Strength–ductility enhancement in multi-layered sheet with high-entropy alloy and high-Mn twinning-induced plasticity steel

In this study, a high-entropy-alloy-cored multi-layered sheet (MLS) clad with an austenitic high-Mn twinning-induced-plasticity steel (HEA/high-Mn MLS) is proposed and its room- and cryogenic-temperature tensile behaviors were investigated. The MLS was fabricated using a commercial roll-bonding procedure. Its interface was well bonded without critical defects such as pores or voids. During the MLS fabrication and subsequent annealing, the interdiffusion of alloying elements and interfacial friction resulted in the formation of ε-martensite and V-rich carbides in the high-Mn and HEA layers, respectively, as well as grain refinement. Nevertheless, the interface remained strongly bonded after the tensile deformation at room and cryogenic temperatures, thereby providing larger strength and elongation than the values calculated based on the rule of mixtures. The improvement in tensile properties beyond the calculated values was interpreted by the activation of deformation twins, transformation-induced plasticity, and generation of geometrically necessary dislocations in the HEA/high-Mn interfacial region. Deformation twins were populated at both high-Mn and HEA layers at room temperature. However, at cryogenic temperatures, ε-martensite and body-centered cubic martensite were additionally formed in the high-Mn and HEA layers. Thus, both strength and ductility were considerably improved. In addition, the consequent good strength–ductility balance was comparable to or better than those of other HEAs or medium-entropy alloys. This indicates that our MLS can be an attractive design strategy to tailor various properties by controlling the thickness fraction of each layer and develop strong alloys for cryogenic applications.