Improvement of the Cantor alloy’s mechanical properties by alloying with niobium and zirconium

Abstract

Created in 2004, the high-entropy (HEA) five-component Cantor alloy CoCrFeNiMn is still in the focus of attention of researchers in the field of physical materials science due to a good combination of strength and plastic properties, which open up prospects for its use in various high-tech industries. We performed a brief review of recent publications by domestic and foreign researchers on improving the mechanical properties of the Cantor alloy by alloying with niobium and zirconium, which proved themselves well in alloying traditional alloys. Zirconium alloying leads to a lower melting point due to the formation of eutectic with all elements of the Cantor alloy. Alloying with niobium atoms in the range of 0 – 16 at. % ensures the formation of a volume fraction of the Laves phases and σ–phase up to 42 %, which, in turn, is responsible for a fivefold increase in the yield strength from 202 to 1010 MPa. The work on the joint alloying of the Cantor alloy with Zr + Ti + Y2O3 , Nb + C, Nb + V systems was analyzed. With complex alloying, the mechanical properties are significantly improved. The paper reveals and discusses the physical mechanisms of hardening. Microalloying of 0.2 % Nb alloy with 1.3 % C provides an excellent combination of yield strength (~1096 MPa) and elongation (~12 %) after annealing at 700 °C.