Multi principal element alloy particle reinforced metal matrix composites: Synthesis, microstructure, and mechanical aspects

The industrial usage of multi principal element alloys (MPEAs) is rare due to manufacturing constraints. This gap was bridged by manufacturing single-step MPEA particles reinforced composite via friction stir processing (FSP) of NiTi and Fe powders with Cu base metal, using WC tool at rotational and traverse speeds of 560 rpm and 16 mm/min, respectively. Ultra-refined Cu matrix, having average grain size of -2.7 lm, containing uniformly decorated MPEAs was obtained. Microhardness of composite was 175HV, marking enhancement of 59% from base metal. The application of FSP for formation of MPEA par-ticles having configurational entropy of medium entropy alloys (1R < DSmix < 1:5R) is novel.CO 2023 Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME). Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.