Boosted mechanical properties of CoCr3Fe5Ni high entropy alloy via in-situ TiC particles

High entropy alloys (HEAs) have recently aroused wide attention due to the outstanding mechanical properties. In this study, the in-situ TiC particles were introduced to CoCr3Fe5Ni HEA via vacuum induction smelting. Compared to the CoCr3Fe5Ni matrix, the addition of 10 vol% TiC significantly enhances the mechanical properties of composite, resulting in a hardness increase of 22.9 %, yield strength increase of 30.5 % and ultimate strength increase of 23.0 %, reaching values of 358.0 HV, 401.3 MPa and 795.4 MPa, respectively. Although the elongation of the composite is sacrificed, the value of 17 % is still acceptable. It is revealed that through the incorporation of in-situ TiC particles, multiple strengthening mechanisms including load-bearing effect, dislocation strengthening and solid-solution strengthening contribute to boosting its mechanical properties.