Efficient Development of New High-entropy Alloys in Nuclear Energy Field

Huang He*, Shi Jie, Huang Huogen, Zhang Jiajia, Li Jinfeng, Fa Tao

Institute of Materials, China Academy of Engineering Physics

ABSTRACT: Nuclear energy represented by fusion and fission energies is an effective way to solve the future energy crisis of mankind. Due to its extreme operating conditions, higher performances of structural and functional materials are required for its safe and reliable operation. Focusing on the improvement of service performances of specific fusion/fission materials, the phase structure prediction and strength-toughness design of new nuclear energy high-entropy alloys are carried out based on high-throughput theoretical calculations. In terms of phase structure prediction, a rapid and accurate method for designing tungsten and uranium high-entropy alloys with single or dual solid solution phase was established by collecting the phase structure data of multi-alloys and using machine learning random forest algorithm. The XRD results verified the correctness of theoretical calculations; In terms of the strength-toughness design based on the stacking fault energy of different slip systems of BCC high-entropy alloys, the optimized principle of competition between the slipping and twinning stacking fault energies is proposed. The results of the compression mechanical properties of the tungsten and uranium high-entropy alloys show that the theoretical model possessed a better guide for designing the strength-toughness property of the high-entropy alloys with BCC structure. The rapid and accurate design of the phase structure and performance of the high-entropy alloys with BCC structure provides a unique way for developing the new random solid solution high-entropy alloys.

Keywords: uranium high-entropy alloys; tungsten high-entropy alloys; random forest; strength-toughness principle.