High-temperature oxidation properties of economical and lightweight Fe-Cr-Ni-Al medium-entropy alloy

This study investigated the microstructure, high-temperature oxidation properties and mechanism of non-equiatomic Fe-Cr-Ni-Al medium entropy alloy (MEA). Microstructural observation of MEA identified coarse grains of mm scale, and cuboidal precipitates with an average size of 125 nm were evenly distributed within grains. Phase analysis confirmed that the alloy consisted of a Fe-Cr matrix (BCC structure) and B2 Ni-Al precipitate. High temperature isothermal oxidation tests measured oxidation weight of 0.08 mg/cm² at 800 ℃, 0.17 mg/cm² at 900 ℃, 0.22 mg/cm² at 1000 ℃, and 0.47 mg/cm² at 1100 ℃. Compared to other alloys tested with similar conditions, Fe-Cr-Ni-Al MEA presented by this study achieves economic benefits with relatively excellent high-temperature oxidation resistance. The outstanding high-temperature oxidation resistance of the MEA presented by this study is due to the evenly distributed dense stable Al₂O₃ layer formed regardless of temperature conditions. In addition, the alloy did not have breakaway oxidation, which can occur as oxidation progresses.