The impact of equiatomic high-entropy alloy particles on the microstructure and mechanical properties of magnesium composite

The present research focuses on the development and performance evaluation of magnesium composite reinforced with TiCrZrFeNi high-entropy alloy (HEA) particles. The significance of the attempt is to elevate the contribution of magnesium in the automobile and aerospace industries by overcoming the inherent difficulties of the modern magnesium composite. Tailoring the properties of the HEA-Mg composite was done by the appropriate selection of the particles. The squeeze-assisted stir casting processing route was followed to fabricate the HEA-Mg composite. The microstructure investigation proclaims the existence of the secondary intermetallic phases Mg 2 Ni and Mg 2 Zr, along with the fine-grain dendritic structure. The tensile, hardness and impact test results reveal a 48.43 %, 39.61 %, and 40.4 % improvement in tensile strength, hardness and impact resistance of HEA-Mg composite than the pristine magnesium. The exclusive double shear test manifests a substantial increment of 57.19 % of shear strength, higher than the pristine magnesium. The post-fracture analysis conducted after the tensile and shear fracture acknowledges the evidence of plastic deformation before failure, which warrants the load-sustaining ability with improved ductility at both tensile and shear loads.