Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 6, 2025
08:58
Processing of Bulk Nanocrystalline Metals at the US Army Research Laboratory
Published on: March 7, 2018
9.5K
Synthesis of Refractory High-Entropy Alloy WTaMoNbV by Powder Bed Fusion Process Using Mixed Elemental Alloying
Tomer Ron1, Avi Leon1, Vladimir Popov2
1Department of Materials Engineering, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva 8410501, Israel.
Materials (Basel, Switzerland)
|June 24, 2022
Summary
Laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) offers a cost-effective method for producing refractory high-entropy alloys (HEAs) using mixed elemental powders. This additive manufacturing technique yields similar microstructural and property outcomes compared to traditional arc melting furnace (AMF) methods.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Metallurgy
- Additive Manufacturing
Background:
- Refractory high-entropy alloys (HEAs) exhibit desirable thermal stability, mechanical properties, and corrosion resistance.
- Current processing and machining limitations hinder the widespread application of HEAs as structural materials.
- Additive manufacturing (AM) offers a potential solution for fabricating complex HEA components with reduced post-processing.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the feasibility of synthesizing HEA WTaMoNbV using laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) with mixed elemental powders.
- To compare the properties and microstructure of LPBF-processed HEA WTaMoNbV with an alloy produced via conventional arc melting furnace (AMF).
- To assess the potential of LPBF for cost-effective HEA production.
Main Methods:
- Synthesis of HEA WTaMoNbV using laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) with mixed elemental powders.
- Production of a comparative HEA WTaMoNbV sample using an arc melting furnace (AMF).
- Microstructural characterization via scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and X-ray diffraction (XRD).
- Evaluation of physical properties (density, mechanical strength) and electrochemical behavior (potentiodynamic polarization).
Main Results:
- The LPBF process successfully synthesized HEA WTaMoNbV from mixed elemental powders.
- Microstructural, physical, and electrochemical properties of the LPBF-processed alloy were comparable to the AMF-produced counterpart.
- The study demonstrated the potential for reduced production costs using LPBF with elemental powders.
Conclusions:
- Laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) is a viable method for producing refractory high-entropy alloys (HEAs) from mixed elemental powders.
- LPBF offers comparable material properties to traditional arc melting furnace (AMF) methods.
- This approach presents a promising avenue for cost-effective fabrication of complex HEA components.
