Tribological behavior and wear mechanism of in-situ precipitation strengthened high-entropy alloys with heterogeneous design

Abstract

Designing heterogeneous structures within high-entropy alloys (HEAs) is a promising strategy to overcome the wear resistance and mechanical performance. In this study, we explore the tribological behavior and wear mechanisms of in-situ precipitation-strengthened HEAs with a tailored heterogeneous design. The reduced wear rates and enhanced durability result from precipitation strengthening and unique microstructural features, such as precipitate distribution and grain boundaries. The wear mechanism combines adhesive and abrasive wear, mitigated by these microstructural heterogeneities. These findings highlight the importance of heterogeneous design in optimizing the wear resistance of HEAs, opening new avenues for the development of advanced, high-performance materials with exceptional tribological properties. This work emphasizes the potential of leveraging powder metallurgy to efficiently and precisely control and optimize the multi-scale microstructure of HEAs, enhancing their tribological performance for demanding applications.