The emergence of ferrous-medium entropy alloys (FeMEAs) with excellent tensile properties represents a potential direction for designing alloys based on metastable engineering. In this study, an FeMEA is successfully fabricated using laser powder bed fusion (LPBF), a metal additive manufacturing technology. Tensile tests are conducted on the LPBF-processed FeMEA at room temperature and cryogenic temperatures (77 K). At 77 K, the LPBF-processed FeMEA exhibits high yield strength and excellent ultimate tensile strength through active deformation-induced martensitic transformation. Furthermore, due to the low stability of the face-centered cubic (FCC) phase of the LPBFprocessed FeMEA based on nano-scale solute heterogeneity, stress-induced martensitic transformation occurs, accompanied by the appearance of a yield point phenomenon during cryogenic tensile deformation. This study elucidates the origin of the yield point phenomenon and deformation behavior of the FeMEA at 77 K.

High-entropy alloys (HEAs) are characterized by having five or more main elements and forming simple solids without forming intermetallic compounds, owing to the high entropy effect. HEAs with these characteristics are being researched as structural materials for extreme environments. Conventional refractory alloys have excellent hightemperature strength and stability; however, problems occur when they are used extensively in a high-temperature environment, leading to reduced fatigue properties due to oxidation or a limited service life. In contrast, refractory entropy alloys, which provide refractory properties to entropy alloys, can address these issues and improve the hightemperature stability of the alloy through phase control when designed based on existing refractory alloy elements. Refractory high-entropy alloys require sufficient milling time while in the process of mechanical alloying because of the brittleness of the added elements. Consequently, the high-energy milling process must be optimized because of the possibility of contamination of the alloyed powder during prolonged milling. In this study, we investigated the hightemperature oxidation behavior of refractory high-entropy alloys while optimizing the milling time.

This research examines the effect of adding aluminum on the structural, phasic, and magnetic properties of CoCrFe NiMnAlx high-entropy alloys. To this aim, the arc-melt process was used under an argon atmosphere for preparing cast samples. The phasic, structural, and magnetic properties of the samples were characterized by x-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and vibrational magnetometry (VSM) analyses. Based on the results, the addition of aluminum to the compound caused changes in the crystalline structure, from FCC solid solution in the CoCrFeNiMn sample to CoCrFeNiMnAl BBC solid solution. It was associated with changes in the magnetic property of CoCrFeNiMnAlx high-entropy alloys, from paramagnetic to ferromagnetic. The maximum saturation magnetization for the CoCrFeNiMnAl casting sample was estimated to be around 79 emu/g. Despite the phase stability of the FCC solid solution with temperature, the solid solution phase formed in the CrCrFeNiMnAl high-entropy compound was not stable, and changed into FCC solid solution with temperature elevation, causing a reduction in saturation magnetization to about 7 emu/g.

High-entropy alloys (HEAs) are attracting attention because of their excellent properties and functions; however, they are relatively expensive compared with commercial alloys. Therefore, various efforts have been made to reduce the cost of raw materials. In this study, MIM is attempted using coarse equiatomic CoCrFeMnNi HEA powders. The mixing ratio (powder:binder) for HEA feedstock preparation is explored using torque rheometer. The block-shaped green parts are fabricated through a metal injection molding process using feedstock. The thermal debinding conditions are explored by thermogravimetric analysis, and solvent and thermal debinding are performed. It is densified under various sintering conditions considering the melting point of the HEA. The final product, which contains a small amount of non-FCC phase, is manufactured at a sintering temperature of 1250oC.

This study investigates the interfacial reaction between powder-metallurgy high-entropy alloys (HEAs) and cast aluminum. HEA pellets are produced by the spark plasma sintering of Al0.5CoCrCu0.5FeNi HEA powder. These sintered pellets are then placed in molten Al, and the phases formed at the interface between the HEA pellets and cast Al are analyzed. First, Kirkendall voids are observed due to the difference in the diffusion rates between the liquid Al and solid HEA phases. In addition, although Co, Fe, and Ni atoms, which have low mixing enthalpies with Al, diffuse toward Al, Cu atoms, which have a high mixing enthalpy with Al, tend to form Al–Cu intermetallic compounds. These results provide guidelines for designing Al matrix composites containing high-entropy phases.

The CoCrFeMnNi high-entropy alloy (HEA), which is the most widely known HEA with a single facecentered cubic structure, has attracted significant academic attention over the past decade owing to its outstanding multifunctional performance. Recent studies have suggested that CoCrFeMnNi-type HEAs exhibit excellent printability for selective laser melting (SLM) under a wide range of process conditions. Moreover, it has been suggested that SLM can not only provide great topological freedom of design but also exhibit excellent mechanical properties by overcoming the strength–ductility trade-off via producing a hierarchical heterogeneous microstructure. In this regard, the SLM-processed CoCrFeMnNi HEA has been extensively studied to comprehensively understand the mechanisms of microstructural evolution and resulting changes in mechanical properties. In this review, recent studies on CoCrFeMnNi-type HEAs produced using SLM are discussed with respect to process-induced microstructural evolution and the relationship between hierarchical heterogeneous microstructure and mechanical properties.

