Structure and Physical Properties of Cast and Splat-Quenched CoCr0.8Cu0.64FeNi High Entropy Alloy

Abstract

The article investigates the structure and physical properties of the multicomponent high-entropy alloy CoCr_0.8Cu_0.64FeNi  in the cast and quenched state. The composition of the alloy under study is analyzed using the criteria available in the literature for predicting the phase composition of high-entropy alloys. These parameters are based on calculations of the entropy and enthalpy of mixing and also include the concentration of valence electrons, the thermodynamic parameter Ω, which takes into account the melting point, entropy of mixing, and enthalpy of mixing. Another important parameter is the difference in atomic radii between the alloy components δ. Cast samples of the CoCr_0.8Cu_0.64FeNi alloy of nominal composition were prepared on a Tamman high-temperature electric furnace in an argon flow using a copper mold. The weight loss during the manufacture of ingots did not exceed 1%, and the average cooling rate was ~ 10²K/s. Thereafter, the cast ingot was remelted, and films were obtained from the melt. The splat quenching technique used in this work consisted of the rapid cooling of melt droplets when they collide with the inner surface of a rapidly rotating (~ 8000 rpm) hollow copper cylinder. The cooling rate, estimated from the film thickness, was ~ 10⁶ K / s. X-ray structural analysis was performed on a DRON-2.0 diffractometer with monochromatic Cu K_α radiation. Diffraction patterns were processed using the QualX2 program. The magnetic properties of the samples were measured using a vibrating sample magnetometer at room temperature. The microhardness was measured on a PMT-3 device at a load of 50 g. In accordance with theoretical predictions confirmed by the results of X-ray diffraction studies, the structure of the alloy, both in the cast and in the quenched state, is a simple solid solution of the FCC type. The lattice parameters in the cast and liquid-quenched states are 0.3593 nm and 0.3589 nm, respectively. Measurements of the magnetic properties showed that the CoCr_0.8Cu_0.64FeNi  alloy can be classified as soft magnetic materials. In this case, quenching from a liquid state increases the coercivity. On quenched samples, increased microhardness values were also obtained. This can be explained by internal stresses arising during hardening.