Hardening of High-Entropy Fe–Cr–Ni–Mn–Co Alloy Coatings by Electromechamical Treatment

Abstract—Approach is considered to the formation of a powder equiatomic high-entropy Fe–Cr–Co–Ni–Mn alloy coating, which is based on mechanical alloying of elemental powders, a slurry method of depositing a powder mixture, induction sintering of the powder coating, and its subsequent electromechanical treatment (EMT), namely, surface plastic deformation with simultaneous resistive heating of a deformation zone. High cooling rates of the deformation zone (≈104 K/s) during EMT are shown to provide the formation of a rapidly quenched structure in the coating, which favors an increase in the coating microhardness to 230 ± 15 HV from 180 ± 20 HV after sintering along with an increase in the coating density.