Temperature dependence of tensile behavior, deformation mechanisms and fracture in nitrogen-alloyed FeMnCrNiCo(N) Cantor alloys

Abstract

Among a family of the multi-principle-element alloys, a high-entropy Cantor alloy attracts much attention due to the striking temperature dependence of strength properties, strong grain boundary hardening and the excellent low-temperature ductility. Cantor alloy is a substitutional concentrated solid solution, thus, its strength properties and strain hardening could be additionally enhanced by interstitial hardening. Here we explore the effect of nitrogen alloying with atomic concentrations of 0.8%, 1.4% and 1.6% on a temperature dependence (temperature range from 77 to 473 K) of the microstructure, mechanical properties, and fracture micromechanisms of FeMnCrNiCo alloy with the focus on low-temperature deformation regime. Nitrogen-alloying promotes the expansion of a crystal lattice with a linear increase of a lattice parameter of the alloy with nitrogen content, ∆a/∆CN = 0.625 pm/at%. Nitrogen-bearing FeMnCrNiCo(N) alloys possess stronger temperature dependence of a yield strength relative to the Cantor alloy, and nitrogen forces both athermal and thermal components of the stress. The solid-solution strengthening of Cantor alloy is proportional to the nitrogen concentration Δτ ~ CN, and the value (ΔYS/ΔCN) for the coarse-grained FeMnCrNiCo(N) alloys is a temperature-dependent parameter (ΔYS/ΔCN = 97 MPa/at% at RT and ΔYS/ΔCN = 146 MPa/at% at 77 K). Dislocation slip is a dominating deformation mechanism of the nitrogen-alloyed alloys along the whole range of the deformation temperatures. A decrease in test temperature and nitrogen-alloying both force the tendency to the planar slip and facilitate strain hardening. Despite a weak effect of nitrogen on a stacking fault energy of the Cantor alloy and high deforming stresses in FeMnCrNiCo(N) alloys, nitrogen-containing alloys show low activity of the mechanical twinning. Opposite effects of the nitrogen-alloying on the elongation of the Cantor alloy were found for different deformation regimes: positive at T > 250 K (elongation increases with nitrogen-alloying) and negative at T < 250 K (it decreases in nitrogen-bearing alloys). For FeMnCrNiCo(N) alloys, the appearance of the ductile-to-brittle transition in low-temperature deformation regime is associated with the brittle intergranular fracture of the specimens alloyed with nitrogen CN ≥ 1.4 at%.