Surface Integrity Analysis in Grinding of Dual-phase High Entropy Alloy

Abstract

High-entropy alloys (HEAs) are highly anticipated due to their excellent properties (e.g. high strength, high hardness, excellent wear resistance). However, compared with numerous studies on the design and properties of HEAs, the research on the machinability of HEAs is extremely rare, which limits the application of HEAs. In this work, grinding experiments of (FeCoNi)86Al7Ti7 dual-phase HEA workpieces were carried out, and the results are analysed from general machinability perspective (the effect of machining parameters on grinding force and surface roughness value) to a more in-depth perspective, including grinding induced changes in morphology and microstructure on ground surface and subsurface. With SEM and EBSD information of subsurface, the deformation mechanisms have been studied, including the role of the second phase (Ni2AlTi) in the grinding process, the material removal modes of the different phases and the morphology of the nanoprecipitates in the matrix, based on the completely opposite properties of different phases in HEA. It is noticed that the hard and brittle property of the second phase brings support to the material, reduces the plastic deformation, and also makes its own removal brittle, while the plastic matrix experiences shear deformation in grinding, which makes the nanoprecipitates in it assume different morphologies. These detailed findings could be of help to understand the effect of grinding on material properties so as to improve the machining quality of this material.