Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of TiC/WC-Reinforced AlCoCrFeNi High-Entropy Alloys Prepared by Laser Cladding

Abstract

By employing the technology of laser cladding, AlCoCrFeNi–TiC20−x/WCx high-entropy alloy coatings (where x = 0, 5, 10, 15, and 20 is the mass fraction) were fabricated on 316L stainless steel (316Lss). The effects of changes in different mass fractions on the morphology, phase composition, microstructure, microhardness, and corrosion resistance of the composite coatings were studied. This demonstrates that the addition of TiC and WC powder produces an FCC phase in the original BCC phase, the morphology and size of the coatings from top to bottom undergo some changes with x, and the grain size evolution follows a cooling rate law. The evolution of microhardness and corrosion resistance of the coatings exhibit a trend of increasing first and then decreasing with an increase in x. The coatings exhibited their best microhardness and corrosion resistance when x = 15, and their corrosion resistance and microhardness were much better than those of the substrate.