Effect of cold-rolling on microstructure, texture and mechanical properties of an equiatomic FeCrCuMnNi high entropy alloy

In the present study, the effect of cold-rolling on the microstructural evolution, texture development and mechanical properties of an equiatomic FeCrCuMnNi dual phase high entropy alloy (HEA) was investigated. The homogenized HEA was cold-rolled at different strain levels. The material properties were evaluated by employing XRD, SEM-EBSD, tensile, and hardness tests. No phase transformations were observed during rolling. The FCC phase exhibited high local deformation if compared to the BCC one. As a consequence, a marked elongation along the rolling direction was revealed for the FCC phase. A strong texture variation as well as the formation of Brass and shear texture components were observed in the alloy for different deformation levels. By increasing the deformation, the material's strength increased; the elongation decreased due to formation of new grain boundaries and to the increasing in the dislocation density. Rolling led to the modification of the fracture mechanisms, revealing a shift from a ductile behavior to a partially brittle one.