Characterization and formation mechanism of non-metallic inclusions in single bcc-phase high entropy alloy

This work aims to provide a fundamental study of inclusion characteristics in the single bcc-phase high entropy alloy (HEA), Mn-rich and Al-contained multicomponent system (Al-Cr-Mn-Fe-Co-Ni) was selected as the prototype alloy in this study. According to the differential thermal analysis (DTA) measurements, the solidus (TS) and liquidus (TL) temperatures of the alloy were in the range of 1225–1228 °C (1226 ± 2 °C) and 1268–1271 °C (1270 ± 2 °C), respectively. Non-metallic inclusions were investigated in a two-dimensional (2D) cross-section method as well as extracted by a three-dimensional (3D) electrolytic extraction method. It was found that AlN was the dominant inclusion phase, also a small amount of Al2O3 inclusions were observed. They formed in the liquid alloy and mostly presented as Al2O3-AlN agglomerates, where the size range of the AlN inclusions was larger than that of Al2O3. The theoretical calculation showed that AlN inclusion has a higher coagulation coefficient and collision rate than those of Al2O3 inclusions, which agrees well with the experimental observations. The inclusion characteristics of Al2O3 and AlN were closely related to the relative contents of O and N in the presence of high Al content in the alloy. The impurity elements of N and O were the key issues to control the inclusion phase in Al-contained entropic alloy.