DOE PAGES title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Fracture resistance of high entropy alloys: A review

Abstract

Fascinated by the exceptional mechanical properties of high entropy alloys (HEAs), unremitting endeavors are placed on accelerating their engineering applications in multiple critical fields. As all other structural materials, attaining sufficient fracture resistance is a vital requirement for HEAs, particularly for safety critical applications. Along this line, the fracture resistance of a number of HEAs and medium-entropy alloys (MEAs) had been studied in the past decade. While some exhibit unprecedented fracture toughness akin to the toughest materials ever known, others are just alike brittle materials. Herein, we summarize one decade of investigations of the fracture resistance of HEAs and MEAs, including the characterization of fracture toughness, disclosure of fractographic characteristics, and understanding of fracture micro-mechanisms. The role of alloy composition, temperature, phase constituent, and characterization techniques in altering the fracture toughness are discussed; characteristics of the cleavage and shear fractures are detailed; toughening and weakening mechanisms, from the atomic to the defect level, are reviewed. In conclusion, some key questions are raised, and the directions for future research are suggested.

Authors:
 [1];  [2];  [3]
  1. Wuhan Univ. of Technology, Wuhan (China); Univ. of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (United States)
  2. Univ. of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (United States)
  3. Univ. of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (United States); Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES)
OSTI Identifier:
1543239
Alternate Identifier(s):
OSTI ID: 1530646
Grant/Contract Number:  
AC05-00OR22725
Resource Type:
Accepted Manuscript
Journal Name:
Intermetallics
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 99; Journal Issue: C; Journal ID: ISSN 0966-9795
Publisher:
Elsevier
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE; Fracture toughness; Fractography; Fracture micromechanism; Temperature effect; Toughening; Strength-toughness conflict

Citation Formats

Li, Weidong, Liaw, Peter K., and Gao, Yanfei. Fracture resistance of high entropy alloys: A review. United States: N. p., 2018. Web. doi:10.1016/j.intermet.2018.05.013.
Li, Weidong, Liaw, Peter K., & Gao, Yanfei. Fracture resistance of high entropy alloys: A review. United States. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.intermet.2018.05.013
Li, Weidong, Liaw, Peter K., and Gao, Yanfei. Tue . "Fracture resistance of high entropy alloys: A review". United States. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.intermet.2018.05.013. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1543239.
@article{osti_1543239,
title = {Fracture resistance of high entropy alloys: A review},
author = {Li, Weidong and Liaw, Peter K. and Gao, Yanfei},
abstractNote = {Fascinated by the exceptional mechanical properties of high entropy alloys (HEAs), unremitting endeavors are placed on accelerating their engineering applications in multiple critical fields. As all other structural materials, attaining sufficient fracture resistance is a vital requirement for HEAs, particularly for safety critical applications. Along this line, the fracture resistance of a number of HEAs and medium-entropy alloys (MEAs) had been studied in the past decade. While some exhibit unprecedented fracture toughness akin to the toughest materials ever known, others are just alike brittle materials. Herein, we summarize one decade of investigations of the fracture resistance of HEAs and MEAs, including the characterization of fracture toughness, disclosure of fractographic characteristics, and understanding of fracture micro-mechanisms. The role of alloy composition, temperature, phase constituent, and characterization techniques in altering the fracture toughness are discussed; characteristics of the cleavage and shear fractures are detailed; toughening and weakening mechanisms, from the atomic to the defect level, are reviewed. In conclusion, some key questions are raised, and the directions for future research are suggested.},
doi = {10.1016/j.intermet.2018.05.013},
journal = {Intermetallics},
number = C,
volume = 99,
place = {United States},
year = {Tue May 29 00:00:00 EDT 2018},
month = {Tue May 29 00:00:00 EDT 2018}
}

Journal Article:

Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 96 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

Figures / Tables:

Table 1 Table 1: Fracture-toughness data along with other relevant information for HEAs compiled from the literature.

