Abstract
This work studies how temperature, from the ambient temperature to 900 °C, affects the mechanical properties of Al 0.5 CoCrCuFeNi alloys in different wrought states. The alloy displayed a good workability by rolling and an excellent combination of strength and elongation at ambient temperature in both the as-cold-rolled and the 900 °C-annealed states as compared to those of 304 steel and Ti-6Al-4V. However, both as-rolled and as-annealed samples displayed intermediate embrittlement between 300 °C and 600 °C. The investigation of fractography, precipitate phases and the aging hardening response of the samples revealed the embrittlement mechanism: the BCC phase particles that precipitated from the supersaturated matrix and Cu-rich phases between 300 °C and 600 °C rendered the alloy of interest harder but more brittle. © 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.