| Abstract Scope |
The application of friction stir welding (FSW) technologies to steels is currently hindered by the high cost and limited lifetime of tool materials. To address this challenge, we applied a novel approach by sintering ceramics with high-entropy alloy (HEA) metal binders to create ceramic-metal (cermet) composites as tool materials. In this study, ICME-based materials design approach, in conjunction with experimental validation, were utilized to develop HEA binders for WC, HfC, and TiB2 ceramics. In the materials processing and testing effort, experimental approaches were utilized to synthesize the HEA binders by mechanical alloying, sinter the cermet by sparking plasma sintering (SPS), and optimize process parameters, with microstructure characterization and property test. The designed tool material showed enhanced performance compared to previous cermet materials and other tool materials. By combining ICME-based materials design and experimental validation, we have successfully developed an advanced cermet composite for FSW tools, with real-case FSW tests. |