Save / Share:

Works referenced in this record:

Intrinsic plasticity or brittleness of metallic glasses
journal, February 2005

  • Lewandowski *, J. J.; Wang, W. H.; Greer, A. L.
  • Philosophical Magazine Letters, Vol. 85, Issue 2
  • DOI: 10.1080/09500830500080474

Intrinsic and extrinsic toughening of metallic glasses
journal, February 2006


Effects of geometric factors and shear band patterns on notch sensitivity in bulk metallic glasses
journal, December 2016


Brittle intergranular fracture of a Ni-base superalloy at high temperatures by dynamic embrittlement
journal, December 2004


Effects of initial δ phase on hot tensile deformation behaviors and fracture characteristics of a typical Ni-based superalloy
journal, March 2014


The creep and fracture behaviour of the cast, nickel-based superalloy, IN100
journal, April 1978


Structural heterogeneity induced plasticity in bulk metallic glasses: From well-relaxed fragile glass to metal-like behavior
journal, October 2013

  • Li, Weidong; Bei, H.; Tong, Y.
  • Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 103, Issue 17
  • DOI: 10.1063/1.4827299

On the correlation between microscopic structural heterogeneity and embrittlement behavior in metallic glasses
journal, October 2015

  • Li, Weidong; Gao, Yanfei; Bei, Hongbin
  • Scientific Reports, Vol. 5, Issue 1
  • DOI: 10.1038/srep14786

Microstructural development in equiatomic multicomponent alloys
journal, July 2004


Nanostructured High-Entropy Alloys with Multiple Principal Elements: Novel Alloy Design Concepts and Outcomes
journal, May 2004

  • Yeh, J.-W.; Chen, S.-K.; Lin, S.-J.
  • Advanced Engineering Materials, Vol. 6, Issue 5, p. 299-303
  • DOI: 10.1002/adem.200300567

Microstructures and properties of high-entropy alloys
journal, April 2014


Temperature effects on the serrated behavior of an Al0.5CoCrCuFeNi high-entropy alloy
journal, May 2018


Accelerated exploration of multi-principal element alloys with solid solution phases
journal, March 2015

  • Senkov, O. N.; Miller, J. D.; Miracle, D. B.
  • Nature Communications, Vol. 6, Issue 1
  • DOI: 10.1038/ncomms7529

A critical review of high entropy alloys and related concepts
journal, January 2017


High-entropy alloy: challenges and prospects
journal, July 2016


Design and tensile properties of a bcc Ti-rich high-entropy alloy with transformation-induced plasticity
journal, August 2016


High pressure synthesis of a hexagonal close-packed phase of the high-entropy alloy CrMnFeCoNi
journal, May 2017

  • Tracy, Cameron L.; Park, Sulgiye; Rittman, Dylan R.
  • Nature Communications, Vol. 8, Issue 1
  • DOI: 10.1038/ncomms15634

Polymorphism in a high-entropy alloy
journal, June 2017

  • Zhang, Fei; Wu, Yuan; Lou, Hongbo
  • Nature Communications, Vol. 8, Issue 1
  • DOI: 10.1038/ncomms15687

The influences of temperature and microstructure on the tensile properties of a CoCrFeMnNi high-entropy alloy
journal, September 2013


Metastable high-entropy dual-phase alloys overcome the strength–ductility trade-off
journal, May 2016

  • Li, Zhiming; Pradeep, Konda Gokuldoss; Deng, Yun
  • Nature, Vol. 534, Issue 7606
  • DOI: 10.1038/nature17981

Prediction of high-entropy stabilized solid-solution in multi-component alloys
journal, February 2012


Sluggish diffusion in Co–Cr–Fe–Mn–Ni high-entropy alloys
journal, August 2013


Phase stability, physical properties and strengthening mechanisms of concentrated solid solution alloys
journal, October 2017

  • Wu, Z.; Troparevsky, M. C.; Gao, Y. F.
  • Current Opinion in Solid State and Materials Science, Vol. 21, Issue 5
  • DOI: 10.1016/j.cossms.2017.07.001

A Novel Low-Density, High-Hardness, High-entropy Alloy with Close-packed Single-phase Nanocrystalline Structures
journal, December 2014


Refractory high-entropy alloys
journal, September 2010


Mechanical properties of Nb25Mo25Ta25W25 and V20Nb20Mo20Ta20W20 refractory high entropy alloys
journal, May 2011


Microstructure and elevated temperature properties of a refractory TaNbHfZrTi alloy
journal, January 2012


Microstructure and wear behavior of a refractory high entropy alloy
journal, June 2016

  • Poulia, A.; Georgatis, E.; Lekatou, A.
  • International Journal of Refractory Metals and Hard Materials, Vol. 57
  • DOI: 10.1016/j.ijrmhm.2016.02.006

Development of a new high entropy alloy for wear resistance: FeCoCrNiW0.3 and FeCoCrNiW0.3+ 5 at.% of C
journal, February 2017


