Microstructure and tensile property of a BCC-structured high entropy alloy fabricated by laser melting deposition

The microstructure and tensile property of a BCC-structured high entropy alloy fabricated by laser melting deposition was investigated in this paper. The microstructure of as-deposited specimens was equiaxed grain and consisted of BCC phase and Zr rich precipitate. Due to the in-situ aging effect, the precipitate content in the as-deposited specimen increased with the increase of the distance from the last build plane, which can be weakened by decreasing the input power. With a heat treatment at 950°C for 1h, the precipitate can be completely removed. The strength and ductility of the heat treated specimen were much higher than those of the as-deposited specimen, which may be owing to the increased solution strengthening effect through the dissolution of the precipitates.