Research on high-entropy explosive composites (HEECs) aims to mitigate the cost disadvantage of high-entropy alloys (HEAs) and facilitate their industrial application. However, the influence of the extreme transient conditions generated during explosive welding (EXW) on the microstructure and properties of HEECs remains ambiguous. Accordingly, this study selected the representative dual-phase (FCC+BCC/B 2 ) HEA Al 0.5 CoCrFeNi and AISI 304 stainless steel for welding, followed by an in-depth analysis of their microstructural evolution and properties. Through theoretical calculations, the critical welding parameters were determined and a weldability window was constructed for the Al 0.5 CoCrFeNi/304. Under detonation loading, the interfacial zone (IFZ) exhibits significant elemental interdiffusion and non-uniform mixing between solid and molten states, resulting in Al-Ni segregation and the formation of regions enriched with pure Al. The study elucidates the influence of mechanisms such as deformation bands (DBs), kink bands (KBs), adiabatic shear bands (ASBs), strain-induced martensitic transformation (SIMT), and dynamic recrystallization (DRX) on the properties of the HEECs. A distinct non-uniformity in the distribution of plastic deformation was observed. Additionally, the effects of varying explosive loading on the microstructural evolution, mechanical properties, and energy utilization efficiency of the composites were investigated. The micro-wavy HEEC fabricated using parameters near the lower limit of the weldability window exhibits the optimal overall performance. To achieve superior performance and cost-effectiveness in the HEECs, the welding parameters should strictly adhere to the lower-limit criterion for EXW. This study provides valuable insights for accurately elucidating the microstructural evolution of HEECs and facilitating their sustainable manufacturing.
Lin et al. (Wed,) studied this question.