The efficient energy use in multiple sectors of modern industry is partly based on the efficient use of high-strength, high-performance alloys that retain remarkable mechanical properties at elevated and high temperatures. High-entropy alloys (HEAs) represent the most recent class of these materials with a high potential for high-temperature high-strength applications. Aside from their chemical composition and microstructure-property relationship, limited information on the effect of heat treatment as a decisive factor for alloy design is available in the literature. This work intends to contribute to this research topic by investigating the effect of heat treatment on the microstructure and mechanical performance of an Al4.4Co26Cr19Fe18Ni27Ti5.6 HEA. The solution annealed state is compared to aged states obtained at different heat treatment times at 750 °C. The temporal evolution of the matrix and the γ'-precipitates are analyzed in terms of chemical composition, crystallography, size, shape, and volume fraction by means of scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and atom probe tomography. The yield strength evolution and strength contributions are calculated by classical state-of-the-art models as well as by ab-initio-based calculations of the critical resolved shear stress. The findings indicate promising mechanical properties of the investigated alloy and provide insight not only into possible strengthening mechanisms but also into the evolution of main phases during the heat treatment.
Keywords: characterization; compositionally complex alloy; precipitation strengthening; solid solution strengthening; yield strength prediction.