Onderzoekscentrum voor de Aanwending van Staal (OCAS) N.V.
Two of the major challenges on the way to high-entropy alloys and compositionally complex alloys (HEAs/CCAs) applications are not only the insufficient availability and high cost of raw materials, but also the complex and restricted processability of these alloys. For this reason, HEAs/CCAs are normally synthesized only in very small quantities. Although additive manufacturing currently offers practical solutions for both challenges, still there remains the need for suitable feedstock in high quality and sufficient quantities. Therefore, the aim of our work was to develop a robust processing route for the up-scaling fabrication of a high-entropy superalloy (HESA) which can be later used for the feedstock production in additive manufacturing. HESAs are a type of CCAs tailored for high-temperature structural applications due to the strengthening of a disordered FCC matrix by a high amount of nano-sized L12 precipitates. First, applying a high-throughput design approach developed in a preliminary work, the composition of the HESA in the Al-Co-Cr-Fe-Ni-Ti material system was defined. Then, a production process based on vacuum induction melting (VIM) was developed for the casting of small quantities (up to 1 kg) of the defined alloy composition. On the basis of these experiments, the casting process was later adapted and up-scaled to larger quantities of approximately 50 kg (Figure 1). To evaluate the success of the developed casting procedure, the as-cast ingot was characterized microstructurally by means of X-ray diffraction, metallography, and scanning electron microscopy. Furthermore, the mechanical properties in the as-cast and different heat-treated conditions were explored in detail. Based on the results obtained, conclusions are drawn for a further upscaling of HESA raw material synthesis in an industrial environment.
Abstract
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