Effect of Laser Shock Peening on Microstructure and Wear Resistance of AlxCoCrFeNi High Entropy Alloy Laser Cladding Layer

doi:10.11901/1005.3093.2026.120

Chinese Journal of Materials Research

2026, Vol. 40

Issue (9): 710-720 DOI: 10.11901/1005.3093.2026.120

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Effect of Laser Shock Peening on Microstructure and Wear Resistance of Al_xCoCrFeNi High Entropy Alloy Laser Cladding Layer

LIU Zhihui¹, ZHANG Shiyi¹(

), ZOU Aihua¹, ZHANG Kaiyao², ZENG Zhuo¹, ZHANG Shiyi¹, TU Jiajian¹, YAN Xu¹

^1.School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanchang Hangkong University, Nanchang 330063, China
^2.China Aerospace Transmission Machinery Co., Ltd., Changsha 410200, China

Cite this article:

LIU Zhihui, ZHANG Shiyi, ZOU Aihua, ZHANG Kaiyao, ZENG Zhuo, ZHANG Shiyi, TU Jiajian, YAN Xu. Effect of Laser Shock Peening on Microstructure and Wear Resistance of Al_xCoCrFeNi High Entropy Alloy Laser Cladding Layer. Chinese Journal of Materials Research, 2026, 40(9): 710-720.

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Abstract

To investigate the strengthening effect of laser shock processing on Al_xCoCrFeNi (x = 0, 0.3, and 0.7) cladding layers with different Al contents, Al_xCoCrFeNi (x = 0, 0.3, and 0.7) high-entropy alloy layers were prepared on the surface of a 304 stainless steel substrate by laser cladding and subsequently subjected to laser shock processing for strengthening. The phase composition, microstructure, element distribution, microhardness, and wear resistance of the cladding layer were characterized before and after laser shock processing. The results showed that the phase composition of the Al_xCoCrFeNi cladding layer remained unchanged after laser shock processing. A plastic deformation zone (impact-affected zone) was observed in the upper part of the cladding layer. With increasing Al content, the phase of the cladding layer transitioned from single-phase FCC (Al₀ and Al_0.3) to FCC+BCC (Al_0.7), and the cladding layer was composed of columnar crystals at the bottom and equiaxed crystals in the middle and upper parts. The hardness of the cladding layers (x = 0, 0.3, and 0.7) increased by 53.9%, 42.1%, and 25.8%, respectively. Both the wear rate and friction coefficient decreased accordingly. At x = 0.7, the optimal wear resistance was achieved, with the wear rate reaching a minimum of 4.29 × 10^-5 mm³/(N·m) and the friction coefficient reaching 0.542. The main wear mechanisms of the cladding layers at x = 0 and x = 0.3 were adhesive and abrasive wear. At x = 0.7, the wear mechanism remained dominated by abrasive wear, while the cracks and spalling on the worn surface decreased.

Key words: metallic materials laser shock peening high-entropy alloy laser cladding abrasive resistance wear mechanism

Received: 05 February 2026

ZTFLH:

TG178

Fund: Jiangxi Provincial Natural Science Foundation(20262BAC240202);Chongqing Industrial Online Inspection Equipment Engineering Technology Research Center Open Fund(AWJ-23R03)

Corresponding Authors: ZHANG Shiyi, Tel: 15564864041, E-mail: zsy4141@126.com

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	Articles by authors
	LIU Zhihui
	ZHANG Shiyi
	ZOU Aihua
	ZHANG Kaiyao
	ZENG Zhuo
	ZHANG Shiyi
	TU Jiajian
	YAN Xu

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https://www.cjmr.org/EN/10.11901/1005.3093.2026.120 OR https://www.cjmr.org/EN/Y2026/V40/I9/710

Table 1 Chemical composition of 304 stainless steel (mass fraction, %)

Table 2 Process parameters of laser cladding experiment

Fig.1 Laser shock processing path and surface characteristics of the Al_xCoCrFeNi high-entropy alloy cladding layer (a) schematic diagram of the LSP trajectory, (b) surface morphology of the cladding layer before and after laser shock peening

Table 3 Process parameters of laser shock enhancement

Fig.2 XRD results of Al_xCoCrFeNi high-entropy alloy cladding layers and comparison results after laser shock (a) XRD results of Al_xCoCrFeNi high-entropy alloy cladding layer (x = 0, 0.3, 0.7) before laser shock, (b-d) when the Al content x = 0, 0.3, 0.7, the comparison results after laser shock and the local magnification of the diffraction peak are shown

Fig.3 SEM images of the upper and middle sections of Al_xCoCrFeNi high-entropy alloy cladding layer before and after laser shock (a) x = 0 before shock, (a1) x = 0 after impact, (b) x = 0.3 before impact, (b1) x = 0.3 after impact, (c) x = 0.7 before impact, (c1) x = 0.7 after shock

Fig.4 Distribution of IPF and grain size of Al_0.3CoCrFeNi high entropy alloy cladding layer before and after laser shock processing (a) IPF before impact, (a1) grain size distribution before impact, (b) IPF after impact, (b1) grain size distribution after impact

Table 4 EDS point scanning results of the middle and upper parts of cross section of Al_xCoCrFeNi high entropy alloy cladding layer before and after laser shock processing (atomic fraction, %)

Fig.5 Scanning and element distribution of middle and upper surface of Al_0.7CoCrFeNi high entropy alloy cladding layer before and after laser shock processing (a) before impact, (b) after impact

Fig.6 Microhardness distribution of the Al_xCoCrFeNi high-entropy alloy cladding layer before and after laser shock peening (a) microhardness profile of the as-cladded HEA layer with x = 0, 0.3, and 0.7, (b-d) comparison of microhardness following LSP treatment at each aluminum content (x = 0, 0.3, 0.7)

Fig.7 Comparative analysis of the friction coefficient of the Al_xCoCrFeNi high-entropy alloy cladding layer before and after laser shock peening (LSP) (a) friction coefficient of the as-cladded HEA layer prior to LSP, (b-d) evolution of the friction coefficient with Al content (x = 0, 0.3, 0.7) before and after LSP treatment

Fig.8 Comparative analysis of the average friction coefficient (a) and wear rate (b) of the Al_xCoCrFeNi high-entropy alloy cladding layer before and after laser shock peening across varying aluminum contents (A) x = 0, (B) x = 0.3, (C) x = 0.7

Fig.9 SEM images of the wear surface of Al_xCoCrFeNi high entropy alloy cladding layer before and after laser shock (a) the wear surface of the cladding layer when x = 0 before shock, (a1) the wear surface of the cladding layer when x = 0 after impact, (b) the wear surface of the cladding layer when x = 0.3 before impact, (b1) the wear surface of the cladding layer when x = 0.3 after impact, (c) the wear surface of the cladding layer when x = 0.7 before impact, (c1) wear surface of cladding layer when x = 0.7 after impact

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