Effective Design of Cr-Co-Ni-Ta Eutectic Medium Entropy Alloys with High Compressive Properties Using Combined CALPHAD and Experimental Approaches

Alloy design of Cr-Co-Ni-Ta eutectic medium entropy alloys (EMEAs) was performed through a CALPHAD method coupled with experimental study, with the aim to attain high phase stability as well as excellent mechanical properties. Based on calculated pseudo-binary diagram, CrCoNiTax (x = 0.1, 0.3, 0.4, 0.5, 0.7) medium entropy alloys were investigated. Two phases, FCC solid solution and Laves phase, were identified in the alloys. With increasing Ta content, the volume fraction of hard and brittle Laves phase increased, microstructure changed from hypoeutectic (Ta0.1, Ta0.3) to eutectic (Ta0.4) and then to hypereutectic (Ta0.5, Ta0.7). The stability of phases was assessed by considering the thermodynamic parameter Ω and valence electron concentration (VEC). The eutectic phases become stable when 1.42 < Ω < 0.74 and 7.5 < VEC < 8.25. In addition, based on nanoindentation, the results indicated that solid solution strengthening in γ phase was significantly enhanced, eutectic phase in CrCoNiTa0.4 EMEA was found to process the highest microhardness and elastic modulus. Finally, the hardness of alloys was positively correlated with the content of Ta and the plastic strain of alloys obviously decreased, while the compression strength firstly increased and then decreased. CrCoNiTa0.4 was the most promising alloy with the highest compression strength (2502 MPa) and high plastic strain (20.6%).