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Comparative Study on the Microstructure, Hardness, and Corrosion Behavior of CoCrFeNi Alloy and CoCrFeNiCu High Entropy Alloy Cladded Layers on SS304 Substrate Fabricated by GTAW

Pongpak Chiyasak, Thanawat Santawee, Surapit Posri, Aphichart Rodchanarowan

Abstract


In this study, equiatomic CoCrFeNi alloy and CoCrFeNiCu high entropy alloy (HEA) cladded layers were fabricated on SS304 substrates using gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW). The microstructure, phase composition, hardness, and corrosion behavior of cladded layers were systematically investigated. The microstructure of the CoCrFeNi alloy cladded layer was homogeneous with a single FCC phase, while the CoCrFeNiCu HEA cladded layer exhibited a heterogeneous microstructure due to Cu segregation. Cu addition increased the hardness of the cladded layer from 126.6 ± 2.8 HV for the CoCrFeNi alloy system to 163.9 ± 2.2 HV for the CoCrFeNiCu HEA system. Electrochemical characterization in the 3.5 wt% NaCl solution showed that the CoCrFeNi alloy cladded layer had better corrosion resistance, with lower corrosion current density (6.92 μA/cm2), higher corrosion potential (-492 mV vs. SCE), and higher oxide film resistance (12.48 kΩ·cm2), compared to the CoCrFeNiCu HEA cladded layer (19.50 μA/cm2, -621 mV vs. SCE, and 0.51 kΩ·cm2, respectively). The improved corrosion resistance of the CoCrFeNi alloy was attributed to the formation of a more stable and homogeneous passive oxide film. In contrast, Cu segregation led to compositional heterogeneity, resulting in selective corrosion through microgalvanic coupling. Overall, Cu addition enhanced the hardness but reduced the corrosion resistance, demonstrating a tradeoff between the mechanical and electrochemical performance of GTAW-fabricated HEA cladded layers. These findings demonstrate the potential of compositional design for tailoring the properties of HEA-clad layers for advanced surface engineering applications.

Keywords



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DOI: 10.14416/j.asep.2026.09.002

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