Fatigue behavior of Al0.5CoCrCuFeNi high entropy alloys
journal, September 2012


Fatigue behavior of a wrought Al0.5CoCrCuFeNi two-phase high-entropy alloy
journal, October 2015


Exploration and Development of High Entropy Alloys for Structural Applications
journal, January 2014

  • Miracle, Daniel; Miller, Jonathan; Senkov, Oleg
  • Entropy, Vol. 16, Issue 1
  • DOI: 10.3390/e16010494

Fracture toughness and fracture micromechanism in a cast AlCoCrCuFeNi high entropy alloy system
journal, October 2014


A fracture-resistant high-entropy alloy for cryogenic applications
journal, September 2014


Enhanced mechanical properties of HfMoTaTiZr and HfMoNbTaTiZr refractory high-entropy alloys
journal, July 2015


Exceptional damage-tolerance of a medium-entropy alloy CrCoNi at cryogenic temperatures
journal, February 2016

  • Gludovatz, Bernd; Hohenwarter, Anton; Thurston, Keli V. S.
  • Nature Communications, Vol. 7, Issue 1
  • DOI: 10.1038/ncomms10602

Microstructure and mechanical properties of Al20−xCr20+0.5xFe20Co20Ni20+0.5x high entropy alloys
journal, February 2016


Nanoscale origins of the damage tolerance of the high-entropy alloy CrMnFeCoNi
journal, December 2015

  • Zhang, ZiJiao; Mao, M. M.; Wang, Jiangwei
  • Nature Communications, Vol. 6, Issue 1
  • DOI: 10.1038/ncomms10143

Dislocation mechanisms and 3D twin architectures generate exceptional strength-ductility-toughness combination in CrCoNi medium-entropy alloy
journal, February 2017

  • Zhang, Zijiao; Sheng, Hongwei; Wang, Zhangjie
  • Nature Communications, Vol. 8, Issue 1
  • DOI: 10.1038/ncomms14390

Cracking During Nanoindentation and its Use in the Measurement of Fracture Toughness
journal, January 1994


A Critical Evaluation of Indentation Techniques for Measuring Fracture Toughness: I, Direct Crack Measurements
journal, September 1981


A Critical Evaluation of Indentation Techniques for Measuring Fracture Toughness: II, Strength Method
journal, September 1981


On the Vickers Indentation Fracture Toughness Test
journal, March 2007


Influence of indenter angle on cracking in Si and Ge during nanoindentation
journal, September 2008


Cohesive interface simulations of indentation cracking as a fracture toughness measurement method for brittle materials
journal, September 2012


In situ micro-cantilever tests to study fracture properties of NiAl single crystals
journal, February 2012


Correlation of Yield Strength and Tensile Strength with Hardness for Steels
journal, April 2008

  • Pavlina, E. J.; Van Tyne, C. J.
  • Journal of Materials Engineering and Performance, Vol. 17, Issue 6, p. 888-893
  • DOI: 10.1007/s11665-008-9225-5

General relationship between strength and hardness
journal, November 2011


Bulk metallic glasses — a new engineering material
journal, June 1996


Al-rich bulk metallic glasses with plasticity and ultrahigh specific strength
journal, August 2009


Ductile Fe–Nb–B bulk metallic glass with ultrahigh strength
journal, June 2008

  • Yao, J. H.; Wang, J. Q.; Li, Y.
  • Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 92, Issue 25
  • DOI: 10.1063/1.2949747

Fracture toughness and Charpy impact properties of several RAFMS before and after irradiation in HFIR
journal, August 2007


Ductile–brittle transition of polycrystalline iron and iron–chromium alloys
journal, September 2008


Influence of thermomechanical processing and heat treatments on tensile and Charpy impact properties of B and Cu bearing high-strength low-alloy steels
journal, June 2010


Ductile-to-Brittle Transition in Nanocrystalline Metals
journal, August 2005


Ductile-brittle transition in random porous Au
journal, February 1992


On factors influencing the ductile-to-brittle transition in a bulk metallic glass
journal, June 2009


Tensile mechanical properties and failure behaviors with the ductile-to-brittle transition of the α+β-type Mg–Li–Al–Zn alloy
journal, December 2009


Insights from the Lattice-Strain Evolution on Deformation Mechanisms in Metallic-Glass-Matrix Composites
journal, February 2015

  • Jia, H. L.; Zheng, L. L.; Li, W. D.
  • Metallurgical and Materials Transactions A, Vol. 46, Issue 6
  • DOI: 10.1007/s11661-015-2764-0