Recently, high-entropy carbides have attracted considerable attention owing to their excellent physical and chemical properties such as high hardness, fracture toughness, and conductivity. However, as an emerging class of novel materials, the synthesis methods, performance, and applications of high-entropy carbides have ample scope for further development. In this study, equiatomic (Hf-Ti-Ta-Zr-Nb)C high-entropy carbide powders have been prepared by an ultrahigh- energy ball-milling (UHEBM) process with different milling times (1, 5, 15, 30, and 60 min). Further, their refinement behavior and high-entropy synthesis potential have been investigated. With an increase in the milling time, the particle size rapidly reduces (under sub-micrometer size) and homogeneous mixing of the prepared powder is observed. The distortions in the crystal lattice, which occur as a result of the refinement process and the multicomponent effect, are found to improve the sintering, thereby notably enhancing the formation of a single-phase solid solution (high-entropy). Herein, we present a procedure for the bulk synthesis of highly pure, dense, and uniform FCC single-phase (Fm3m crystal structure) (Hf-Ti-Ta-Zr-Nb)C high-entropy carbide using a milling time of 60 min and a sintering temperature of 1,600oC.

본 연구는 머신러닝 기법을 토대로 15개 환경 변수를 활용하여 소나무재선충병의 위험지역 분포를 예측하였다. 연구는 최대 엔트로피 모델을 머신러닝 기법으로 활용하였고, 연구 지역은 경주이며 연구 기간은 2018∼2020년이다. 모델의 평가에는 AUC(area under the curve)를 이용하였다. 연구 지역에서 소나무재선충병의 감염목 핵심 분포 지역은 2018년 대비 2019년과 2020년에 각각 2.5배와 4.7배 확대되었다. 소나무재선충병의 감염목 분포 추정 모델의 AUC는 모든 해에 최소 0.86 이상이었다. 모델에서 가장 중요한 변수는 직전 해의 감염목 근접도 이었다. 지형과 도로와의 인접성, 목조건물 인접성, 5월 평균 기온도 중요한 변수이었다. 인간 활동과 매개충의 생장 환경이 소나무재선충병의 공간적 분포에 중요한 역할을 한다는 것을 의미한다. 나아가 연구의 결과는 감염목 분포 정보의 지속적인 구축과 공유가 소나무재선충병 예방을 위한 정책과 연구에 중요하다는 것을 시사한다.

The water supply facilities of Korea have achieved a rapid growth, along with the other social infrastructures consisting a city, due to the phenomenon of urbanization according to economic development. Meanwhile, the level of water supply service demanded by consumer is also steadily getting higher in keeping with economic growth. However, as an adverse effect of rapid growth, the quantity of aged water supply pipes are increasing rapidly, Bursts caused by pipe aging brought about an enormous economic loss of about 6,161 billion won as of 2019. These problems are not only worsening water supply management, also increasing the regional gap in water supply services. The purpose of this study is to classify hazard evaluation indicators and to rank the water distribution network hazard by cluster using the TOPSIS method. In conclusion, in this study, the entropy-based multi-criteria decision-making methods was applied to rank the hazard management of the water distribution network, and the hazard management ranking for each cluster according to the water supply conditions of the county-level municipalities was determined according to the evaluation indicators of water outage, water leakage, and pipe aging. As such, the hazard ranking method proposed in this study can consider various factors that can impede the tap water supply service in the water distribution network from a macroscopic point of view, and it can be reflected in evaluating the degree of hazard management of the water distribution network from a preventive point of view. Also, it can be utilized in the implementation of the maintenance plan and water distribution network management project considering the equity of water supply service and the stability of service supply.

We fabricate the non-equiatomic high-entropy alloy (NE-HEA) Fe49.5Mn30Co10Cr10C0.5 (at.%) using spark plasma sintering under various sintering conditions. Each elemental pure powder is milled by high-energy ball milling to prepare NE-HEA powder. The microstructure and mechanical properties of the sintered samples are investigated using various methods. We use the X-ray diffraction (XRD) method to investigate the microstructural characteristics. Quantitative phase analysis is performed by direct comparison of the XRD results. A tensile test is used to compare the mechanical properties of small samples. Next, electron backscatter diffraction analysis is performed to analyze the phase fraction, and the results are compared to those of XRD analysis. By combining different sintering durations and temperature conditions, we attempt to identify suitable spark plasma sintering conditions that yield mechanical properties comparable with previously reported values. The samples sintered at 900 and 1000oC with no holding time have a tensile strength of over 1000 MPa.

