Deformation behaviour of the silicon doped metastable Fe50-xMn30Co10Cr10Six complex concentrated alloy using experiments and crystal plasticity simulations

Deformation behaviour of transformative Fe50Mn30Co10Cr10 complex concentrated alloy doped with 0.2 wt % silicon is studied using ex-situ EBSD accompanied with mean and full field crystal plasticity simulations. On silicon doping, martensitic transformation gets suppressed rather nano twinning is observed with tensile deformation. The considerable rise in strength and tensile ductility is attributed to the solid solution strength-ening and deformation twinning respectively. Furthermore, crystal plasticity simulations using mean field vis-coplastic self-consistent and full field fast Fourier transform FFT approaches are performed to address the texture evolution, the effect of neighbouring grains of different orientations as well as slip and twin activity. Slip is found to be planar in nature which is verified using crystal plasticity simulations. Combination of mean and full field simulations is used to address the effect of neighbouring orientations on the rotation path of individual grains towards the stable end orientation. The critical role of deformation nano twinning in providing extended strain hardening contributing to significant ductility is established. This study highlights the importance of silicon doping in improving the mechanical properties of the Fe50Mn30Co10Cr10 CCA while offering valuable insights into the deformation mechanisms and crystallographic texture evolution.

Automated summary

The deformation behavior of a transformative Fe50Mn30Co10Cr10 complex concentrated alloy doped with 0.2 wt% silicon was studied using experimental analysis and simulations. It was found that the addition of silicon suppresses the martensitic transformation and instead leads to the formation of nano twinning during tensile deformation. The improved strength and ductility of the alloy can be attributed to solid solution strengthening and deformation twinning, respectively. Simulations also revealed the planar nature of slip and the impact of neighboring grain orientations on the rotation path of individual grains. Deformation nano twinning was identified as a critical factor contributing to significant ductility.