Effect of Grain Size on the Tribological Behavior of CoCrFeMnNi High Entropy Alloy

Abstract

The effect and mechanism of grain sizes on the tribological behavior of CoCrFeMnNi high entropy alloy (HEA) were studied by friction experiments and wear morphology analysis. Under normal low load and low sliding speed, the primary wear mechanism of the HEA samples is adhesive wear. With the increase in sliding speed, the wear mechanisms of the samples are adhesive wear and oxidation wear. The oxide layer formed under the action of friction heat of the coarse grain (CG) sample is easy to break due to the softening of the CG. With the increase of normal load and sliding speed, the wear mechanisms of the HEA samples are mainly adhesive wear, oxidation wear, and plastic deformation. The oxide layer of CG sample has many cracks, and the worn surface also has plastic deformation, which leads to the increase of friction coefficient and specific wear rate and the decrease of wear resistance. Therefore, the fine grain size HEA sample has better wear resistance than the CG sample due to its high surface strength.