Effect of Stacking Fault Energy on the Dynamic Mechanical Properties and Deformation Mechanisms of CrMnFeCoNi High-Entropy Alloys

doi:10.11900/0412.1961.2024.00133

Acta Metall Sin

2025, Vol. 61

Issue (12): 1817-1828 DOI: 10.11900/0412.1961.2024.00133

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Effect of Stacking Fault Energy on the Dynamic Mechanical Properties and Deformation Mechanisms of CrMnFeCoNi High-Entropy Alloys

YIN Shipan¹, MENG Zeyu¹, HE Jingyao¹, LI Zezhou¹^,²^,³, ZHANG Fan¹^,²^,³(

), CHENG Xingwang¹^,²^,³(

)

1 School of Materials Science and Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China
2 National Key Laboratory of Science and Technology on Materials Under Shock and Impact, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China
3 Tangshan Research Institute, Beijing Institute of Technology, Tangshan 063000, China

Cite this article:

YIN Shipan, MENG Zeyu, HE Jingyao, LI Zezhou, ZHANG Fan, CHENG Xingwang. Effect of Stacking Fault Energy on the Dynamic Mechanical Properties and Deformation Mechanisms of CrMnFeCoNi High-Entropy Alloys. Acta Metall Sin, 2025, 61(12): 1817-1828.

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Abstract

CrMnFeCoNi high-entropy alloys (HEAs) have attracted considerable attention because of their excellent mechanical properties. Furthermore, these alloys exhibit high energy absorption characteristics under high-strain rate deformation for various deformation modes. The stacking fault energy (SFE) plays a crucial role in improving the deformation modes and mechanical properties. Only few studies have investigated the effect of SFE on the dynamic mechanical properties and deformation mode of CrMnFeCoNi series HEAs. In this work, the effect of SFE on the dynamic mechanical properties and deformation mechanism of CrMnFeCoNi HEAs were investigated through quasi-static and dynamic mechanical tests and microstructural analysis using CrMnFeCoNi (SFE of 35 mJ/m²) and Cr₂₆Mn₂₀Fe₂₀Co₂₀Ni₁₄ (SFE of 23 mJ/m²) HEAs. Results indicate that CrMnFeCoNi and Cr₂₆Mn₂₀Fe₂₀Co₂₀Ni₁₄ HEAs exhibit a strain-rate hardening effect under dynamic deformation. Furthermore, the flow stress, energy absorption ability, and work hardening index increase under static and dynamic conditions with the decrease in SFE. Under quasi-static compression, deformation occurs via dislocation gliding in CrMnFeCoNi, whereas deformation twinning is profound in Cr₂₆Mn₂₀Fe₂₀Co₂₀Ni₁₄ HEA with low SFE; therefore, deformation is dominated by dislocation slip and twinning. The contribution of deformation twinning to the deformation strain increases with the increase in strain rates. In particular, deformation occurs via dislocation gliding and twinning in CrMnFeCoNi HEA. Apart from dislocation slip and twinning, the interaction of twins and the transition from fcc to hcp structures provide additional deformation modes to accommodate the plastic deformation of Cr₂₆Mn₂₀Fe₂₀Co₂₀Ni₁₄ HEA and improve the mechanical properties and energy absorption of these alloys. This work demonstrates that the change in SFE will lead to different deformation modes for accommodating plastic strain, thereby improving the mechanical properties of HEAs.

Key words: high-entropy alloy stacking fault energy dynamic deformation mechanical property deformation mechanism

Received: 07 May 2024

ZTFLH:

TG113.25

Fund: National Natural Science Foundation of China(52271141);National Key Laboratory Foundation of Science and Technology on Materials Under Shock and Impact(DZC2022-1)

Corresponding Authors: ZHANG Fan, professor, Tel: 13581586228, E-mail: fanzhang@bit.edu.cn; CHENG Xingwang, professor, Tel: (010)68913951, E-mail: chengxw@bit.edu.cn

