy dispersive spectroscopy was employed to characterize the microstructure of the medium-entropy alloys (MEAs)
Optimization of the Mechanical Properties of the Al50–Ti–Cr–Mn–V MEAs Based on the mechanical compression results and phase morphology analysis from the X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns and SEM images, the effects of adding the elements Ti, Cr, Mn, and V to the Al50(CrMnV)50-xTix, Al50(TiMnV)50-xCrx, Al50(TiCrV)50-xMnx, and Al50(TiCrMn)50-xVx (x = 0, 5, 10, 15) quinary MEAs were investigated
Summary
Since the Iron Age, metallic materials have played a major role in the development of human civilization [1]. HEAs are composed of multiprinciple elements which possess unique properties such as high entropy, lattice distortion, sluggish diffusion, and cocktail effects [3,4]. Due to these characteristics, HEAs have better mechanical properties than traditional alloys. A nonequiatiomic alloy design has been proposed [7] that retains the characteristics of the existing HEAs and increases the flexibility of the HEA design [8] In this regard, design is no longer limited to high entropy but has developed toward medium entropy. The characteristics of the elements obtained through the experiments were further adjusted to an optimal ratio of Ti, Cr, Mn, and V in the MEAs to achieve advantageous mechanical properties
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