Effect of hot rolling and annealing on microstructure, crystallographic texture, and mechanical properties of Fe11.5 Co20.6 Ni40.7 Cr12.2 Al7.8 Ti7.2 high entropy alloy

The evolution of microstructure and texture during the thermomechanical processing of a Fe-Co-Ni-Cr-Al-Ti dual phase high entropy alloy consists of L12 (γ′) ordered precipitates in the disordered FCC (γ) matrix and its effect on the mechanical properties was investigated. The as-cast alloy was annealed at 1100˚C after 25% and 50% hot rolling reduction. The grain size becomes finer, and a considerable amount of annealing twin boundaries (Ʃ3 boundaries) developed in the hot rolling and annealed (HRA) samples. The α-fiber (ND||<110>) texture and twin-related texture components increase after HRA treatment. The mechanical response at room temperature is evaluated employing hardness and uniaxial tensile tests. A significant reduction in hardness, from 448 ± 6 HV to 381 ± 12 HV, is observed in the 50% hot rolled annealed sample compared to the as-cast sample. Additionally, the yield strength reduced from 779 to 595 MPa with an increment in the ductility from 12.5 to 17.2% in the as-cast and HR50A samples, respectively. Finally, it has been demonstrated that the increase in coherent twin boundaries and reduction in grain size, excluding twin boundaries, led to the observed mechanical behavior.