Search

The laser remelting technique was applied to the surface modification of the Al0.65CoCrFeNi high-entropy alloy (HEA) to further advance its mechanical potential. The microstructure of the remelted layer was refined from coarse dendritic to submicron-scale basket weave compared with the as-cast substrate, resulting in a 1.8-time increase in Vickers microhardness. The nanoindentation tests indicated that the nanohardness of the remelted layer was higher than that of each phase in the substrate. Meanwhile, the remelted layer retained considerable plasticity, as evidenced by its high Wp/Wt ratio (0.763) and strain hardening exponent (0.302). Additionally, adhesive wear prevailed on the substrate, while only abrasive wear features were observed on the remelted layer. Accordingly, the average friction coefficient and the wear rate of the remelted layer were minimized by 23% and 80%, respectively, compared with the substrate. Our findings explored an industrialized method to enhance the surface properties of the Al0.65CoCrFeNi HEA and also provided some helpful references for its laser additive manufacturing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Surface modification strategy was successfully applied to improve the performance of the AlCoCrFeNi 2.1 EHEA. • The surface microhardness and wear resistance of the modified EHEA enhanced by 59% and 68%, respectively. • A semi-empirical model was built to estimate the contribution of lamellar spacing in microhardness for the EHEAs. [Display omitted] Eutectic high-entropy alloys (EHEAs) are a class of prospective structural material in advanced engineering applications due to their excellent mechanical properties and castability. However, few researchers focused on the surface modification of these EHEAs. This study aimed to propose an effective method combining laser remelting and heat treatment to modify the surface of classical AlCoCrFeNi 2.1 EHEA. After surface modification, the surface microhardness of the EHEA increased by 59%, and the average friction coefficient and wear rate decreased by 26% and 68%, respectively. The improved performance was mainly attributed to the decrease in lamellar spacing between face-centered cubic (FCC)/body-centered cubic (BCC) (B2) and coherent precipitation of nanoparticles in both FCC and B2 phases. A semi-empirical model was built to estimate the contribution of lamellar spacing to microhardness. The method and model might be applied to modify the surface properties of other EHEAs with lamellar structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]