TiC-reinforced CoCrFeMnNi composite processed by cold-consolidation and subsequent annealing

[Display omitted] •Powder metallurgy-based fabrication route to produce HEA-matrix composites.•Cold consolidation using high-pressure torsion.•High densification of 99.5% and uniform distribution of TiC nanoparticles.•High hardness due to full densification, nano-grained HEA-matrix, and TiC particles. Nanostructured CoCrFeMnNi high-entropy alloy (HEA) reinforced with TiC nanoparticles was fabricated through cold-consolidation using high-pressure torsion followed by annealing. The microstructural and hardness evolutions of the HEA-TiC composite have been compared with the monolithic HEA sample (without TiC) fabricated by a similar route. The HEA-TiC composite with high densification of 99.5% and uniform distribution of TiC nanoparticles showed retarded grain growth due to the pinning effect and enhanced hardness compared to monolithic HEA. The HPT cold consolidation fabrication route can be utilized to produce various HEA-matrix composites.