Martensite Transformation and Superelasticity at High Temperature of (TiHfZr)74(NbTa)26 High-Entropy Shape Memory Alloy

Abstract

In this work, a (TiHfZr)(NbTa) 26 (%at) high-entropy quinary alloy has been developed especially for high-temperature superelastic applications and studied over a large range of temperatures. The mechanical properties of this new material were compared with those of other superelastic alloys. The different ingots have been made in a cold crucible from pure metals. Several thermomechanical treatments have been performed on the microstructure of four alloys among them (TiHfZr)(NbTa) 26 alloy. The microstructure of each alloy has been characterized by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and x-ray diffraction technique (XRD) and the mechanical behavior was investigated through three-point bending tests between - 40 and 200C, in quasi-static monotonic and low cycle loading conditions. The effects of the thermomechanical treatments on the static and cyclic thermomechanical mechanical responses have been analyzed in combination with the microstructure investigations of the four studied alloys. It has been shown that the (TiHfZr)(NbTa) 26 alloy presents a martensitic transformation and a superelastic effect over the studied range of temperatures, in the cold-worked state or after solution treatment. Finally, the obtained experimental results have been compared with those of other superelastic alloys demonstrating the features of the developed high-entropy high-temperature superelastic alloy.