Anti-penetration performance of high entropy alloy–ceramic gradient composites

A high-entropy alloy–ceramic gradient composite of TiC–TiB₂/75vol% Al_0.3CoCrFeNi was successfully prepared by combustion synthesis under an ultra-high gravity field, which is a low-cost method with high efficiency. The ceramic particles were gradient distributed in the Al_0.3CoCrFeNi matrix, and the hardness of the composite material gradually decreased along the thickness direction. The anti-penetration performance of the gradient composites was simulated using the ANSYS/LS-DYNA explicit simulation program. The results demonstrate that the distribution of the ceramic particles strongly affected the mechanical properties and the anti-penetration performance of the composites. With the same total ceramic volume fraction, the gradient composites exhibit better anti-penetration performance than the corresponding ceramic–metal interlayer composites. The more uneven the ceramic distribution, the greater the elastic modulus and yield stress of the surface layer and, thus, the better the anti-penetration performance.