A study on microstructural, mechanical properties and optimization of wear behavior of friction stir processed AlCrCoFeNi High Entropy Alloy reinforced SS410 using response surface methodology

The equimolar High Entropy Alloy (HEA) is incorporated on the surface of SS410 steel to enhance the mechanical properties for the current industrial scenario. The objective of the present work is to make a first attempt at surface modification of SS410 steel with gas atomization synthesized AlCrCoFeNi HEA powder through Friction Stir Processing (FSP). The microhardness and ultimate tensile strength of the FSP-HEA sample are increased by 41.3 % and 39.1 % respectively due to the high degree of refined grains with 2.84 μm and evenly distributed HEA particles. The wear rate of FSP-HEA samples is optimized by response surface methodology with process parameters including applied load, sliding distance, and sliding velocity. The most influential factor and regression model are derived from experimental results that predict the wear rate by the analysis of variance technique. The worn surface of FSP-HEA samples is evaluated by morphological analysis with corresponding induced wear mechanisms. The minimum wear rate is achieved by optimum process parameters along with higher hardness through particle-stimulated nucleation mechanism, Hall-Petch relation, and dynamic recrystallization. The grain refinement, barrier effect, and grain growth hindrance of HEA particles lead to enhancement in the strength of processed HEA samples.