Effects of milling time, sintering temperature, Al content on the chemical nature, microhardness and microstructure of mechanochemically synthesized FeCoNiCrMn high entropy alloy

Highlights: • HEA shorter synthesis time has been obtained by using a high energy planetary ball milling. • Optimum HEA synthesis time has been fixed by the use of the statistical coefficients of skewness and kurtosis. • The elements (Cr), (Fe,Co,Ni) and (Mn) segregation was related to their melting temperature. • The presence of Al favored the segregation of the Cr during the sintering. • HEA enriched with Al showed a microhardness of the order of known engineering materials. FeCoNiCrMn(Al)-based powdered high entropy alloys were synthesized by a short time mechanical alloying process in a high energy planetary ball milling from mixtures of elemental powders, and subsequently sintered by a pressureless procedure. The composition and microstructure of the HEA phases before and after the sintering process were studied by X-ray diffraction, energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX) and scanning electron microscopy. The microhardness and tensile strength values for Fe_1,8Co_1,8Ni_1,8Cr_1,8Mn_1,8Al_1,0 HEA sintered at 1400 °C sample were 3,7 GPa and 1011 MPa, respectively. Statistical Fisher-Pearson coefficient of skewness and kurtosis were played to determine the optimum synthesis milling time. The use of NaCl as additive led on to a reduction of the as-milled grain size. After sintering, SEM study confirmed a segregation of the initial HEA phase directly related to the melting temperature of the elements. Three melting temperature groups were described (Cr, FeCoNi and Mn) and they agree with the observation in the elemental mapping study. The presence of Al favored the segregation of Cr.