Effect of harmonic structure on the wear behavior of high entropy Cantor alloy

Abstract

This study discusses the wear behavior of high entropy Cantor alloy when its microstructure is modified to a harmonic structure. Mechanical milling of the initial powder, followed by spark plasma sintering, is performed to obtain the harmonic structure. The developed harmonic structure shows a continuous fine-grained shell region with an average grain size of 2.8 ± 1.2 μm, covering ∼11% of the total surface area. The discreet core regions consist of larger grains with an average grain size of 22 ± 12 μm. Using the ball on disc method, the dry sliding wear of this material is performed with SiC ball as the counter body at 10 N, 15 N, and 20 N loads, and compared with the uniform grain-sized Cantor alloy, as-received 304 L stainless steel and maraging steel. Scanning electron micrographs of the wear tracks confirm the occurrence of adhesive, abrasive, and oxidative wear. Both the Cantor alloys show better wear resistance than 304 L stainless steel and maraging steel at 10 N and 15 N loads. However, the harmonic structured Cantor alloy shows the minimum wear resistance at 20 N load. The cross-sectional study reveals that the preferential wear of the grains in the core regions, followed by the chipping off the shell region, is responsible for the deterioration of the wear resistance of this material at 20 N load.