Preparation of WC/CoCrFeNiAl0.2 high-entropy-alloy composites by high-gravity combustion synthesis

The WC/CoCrFeNiAl0.2 high-entropy alloy (HEA) composites were prepared through high-gravity combustion synthesis. The preparation method is presented below. First, using a designed suitable multiphase thermite system, the molten CoCrFeNiAl0.2 HEA was fabricated using low-cost metal oxides. The molten HEA was subsequently infiltrated into the WC layer to fabricate WC/CoCrFeNiAl0.2 composites in a high-gravity field. The porosity of the WC/CoCrFeNiAl0.2 composites was down-regulated, and their compressive yield strength was up-regulated when the high-gravity field was increased from 600g to 1500g because this infiltration process of a HEA melt into the WC layer is driven by centrifugal force. The WC particles in the composites exhibited a gradient distribution along the direction of the centrifugal force, which was attributed to the combined action of the high-gravity field and the temperature gradient field. The Vickers hardness of the sample was down-regulated from 9.53 to 7.41 GPa along the direction of the centrifugal force.