Structural State of High-Entropy Fe 40–x NiCoCrAl x Alloys in High-Temperature Oxidation

The evolution of phase composition and mechanical properties and the formation of oxide layers on Fe40–xNiCoCrAlx (x = 5 and 10 at.%) alloys in long-term oxidation at 900 and 1000°C were studied. In the initial cast state, depending on the aluminum content and valence electron concentration, the alloys contain only an fcc solid solution (VEC = 8 e/a) or a mixture of fcc and bcc phases (VEC = = 7.75 e/a). Thin continuous oxide scales containing Cr2O3 and NiCr2O4 spinel formed on the surface of both alloys oxidized at 900°C for 50 h. A further increase in the annealing time to 100 h leads to the formation of aluminum oxide Al2O3 in the scale on the Fe30Ni25Co15Cr20Al10 alloy, having high protective properties. An increase in the oxidation temperature to 1000°C results in partial failure of the protective layer on the alloy with 10 at.% Al. Long-term holding at 900°C (100 h) + 1000°C (50 h) does not change the phase composition of the Fe35Ni25Co15Cr20Al5 alloy matrix, being indicative of its high thermal stability. In the two-phase Fe30Ni25Co15Cr20Al10 alloy, the quantitative ratio of solid solutions sharply changes: the amount of the bcc phase increases from 4 to 54 wt.% and its B2-type ordering is observed. The mechanical characteristics of the starting alloys and those after long-term high-temperature annealing were determined by automated indentation. The hardness (HIT) and elastic modulus (E) of the cast Fe35Ni25Co15Cr20Al5 alloy are equal to 2 and 147 GPa, respectively, and decrease to 1.8 and 106 GPa after a series of long-term annealing operations. The Fe30Ni25Co15Cr20Al10 alloy shows the opposite dependence: HIT increases from 2.5 in the initial state to 3.1 GPa after annealing and E decreases from 152 to 134 GPa. This indicates that the Fe30Ni25Co15Cr20Al10 alloy is promising as a high-temperature oxidation-resistant and creep-resistant material.