Study on the deformation mechanism of the Al_0.1CrFeCoNi high entropy alloy at different deformation degrees under electric pulse treatment

In this study, electrical pulses were used as a treatment to investigate the role played by dislocations in the deformation mechanism of the Al_0.1CrFeCoNi high-entropy alloy (HEA) at different stages of deformation. The results demonstrated that the HEA was completely deformed through dislocation slip during compression, and no twins were evident. Under the action of Electric pulse treatment (EPT), the specimen expanded thermally owing to Joule heating. Additionally, the pulse current accelerated the movement of the dislocations and led to dislocation annihilation, softening the material without changing the grain shape. However, further application of EPT with the same parameters failed to produce significant changes in the dislocation density, a phenomenon that has rarely been reported before. Our results provide strong theoretical and technical support for the rapid annealing of metallic materials during processing and the use of HEA in electrical structural components, such as wear-resistant coatings or parts resistant to galvanic corrosion.