Breaking through the strength-ductility trade-off dilemma in an Al-Si-based casting alloy
journal, August 2016

  • Dang, B.; Zhang, X.; Chen, Y. Z.
  • Scientific Reports, Vol. 6, Issue 1
  • DOI: 10.1038/srep30874

High dislocation density–induced large ductility in deformed and partitioned steels
journal, August 2017


The conflicts between strength and toughness
journal, October 2011


A precipitation-hardened high-entropy alloy with outstanding tensile properties
journal, January 2016


Effect of Nb addition on the microstructure and properties of AlCoCrFeNi high-entropy alloy
journal, January 2012


Effect of Cu addition on the microstructure and mechanical properties of AlCoCrFeNiTi0.5 solid-solution alloy
journal, October 2008


Effect of Zr content on microstructure and mechanical properties of AlCoCrFeNi high entropy alloy
journal, March 2016


Microstructure and mechanical properties of CoCrFeNiTiAlx high-entropy alloys
journal, May 2009


MoNbTaV Medium-Entropy Alloy
journal, May 2016

  • Yao, Hongwei; Qiao, Jun-Wei; Gao, Michael
  • Entropy, Vol. 18, Issue 5
  • DOI: 10.3390/e18050189

Microstructure, thermodynamics and compressive properties of AlCrCuNi x Ti ( x  = 0, 1) high entropy alloys
journal, April 2015


Effect of annealing treatment on microstructures and mechanical properties of FeCoNiCuAl high entropy alloys
journal, June 2013


Alloying behavior, microstructure and mechanical properties in a FeNiCrCo0.3Al0.7 high entropy alloy
journal, October 2013


Microstructure, thermodynamics and compressive properties of AlCoCrCuMn-x (x=Fe, Ti) high-entropy alloys
journal, March 2015


Deformation mechanisms in nanocrystalline palladium at large strains
journal, June 2009


Instability Analysis and Free Volume Simulations of Shear Band Directions and Arrangements in Notched Metallic Glasses
journal, October 2016

  • Li, Weidong; Gao, Yanfei; Bei, Hongbin
  • Scientific Reports, Vol. 6, Issue 1
  • DOI: 10.1038/srep34878

Cell Wall Buckling Mediated Energy Absorption in Lotus-type Porous Copper
journal, October 2015

  • Li, Weidong; Jia, Haoling; Pu, Chao
  • Journal of Materials Science & Technology, Vol. 31, Issue 10
  • DOI: 10.1016/j.jmst.2015.08.010

Energy Absorption and Deformation Mechanism of Lotus-type Porous Coppers in Perpendicular Direction
journal, November 2017


Thin-film metallic glasses for substrate fatigue-property improvements
journal, June 2014


Interface Constraints on Shear Band Patterns in Bonded Metallic Glass Films Under Microindentation
journal, January 2012

  • An, Z. N.; Li, W. D.; Liu, F. X.
  • Metallurgical and Materials Transactions A, Vol. 43, Issue 8
  • DOI: 10.1007/s11661-011-0992-5

Effect of cold rolling on the microstructure and mechanical properties of Al0.25CoCrFe1.25Ni1.25 high-entropy alloy
journal, October 2015


Phase stability and tensile properties of Co-free Al0.5CrCuFeNi2 high-entropy alloys
journal, January 2014


Microstructure and tensile properties of FeMnNiCuCoSnx high entropy alloys
journal, February 2013


Affordable FeCrNiMnCu high entropy alloys with excellent comprehensive tensile properties
journal, October 2016


Oxidation of refractory metals in air and low pressure oxygen gas
journal, January 2000

  • DiStefano, J. R.; Pint, B. A.; DeVan, J. H.
  • International Journal of Refractory Metals and Hard Materials, Vol. 18, Issue 4-5
  • DOI: 10.1016/S0263-4368(00)00026-3

Tensile properties of high- and medium-entropy alloys
journal, August 2013


Twinning and the ductility of magnesium alloys
journal, August 2007


Twinning and the ductility of magnesium alloys
journal, August 2007


Supra-Ductile and High-Strength Manganese-TRIP/TWIP Steels for High Energy Absorption Purposes.
journal, January 2003


High strength Fe–Mn–(Al, Si) TRIP/TWIP steels development — properties — application
journal, January 2000


High-Strength and High-Ductility Nanostructured and Amorphous Metallic Materials
journal, June 2014


Strengthening Materials by Engineering Coherent Internal Boundaries at the Nanoscale
journal, April 2009


