Microstructural mechanical and corrosion properties of SS304/HEA surface layer produced by Friction Stir Processing

Stainless steel SS304 is employed in great many domestic and industrial applications. The material's ability to tolerate extremely corrosive environments is hampered by harsh condition applications, and the me-chanical qualities are also reduced that demanding the need for surface modification techniques to alter the surface at the microstructural level. In this study, CoCrFeCuTi High Entropy Alloys (HEA) powder was re-inforced on an SS304 steel substrate employing a Friction Stir Processing (FSP) approach to achieving a high degree of grain size refinement and which leads to improving mechanical properties. The microstructural characterisation of the milled powder and the processed specimen followed by mechanical and corrosive properties are analysed. The morphology of the milled powder was irregular fragments and 17 & mu;m as the mean particle size with the presence of BCC phase. The microstructural analysis of the processed substrate with HEA exhibited better grain refinement and neat dispersion of HEA reinforcement. The Vickers mi-crohardness and tensile strength of the FSP-processed substrate with HEA were improved when compared with the FSP-processed substrate with no HEA. The electrochemical corrosion analysis affirms that the FSP-processed substrate with HEA is better resistant to corrosion. & COPY; 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.