The serration behavior and mechanical properties of Al_0.1CoCrFeNi high-entropy alloy under coupled electron-heat field

Ever-harsher service environments in the future will call for systematic studies on service behaviors of high-entropy alloys (HEAs) under multi-field coupling. Instead of focusing solely on service behaviors under conventional conditions, the promoted serration behavior of Al_0.1CoCrFeNi HEA, commonly known as Portevin-Le Chatelier (PLC) effect, under coupled electron-heat field was quantitatively analyzed in terms of several characteristic parameters in this work. The obvious PLC phenomenon with severe serration can boost the decrease of tensile strength and elongation in the service environment of coupled electron-heat. Our results indicate that this macroscopic serrated behavior can be rationalized by defect-level microstructural interaction, namely the enhanced repetitive pinning and de-pinning effect of solute atoms on mobile dislocations, according to the mechanism of dynamic strain aging. This was proved by the increased kinking and bowing morphologies of dislocations, as well as abundant stacking faults under coupled electron-heat field.