Evaluation of nano mechanical properties and corrosion behavior of diffusion welded CoCrNi medium-entropy alloy (MEA) and SUS 304 stainless steel joints

The study mainly focused on examining nanomechanical properties and corrosion behavior of the weld interface formed by diffusion welding of CoCrNi MEA and SUS 304 stainless steel. Three different bonding temperatures (i.e. 950 °C, 1000 °C, and 1050 °C) were utilized in producing diffusion welded joints. The influence of bonding temperatures on nanomechanical properties of the weld interface was characterized through Nanoindentation tests under various loads (i.e. 20 mN to 100 mN). Additionally, electrochemical properties of the weld interface were also examined using a 0.5 M HCl solution. Results clinched that with the increase of bonding temperature significant suppression in carbide formation occurred along with the weld interface. This instigated a reduction in nano hardness and elastic moduli which resulted in maximum elastic recovery along with the weld interface. The indentation size effect was also evident below 40 mN load after which nano hardness became stable while elastic moduli remained impervious to the change of indentation load. Furthermore, based upon electrochemical properties (i.e. Icorr, Ep, and Rp) samples welded at 1000 °C bonding temperature offered excellent corrosion resistance under 0.5M HCl environment.