MICROSTRUCTURE AND MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF EQUIATOMIC AND NON-EQUIATOMIC TiMoTaNbV HIGH ENTROPY ALLOYS PREPARED USING VACUUM ARC REMELTING

This study investigates the microstructures and the mechanical properties of equiatomic Ti₂₀Mo₂₀Ta₂₀Nb₂₀V₂₀ and non-equiatomic Ti₄₀Mo₁₅Ta₁₅Nb₁₅V₁₅ and Ti₆₀Mo₁₀Ta₁₀Nb₁₀V₁₀ HEAs using X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM), and micro-Vickers hardness test. The specimens were fabricated using the vacuum arc remelting (VAR) process and homogenized at a temperature of 1300℃ for 4 h in a vacuum atmosphere. The determined thermodynamic parameters, Ω ≥ 1.1, δ ≤ 6.6%, and VEC < 6.87, suggested that the HEAs consisted of BCC solid solutions. XRD patterns of all the HEAs displayed single BCC phases. The difference in the solidification rate led to the micro-segregation associated with the elements Ta and Mo enriched in the dendrite arms and the elements V and Ti in the inter-dendritic regions. The HEA specimens showed a decrease in hardness with higher concentration of Ti element because the intrinsic hardness of Ti is lower as compared to the intrinsic hardness of Nb and Mo.