Influence of chemical composition on coarsening kinetics of coherent L1(2) precipitates in FCC complex concentrated alloys

In this study, we report the experimental coarsening kinetics at 850, 900 and 950 degrees C of four complex concentrated alloys in the Al-Ti-Cr-Fe-Co-Ni senary system with different chemical compositions but a similar gamma' (L1(2)) volume fraction (similar to 35 % at 950 degrees C) in a face-centered cubic (gamma, FCC) matrix. The selected alloys were specifically designed to investigate the influence of Fe additions and Ni-Co substitutions on Ostwald ripening kinetics. Atom Probe tomography (APT) was used to determine the compositions of the FCC and L1(2) phases, which agree very well with Calphad calculations at thermodynamic equilibrium. Thermo-kinetic modeling of L1(2) precipitation was carried out using the Prisma module developed by Thermo-Calc and compared with experimental results. Apparent activation energies were determined and discussed in light of diffusion-controlled coarsening models to identify the key parameters affecting Ostwald ripening. We suggest that the abnormally high apparent activation energies results from composition-dependent parameters. When the latter are accounted for, the corrected activation energies for coarsening are in better agreement with available diffusion data.

Automated summary

This study investigates the coarsening kinetics of four complex concentrated alloys in the Al-Ti-Cr-Fe-Co-Ni system. The results show that the chemical compositions of the alloys have a significant impact on Ostwald ripening. By using atom probe tomography and thermo-kinetic modeling, the key parameters affecting ripening are identified and the corrected activation energies are in better agreement with diffusion data.