Effect of Thermo-mechanical Treatment on Microstructure and Properties of Medium-entropy Alloy Al8(CoCrNi)92 Prepared by Selective Laser Melting

doi:10.11901/1005.3093.2024.491

Chinese Journal of Materials Research

2025, Vol. 39

Issue (11): 870-880 DOI: 10.11901/1005.3093.2024.491

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Effect of Thermo-mechanical Treatment on Microstructure and Properties of Medium-entropy Alloy Al₈(CoCrNi)₉₂ Prepared by Selective Laser Melting

ZHANG Zhengtong, WU Yuanhui, QIU Yingkun, TU Jian(

)

College of Materials Science and Engineering, Chongqing University of Technology, Chongqing 400054, China

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ZHANG Zhengtong, WU Yuanhui, QIU Yingkun, TU Jian. Effect of Thermo-mechanical Treatment on Microstructure and Properties of Medium-entropy Alloy Al₈(CoCrNi)₉₂ Prepared by Selective Laser Melting. Chinese Journal of Materials Research, 2025, 39(11): 870-880.

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Abstract

Selective laser melting (SLM) offers a novel pathway for fabricating medium-entropy alloys (MEAs), yet the process inherently introduces defects such as porosity and microcracks, which are challenging to eliminate solely through subsequent heat treatment. Herein, the influence of various post-processing treatments on the microstructure and hardness of an Al₈(CoCrNi)₉₂ MEA was assessed. It was found that the as-printed alloy exhibits a typical columnar grain structure with cellular dislocation structure. While subsequent heat treatment alone induced a certain degree of recrystallization, its effect on mitigating macroscopic defects was minimal. In contrast, thermomechanical processing significantly refined the microstructure, nearly eliminated entirely the pores and microcracks, and induced the formation of a heterogeneous multiphase structure, consequently leading to a substantial enhancement in hardness. This research demonstrates that thermomechanical processing, as an effective post-processing route, can optimize the microstructure of SLM-fabricated MEAs, alleviate inherent defects related with the additive manufacturing technique, and markedly improve their mechanical properties.

Key words: metallic materials selective laser melting thermomechanical treatment heterogeneous microstructure

Received: 12 December 2024

ZTFLH:

TG139

Fund: Chongqing University of Technology Graduate Innovation Project(gzlcx20233008)

Corresponding Authors: TU Jian, Tel: (023)62563178, E-mail: tujian@cqut.edu.cn

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	ZHANG Zhengtong
	WU Yuanhui
	QIU Yingkun
	TU Jian

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https://www.cjmr.org/EN/10.11901/1005.3093.2024.491 OR https://www.cjmr.org/EN/Y2025/V39/I11/870

Fig.1 Schematic diagram of Al₈(CoCrNi)₉₂ SLM process (a) printing powders, (b) printing strategy, (c) post-processing

Fig.2 ECCI maps of as-printed sample (a) and as-deformed sample (b)

Fig.3 EBSD maps of as-printed sample (a) and as-deformed sample (b)

Fig.4 ECCI maps of the heat-treatment samples (a) S0, (b) S1000, (c) S1300

Fig.5 EBSD maps of heat-treatment samples (a) S0, (b) S1000, (c) S1300. (a1-c1) inverse pole figure (IPF), (a2-c2) grains boundary (GB) maps, (a3-c3) kernel average misorientation (KAM) maps, (a4-c4) grain orientation spread (GOS) maps

Fig.6 ECCI maps of thermo-mechanical treatment samples (a) RS0, (b) RS1000, (c) RS1300

Fig.7 EBSD maps of thermo-mechanical treatment samples (a) RS0, (b) RS1000, (c) RS1300. (a1-c1) IPF, (a2-c2) GB maps, (a3-c3) KAM maps, (a4-c4) GOS maps

Fig.8 EDS maps of thermo-mechanical treatment samples (a) RS0, (b) RS1000, (c) RS1300

Fig.9 XRD patterns of Al₈(CoCrNi)₉₂ samples with different post-treatment processes

Fig.10 Microhardness of Al₈(CoCrNi)₉₂ samples with different post-treatment processes

Fig.11 Nanoindentation results of Al₈(CoCrNi)₉₂samples with different post-treatment processes (a) nanoindentation morphology, (b, c) indentation load-displacement (F-h) curve at F_max of 5000 mN of heat treatment samples (b) and thermo-mechanical treatment samples (c), (d) bar chart of nanoindentation hardness and Er histogram

Fig.12 Schematic illustrations of microstructure evolution of Al₈(CoCrNi)₉₂samples after different post-processing

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