Deformation behavior and strengthening effects of an eutectic AlCoCrFeNi_2.1 high entropy alloy probed by in-situ synchrotron X-ray diffraction and post-mortem EBSD

In this work, high energy synchrotron X-ray diffraction was used during tensile testing of an as-cast eutectic AlCoCrFeNi_2.1 high entropy alloy. Aside, from determining for the first time the volume fractions of existing phases, we further detail their role on the alloy deformation behavior. The two major phases, a soft disordered FCC and a hard ordered B2 BCC, were observed to exhibit a stress partitioning effect which can be used to modulate the mechanical response of the material based on the relative volume fraction of each phase. Dislocation density analysis revealed that the soft FCC phase had a significantly higher dislocation density right after the onset of plastic deformation. This is attributed to the existence of strain gradients across the lamellar structure, where the hard B2 BCC prevents free deformation of the FCC phase. Nonetheless, despite the increase of the dislocation density in the soft FCC phase, calculations of the strengthening effects induced by generation of dislocations are more significant in the hard B2 BCC phases, as this phase is primarily responsible for the strength increase in the alloy. Besides, the evolutions in dislocation density of the soft FCC and hard B2 BCC phases during tensile deformation obtained from synchrotron X-ray diffraction data are consistent with the evolution of KAM determined by EBSD characterization. Also, lattice strain analysis across two principal directions (parallel and perpendicular to the loading axis) reveals that for these specific orientations there is a preferential deformation of the hard FCC planes which can be related to the deformation response of specific lattice planes at distinct orientations, as well as to the phase partitioning stress behavior.