Cyclic plasticity and deformation mechanism of AlCrCuFeNi high entropy alloy

High entropy alloys (HEAs) are newer siblings of multi-component metallic compound alloys with high tensile strength and ductility. The impact of temperature and strain rates under cyclic plasticity of AlCrCuFeNi HEA are investigated using molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. The modeling results show that interactions between partial dislocations in AlCrCuFeNi HEA during cycle deformation cause various lattice disorders. The impact of Bauschinger in the HEA is minimized by lattice disorder, which prevents dislocations from moving in reverse. Temperature, strain rates, and the twin boundary significantly impact Bauschinger's effect, which influences the plasticity cycle of AlCrCuFeNi. Furthermore, the effect of temperature, strain rates, and grain boundaries on lattice disorder is disclosed. The current study provides new insights into the mechanical property of AlCrCuFeNi HEA subjected to cyclic plasticity and deformation mechanism with atomic size. •The cyclic plasticity and deformation mechanism of AlCrCuFeNi high entropy alloy is studied.•The HEA has more significant yield stress under compressive loading than it under tensile loading.•The average evolutions of dislocation densities in single-crystal are larger than tensile stress in polycrystalline.•Total strain energy density decreases with increasing temperature.•The Bauschinger effect is significantly more pronounced when the temperature is raised.