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Martensitic twinning transformation mechanism in a metastable IVB element-based body-centered cubic high-entropy alloy with high strength and high work hardening rate

Martensitic twinning transformation mechanism in a metastable IVB element-based body-centered cubic high-entropy alloy with high strength and high work hardening rate
Martensitic twinning transformation mechanism in a metastable IVB element-based body-centered cubic high-entropy alloy with high strength and high work hardening rate

Realizing high work hardening and thus elevated strength–ductility synergy are prerequisites for the practical usage of body-centered-cubic high entropy alloys (BCC-HEAs). In this study, we report a novel dynamic strengthening mechanism, martensitic twinning transformation mechanism in a metastable refractory element-based BCC-HEA (TiZrHf) 87Ta 13 (at.%) that can profoundly enhance the work hardening capability, leading to a large uniform ductility and high strength simultaneously. Different from conventional transformation induced plasticity (TRIP) and twinning induced plasticity (TWIP) strengthening mechanisms, the martensitic twinning transformation strengthening mechanism combines the best characteristics of both TRIP and TWIP strengthening mechanisms, which greatly alleviates the strength-ductility trade-off that ubiquitously observed in BCC structural alloys. Microstructure characterization, carried out using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and electron back-scatter diffraction (EBSD) shows that, upon straining, α” (orthorhombic) martensite transformation, self-accommodation (SA) α” twinning and mechanical α” twinning were activated sequentially. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analyses reveal that continuous twinning activation is inherited from nucleating mechanical {351} α” type I twins within SA ‘‘{351}’’<2¯11> α” type II twinned α” variants on {351} α” twinning plane by twinning transformation through simple shear, thereby accommodating the excessive plastic strain through the twinning shear while concurrently refining the grain structure. Consequently, consistent high work hardening rates of 2–12.5 GPa were achieved during the entire plastic deformation, leading to a high tensile strength of 1.3 GPa and uniform elongation of 24%. Alloy development guidelines for activating such martensitic twinning transformation strengthening mechanism were proposed, which could be important in developing new BCC-HEAs with optimal mechanical performance.

Martensitic transformation, Metastable high entropy alloy, Self-accommodating martensite, Twinning transformation, Work hardening rate
1005-0302
217-231
Huang, Yuhe
5f7cd073-a1d7-43f4-8950-41e6c3380e67
Gao, Junheng
ff08c8df-b051-4ab1-bc03-3b6d68ab9d2e
Vorontsov, Vassili
b8077066-cb1c-4c69-b355-6e13f1954022
Guan, Dikai
d20c4acc-342a-43fa-a204-7283f0cc33bf
Goodall, Russell
ac77b009-8e5e-404f-b083-53aaf5850500
Dye, David
d46698b7-9fec-4f18-a1ba-e4714410f873
Wang, Shuize
dd4da2e3-6469-4363-b212-e443bc1e8c07
Zhu, Qiang
502d5e78-d9ec-4c92-a676-9a39fdfa0e75
Rainforth, W. Mark
7226983c-4ca1-4f0a-8191-02e3424dc98f
Todd, Iain
57fe4525-3e4e-465d-9f40-d57f5c9e7b89
Huang, Yuhe
5f7cd073-a1d7-43f4-8950-41e6c3380e67
Gao, Junheng
ff08c8df-b051-4ab1-bc03-3b6d68ab9d2e
Vorontsov, Vassili
b8077066-cb1c-4c69-b355-6e13f1954022
Guan, Dikai
d20c4acc-342a-43fa-a204-7283f0cc33bf
Goodall, Russell
ac77b009-8e5e-404f-b083-53aaf5850500
Dye, David
d46698b7-9fec-4f18-a1ba-e4714410f873
Wang, Shuize
dd4da2e3-6469-4363-b212-e443bc1e8c07
Zhu, Qiang
502d5e78-d9ec-4c92-a676-9a39fdfa0e75
Rainforth, W. Mark
7226983c-4ca1-4f0a-8191-02e3424dc98f
Todd, Iain
57fe4525-3e4e-465d-9f40-d57f5c9e7b89

Huang, Yuhe, Gao, Junheng, Vorontsov, Vassili, Guan, Dikai, Goodall, Russell, Dye, David, Wang, Shuize, Zhu, Qiang, Rainforth, W. Mark and Todd, Iain (2022) Martensitic twinning transformation mechanism in a metastable IVB element-based body-centered cubic high-entropy alloy with high strength and high work hardening rate. Journal of Materials Science and Technology, 124, 217-231. (doi:10.1016/j.jmst.2022.03.005).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Realizing high work hardening and thus elevated strength–ductility synergy are prerequisites for the practical usage of body-centered-cubic high entropy alloys (BCC-HEAs). In this study, we report a novel dynamic strengthening mechanism, martensitic twinning transformation mechanism in a metastable refractory element-based BCC-HEA (TiZrHf) 87Ta 13 (at.%) that can profoundly enhance the work hardening capability, leading to a large uniform ductility and high strength simultaneously. Different from conventional transformation induced plasticity (TRIP) and twinning induced plasticity (TWIP) strengthening mechanisms, the martensitic twinning transformation strengthening mechanism combines the best characteristics of both TRIP and TWIP strengthening mechanisms, which greatly alleviates the strength-ductility trade-off that ubiquitously observed in BCC structural alloys. Microstructure characterization, carried out using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and electron back-scatter diffraction (EBSD) shows that, upon straining, α” (orthorhombic) martensite transformation, self-accommodation (SA) α” twinning and mechanical α” twinning were activated sequentially. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analyses reveal that continuous twinning activation is inherited from nucleating mechanical {351} α” type I twins within SA ‘‘{351}’’<2¯11> α” type II twinned α” variants on {351} α” twinning plane by twinning transformation through simple shear, thereby accommodating the excessive plastic strain through the twinning shear while concurrently refining the grain structure. Consequently, consistent high work hardening rates of 2–12.5 GPa were achieved during the entire plastic deformation, leading to a high tensile strength of 1.3 GPa and uniform elongation of 24%. Alloy development guidelines for activating such martensitic twinning transformation strengthening mechanism were proposed, which could be important in developing new BCC-HEAs with optimal mechanical performance.

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Accepted/In Press date: 1 March 2022
e-pub ahead of print date: 8 April 2022
Published date: 10 October 2022
Additional Information: Funding Information: The authors gratefully acknowledge funding through Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) (No. EP/P006566/1) under Manufacture using Advanced Powder Processes (MAPP) and the Henry Royce Institute for Advanced Materials, funded through EPSRC (Nos. EP/R00661X/1, EP/S019367/1, EP/P02470X/1 and EP/P025285/1). DG also would like to thank the UKRI for his Future Leaders Fellowship (No. MR/T019123/1). The authors would also like to thank Prof. P. Castany for his insightful and constructive comments on this paper. Publisher Copyright: © 2022
Keywords: Martensitic transformation, Metastable high entropy alloy, Self-accommodating martensite, Twinning transformation, Work hardening rate

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 474183
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/474183
ISSN: 1005-0302
PURE UUID: 886f97de-3014-4a50-9a1f-d8b304d7c1fb
ORCID for Dikai Guan: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-3953-2878

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Date deposited: 15 Feb 2023 17:30
Last modified: 17 Mar 2024 04:17

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Contributors

Author: Yuhe Huang
Author: Junheng Gao
Author: Vassili Vorontsov
Author: Dikai Guan ORCID iD
Author: Russell Goodall
Author: David Dye
Author: Shuize Wang
Author: Qiang Zhu
Author: W. Mark Rainforth
Author: Iain Todd

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