Dislocation Dynamics and Shape in High Entropy Alloys: the Influence of Stress Correlations, Long-Range Interactions and Anisotropy

Abstract: High entropy alloys gained significant scientific interest in recent years due to their enhanced mechanical properties including high yield strength combined with outstanding ductility. The strength of these materials originates from their highly heterogeneous pinning stress fields that hinder dislocation glide, that is, plastic deformation. This work investigates how the correlations and the anisotropy of the pinning stresses, and the long-range nature and the anisotropy of dislocation interactions influence the propagation of dislocations and the depinning transition in these alloys. Furthermore, it is studied how the impact of these factors manifest in the shape of dislocations. The implications to the wider scope of generic disordered systems and to possible experimental applications are also discussed.