Unexpected cyclic stress-strain response of dual-phase high-entropy alloys induced by partial reversibility of deformation

The recently developed dual-phase high-entropy alloys are characterized by pronounced strain hardening and high ductility under monotonic loading owing to the associated transformation induced plasticity effect. Fatigue properties of high-entropy alloys have not been studied in depth so far. The current study focuses on the low cycle fatigue regime. Cyclic tests were conducted and the microstructure evolution was studied post-mortem. Despite deformation-induced martensitic transformation during cycling at given plastic strain amplitudes, intense strain hardening in the cyclic stress-strain response is not observed. This behavior is attributed to the planar nature of slip and partial reversibility of deformation. (C) 2017 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.