Compression stress strengthening modelling of a ultrafine-grained equiatomic SPS CoCrFeNiNb high-entropy alloy

High-entropy alloys are known to show exceptionally high mechanical properties, both compression and tensile strength, and unique physical properties, such as their phase stability. These quite unusual properties are primarily due to the microstructure generated by mechanical alloying processes, such as conventional induction arc melting, powder metallurgy, or mechanical alloying. In the present study, an equiatomic CoCrFeNiNb high-entropy alloy was prepared by a sequence of conventional induction melting, powder metallurgy, and compaction via spark plasma sintering. The high-entropy alloys showed uniform sub-micrometer grain microstructure consisted by a mixture of an fcc solid solution strengthened by a hcp Laves phase and a third intergranular oxide phase. The as-cast high-entropy alloys showed an ultimate compression strength (UCS) of ∼1400 MPa, which after sintering and compaction at 1273 K increased up to ∼2400 MPa. Extensive transmission electron microscopy quantitative analyses were carried out to model the UCS. A quite good agreement between the microstructure-strengthening model and the experimental UCS was found.