Excellent strength/ductility synergy by optimization of post-weld heat treatment for gas metal arc welded CoCrFeMnNi high entropy alloys with 410 stainless filler wire: High-throughput thermodynamic modelling with experimental validation

Post-weld annealing is a promising method for enhancing the performance of welded joints. However, traditionaltrial-and-error approaches are often time-consuming and inefficient, limiting their application in industrialproduction. To overcome this challenge, this study integrates high-throughput thermodynamic simulationtechniques with a custom Python script to rapidly screen annealing temperatures for GMAWed CoCrFeMnNi highentropy alloy welded joints with ERNiMo-410 filler wire. By employing a combination of microstructuralcharacterizations (such as Electron Backscatter Diffraction (EBSD) and Synchrotron X-ray Diffraction (SXRD))and mechanical testing (including hardness testing and tensile Digital Image Correlation (DIC) analysis), thestudy validates the effects of selected annealing temperatures on the microstructure evolution and mechanicalbehavior of the welded joints. The results demonstrate that the optimized annealing temperature significantlyenhances the uniformity of the microstructure and increases elongation at fracture by approximately sevenfold to43.1 %, while maintaining comparable yield and ultimate strengths. This study highlights the potential industrialvalue of this method, offering an efficient and scientific approach for optimizing welded joint performance.