The aerospace and automotive sectors have increasing demand for structural materials with a high strength to weight ratio to improve the efficiency of vehicles and reduce carbon dioxide emissions. Traditional alloy design starts from a single element, adding minor additions of other elements to improve properties. Recently, compositionally complex alloys have seen increased interest, as they explore less studied regions of composition space opening a new avenue for producing engineering relevant alloys.
Currently, thermodynamic databases struggle to fully predict the phases that form in these central regions of composition space. This poses a particular challenge for lightweight compositionally complex alloy systems, as they can be prone to the formation of intermetallics. The microstructure and phases present need to be predicted and controlled to achieve the combination of mechanical properties, including strength, fracture toughness and fatigue resistance, and corrosion.
This project will explore the development of novel lightweight compositional complex alloys, using available thermodynamic and phase equilibria data to target alloys that have high solid solution strengthening and dual phase precipitate reinforced microstructures. It will involve X-ray analysis and electron microscopy techniques to characterise the microstructures produced and the study the effect of fabrication processes and thermomechanical processing. The mechanical properties of the alloys will be tested and linked to the microstructure to determine their potential for structural applications.