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	YIN Shipan
	MENG Zeyu
	HE Jingyao
	LI Zezhou
	ZHANG Fan
	CHENG Xingwang

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https://www.ams.org.cn/EN/10.11900/0412.1961.2024.00133 OR https://www.ams.org.cn/EN/Y2025/V61/I12/1817

Fig.1 EBSD images of the fully recrystallized grain structure of high-entropy alloys (HEAs)
(a) CrMnFeCoNi (b) Cr₂₆Mn₂₀Fe₂₀Co₂₀Ni₁₄

Fig.2 Mechanical response at room temperature of CrMnFeCoNi and Cr₂₆Mn₂₀Fe₂₀Co₂₀Ni₁₄ HEAs
(a) quasi-static compressive true stress-strain curves
(b) work hardening rate plotted as a function of true strain

Fig.3 Dynamic compressive true stress-strain curves of CrMnFeCoNi and Cr₂₆Mn₂₀Fe₂₀Co₂₀Ni₁₄ HEAs
(a) 2 × 10³ s^-1 (b) 5 × 10³ s^-1

Fig.4 $l n σ$ vs $l n ε$ curves of CrMnFeCoNi and Cr₂₆Mn₂₀-Fe₂₀Co₂₀Ni₁₄ HEAs at strain rates of 1 × 10^-3 s^-1 (a), 2 × 10³ s^-1 (b), and 5 × 10³ s^-1 (c) (σ—stress, ε—strain)

Fig.5 lnσ vs ln $ε ˙$ curves of CrMnFeCoNi and Cr₂₆Mn₂₀-Fe₂₀Co₂₀Ni₁₄ HEAs ( $ε ˙$ —strain rate)

Fig.6 Variations of energy absorption (area under the true stress-strain curve) characteristics of CrMnFeCoNi and Cr₂₆Mn₂₀Fe₂₀Co₂₀Ni₁₄ HEAs as a function of compressive strain

Fig.7 EBSD analyses of the deformed microstructure under quasi-static compression with a strain rate of 1 × 10^-3 s^-1 and true strain of 0.25 of CrMnFeCoNi (a, c) and Cr₂₆Mn₂₀Fe₂₀Co₂₀Ni₁₄ (b, d) HEAs (Insets in Figs.7a and b show the misorientation along the black lines; red lines in Figs.7a and b represent coherent twin bounclaries, the same in Figs.9a and b)
(a, b) image quality (IQ) maps (c, d) kernel average misorientation (KAM) maps

Fig.8 TEM (a, c) and high resolution TEM (HRTEM) (b1, b2, d) images of the deformed microstructure under quasi-static compression with a strain rate of 1 × 10^-3 s^-1 and true strain of 0.25 (SF—stacking fault)
(a, b1, b2) CrMnFeCoNi HEA (The upper and lower selected area electron diffraction (SAED) patterns in Fig.8a are [011] zone axis parallel and inclined to the optical axis, respectively. Subscripts M and T indicate diffraction spots from matrix and twin, respectively)
(c, d) Cr₂₆Mn₂₀Fe₂₀Co₂₀Ni₁₄ HEA (Inset in Fig.8c shows the corresponding SAED pattern)

Fig.9 EBSD analyses of the deformed microstructure under dynamic compression with a strain rate of 5 × 10³ s^-1 and true strain of 0.25 of CrMnFeCoNi (a, c) and Cr₂₆Mn₂₀Fe₂₀Co₂₀Ni₁₄ (b, d) HEAs
(a, b) IQ maps (c, d) KAM maps

Fig.10 TEM (a, c) and HRTEM (b, d1, d2) images of microstructure deformed under dynamic compression with a strain rate of 5 × 10³ s^-1 and true strain of 0.25 (Insets in Figs.10a and c show the corresponding SAED patterns)
(a, b) CrMnFeCoNi (c, d1, d2) Cr₂₆Mn₂₀Fe₂₀Co₂₀Ni₁₄

Fig.11 Effects of strain rate and SFE on deformation mode of CrMnFeCoNi series HEA

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