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Effect of Cooling Rate on the Phase Formation of AlCoCrFeNi High-Entropy Alloy

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Abstract

High-entropy alloys have received significant attention because of remarkable structural properties exhibited by certain alloy compositions. However, these properties are strongly correlated to the crystallographic phase transformations that are endured during the synthesis of these alloys. Using molecular dynamics simulations, we examine how the cooling rates exerted on the alloy melt during synthesis impact the crystallization (and glass formation) of equiatomic AlCoCrFeNi high-entropy alloy. An increased cooling rate contributes to severe undercooling of the alloy, reducing the crystallization temperatures and promotes phase transformations. We predict a critical cooling rate of 2.5 × 1010 K/s beyond which the alloy tends to solidify into an amorphous phase. Our results reveal that higher cooling rates exert severe lattice distortion and significantly enhance the structural properties due to increase in dislocation density and deformation by twinning.

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Acknowledgments

The research was supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) through the awards # CMMI-1944040 and OAC-2019035. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors’ and do not necessarily reflect the views of the NSF.

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  1. Department of Mechanical Engineering and Mechanics, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA, 18015, USA

    Praveen Sreeramagiri, Ankit Roy & Ganesh Balasubramanian

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  1. Praveen Sreeramagiri
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Correspondence to Ganesh Balasubramanian.

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This article is part of a special topical focus in the Journal of Phase Equilibria and Diffusion on the Thermodynamics and Kinetics of High-Entropy Alloys. This issue was organized by Dr. Michael Gao, National Energy Technology Laboratory; Dr. Ursula Kattner, NIST; Prof. Raymundo Arroyave, Texas A&M University; and the late Dr. John Morral, The Ohio State University.

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Sreeramagiri, P., Roy, A. & Balasubramanian, G. Effect of Cooling Rate on the Phase Formation of AlCoCrFeNi High-Entropy Alloy. J. Phase Equilib. Diffus. 42, 772–780 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11669-021-00918-5

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