Revealing the Maximum Strength in Nanotwinned Copper
journal, January 2009


Evading the strength–ductility trade-off dilemma in steel through gradient hierarchical nanotwins
journal, April 2014

  • Wei, Yujie; Li, Yongqiang; Zhu, Lianchun
  • Nature Communications, Vol. 5, Issue 1
  • DOI: 10.1038/ncomms4580

Remarks on Crack-Bridging Concepts
journal, August 1992

  • Bao, G.; Suo, Z.
  • Applied Mechanics Reviews, Vol. 45, Issue 8
  • DOI: 10.1115/1.3119764

Overview no. 85 The mechanical behavior of ceramic matrix composites
journal, October 1989


Failure Mechanisms in Ceramic-Fiber/Ceramic-Matrix Composites
journal, May 1985


Toughening by partial or full bridging of cracks in ceramics and fiber reinforced composites
journal, September 1987


Evaluation of toughness in AISI 4340 alloy steel austenitized at low and high temperatures
journal, June 1976

  • Ritchie, Robert O.; Francis, Benjamin; Server, William L.
  • Metallurgical Transactions A, Vol. 7, Issue 6
  • DOI: 10.1007/BF02644080

Phase-Transformation Ductilization of Brittle High-Entropy Alloys via Metastability Engineering
journal, June 2017


Study of crack propagation mechanisms during Charpy impact toughness tests on both equiaxed and lamellar microstructures of Ti–6Al–4V titanium alloy
journal, November 2014

  • Buirette, Christophe; Huez, Julitte; Gey, Nathalie
  • Materials Science and Engineering: A, Vol. 618
  • DOI: 10.1016/j.msea.2014.09.048

Charpy impact energy, fracture toughness and ductile–brittle transition temperature of dual-phase 590 Steel
journal, January 2007


Effects of Cooling Conditions on Tensile and Charpy Impact Properties of API X80 Linepipe Steels
journal, December 2009

  • Han, Seung Youb; Shin, Sang Yong; Lee, Sunghak
  • Metallurgical and Materials Transactions A, Vol. 41, Issue 2
  • DOI: 10.1007/s11661-009-0135-4

Effective grain size and charpy impact properties of high-toughness X70 pipeline steels
journal, August 2005

  • Hwang, Byoungchul; Kim, Yang Gon; Lee, Sunghak
  • Metallurgical and Materials Transactions A, Vol. 36, Issue 8
  • DOI: 10.1007/s11661-005-0331-9

Charpy impact energy of nanocrystalline and polycrystalline cobalt
journal, February 2007


The influence of specimen size on charpy impact testing of unirradiated HT-9
journal, July 1988


High strength, ductility, and impact toughness at room temperature in hot-extruded FeAl alloys
journal, January 1997


Microstructure and Charpy impact properties of 12–14Cr oxide dispersion-strengthened ferritic steels
journal, February 2008


Correlation of microstructure and charpy impact properties in API X70 and X80 line-pipe steels
journal, June 2007

  • Shin, Sang Yong; Hwang, Byoungchul; Lee, Sunghak
  • Materials Science and Engineering: A, Vol. 458, Issue 1-2
  • DOI: 10.1016/j.msea.2006.12.097

Effect of TiN inclusions on the impact toughness of low-carbon microalloyed steels
journal, July 2006

  • Yan, W.; Shan, Y. Y.; Yang, K.
  • Metallurgical and Materials Transactions A, Vol. 37, Issue 7
  • DOI: 10.1007/BF02586135

Relationships among crystallographic texture, fracture behavior and Charpy impact toughness in API X100 pipeline steel
journal, August 2015


Works referencing / citing this record:

A Short Review on Welding and Joining of High Entropy Alloys
journal, February 2020


Design, Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Cast Medium Entropy Aluminium Alloys
journal, May 2019


High-entropy alloys fabricated via powder metallurgy. A critical review
text, January 2019


Hot Deformation Behavior and Hardness of a CoCrFeMnNi High-Entropy Alloy with High Content of Carbon
journal, May 2019

  • Wang, Yi-Tao; Li, Jian-Bo; Xin, Yun-Chang
  • Acta Metallurgica Sinica (English Letters), Vol. 32, Issue 8
  • DOI: 10.1007/s40195-019-00916-0

High-entropy alloys fabricated via powder metallurgy. A critical review
text, January 2019


High-entropy alloys fabricated via powder metallurgy. A critical review
journal, March 2019