High-entropy alloys have excellent mechanical properties under extreme environments, rendering them promising candidates for next-generation structural materials. It is desirable to develop non-equiatomic high-entropy alloys that do not require many expensive or heavy elements, contrary to the requirements of typical high-entropy alloys. In this study, a non-equiatomic high-entropy alloy powder Fe49.5Mn30Co10Cr10C0.5 (at.%) is prepared by high energy ball milling and fabricated by spark plasma sintering. By combining different ball milling times and ball-topowder ratios, we attempt to find a proper mechanical alloying condition to achieve improved mechanical properties. The milled powder and sintered specimens are examined using X-ray diffraction to investigate the progress of mechanical alloying and microstructural changes. A miniature tensile specimen after sintering is used to investigate the mechanical properties. Furthermore, quantitative analysis of the microstructure is performed using electron backscatter diffraction.

In this study, we report the microstructure and characterization of Ta20Nb20V20W20Ti20 high-entropy alloy powders and sintered samples. The effects of milling time on the microstructure and mechanical properties were investigated in detail. Microstructure and structural characterization were performed by scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. The mechanical properties of the sintered samples were analyzed through a compressive test at room temperature with a strain rate of 1 × 10−4 s−1. The microstructure of sintered Ta20Nb20V20W20Ti20 high-entropy alloy is composed of a BCC phase and a TiO phase. A better combination of compressive strength and strain was achieved by using prealloyed Ta20Nb20V20W20Ti20 powder with low oxygen content. The results suggest that the oxide formed during the sintering process affects the mechanical properties of Ta20Nb20V20W20Ti20 high-entropy alloys, which are related to the interfacial stability between the BCC matrix and TiO phase.

High-entropy alloys (HEAs) are generally defined as solid solutions containing at least 5 constituent elements with concentrations between 5 and 35 atomic percent without the formation of intermetallic compounds. Currently, HEAs receive great attention as promising candidate materials for extreme environments due to their potentially desirable properties that result from their unique structural properties. In this review paper, we aim to introduce HEAs and explain their properties and related research by classifying them into three main categories, namely, mechanical properties, thermal properties, and electrochemical properties. Due to the high demand for structural materials in extreme environments, the mechanical properties of HEAs including strength, hardness, ductility, fatigue, and wear resistance are mainly described. Thermal and electrochemical properties, essential for the application of these alloys as structural materials, are also described.

Additive manufacturing (AM) is a highly innovative method for joining dissimilar materials for industrial applications. In the present work, AM of STS630 and Ti-6Al-4V powder alloys on medium entropy alloys (MEAs) NiCrCo and NiCrCoMn is studied. The STS630 and Ti64 powders are deposited on the MEAs. Joint delamination and cracks are observed after the deposition of Ti64 on the MEAs, whereas the deposition of STS630 on the MEAs is successful, without any cracks and joint delamination. The microstructure around the fusion zone interface is characterized by scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. Intermetallic compounds are formed at the interfacial regions of MEA-Ti64 samples. In addition, Vicker’s hardness value increased dramatically at the joint interface between MEAs and Ti-6Al-4V compared to that between MEAs and STS630. This result is attributed to the brittle nature of the joint, which can lead to a decrease in the joint strength.

This study investigates the microstructural properties of CoCrFeMnNi high entropy alloy (HEA) oxynitride thin film. The HEA oxynitride thin film is grown by the magnetron sputtering method using nitrogen and oxygen gases. The grown CoCrFeMnNi HEA film shows a microstructure with nanocrystalline regions of 5~20 nm in the amorphous region, which is confirmed by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM). From the TEM electron diffraction pattern analysis crystal structure is determined to be a face centered cubic (FCC) structure with a lattice constant of 0.491 nm, which is larger than that of CoCrFeMnNi HEA. The HEA oxynitride film shows a single phase in which constituting elements are distributed homogeneously as confirmed by element mapping using a Cs-corrected scanning TEM (STEM). Mechanical properties of the CoCrFeMnNi HEA oxynitride thin film are addressed by a nano indentation method, and a hardness of 8.13 GPa and a Young’s modulus of 157.3 GPa are obtained. The observed high hardness value is thought to be the result of hardening due to the nanocrystalline microstructure.

In this paper, a new Co10Fe10Mn35Ni35Zn10 high entropy alloy (HEA) is identified as a strong candidate for the single face-centered cubic (FCC) structure screened using the upgraded TCFE2000 thermodynamic CALPHAD database. The Co10Fe10Mn35Ni35Zn10 HEA is fabricated using the mechanical (MA) procedure and pressure-less sintering method. The Co10Fe10Mn35Ni35Zn10 HEA, which consists of elements with a large difference in melting point and atomic size, is successfully fabricated using powder metallurgy techniques. The MA behavior, microstructure, and mechanical properties of the Co10Fe10Mn35Ni35Zn10 HEA are systematically studied to understand the MA behavior and develop advanced techniques for fabricating HEA products. After MA, a single FCC phase is found. After sintering at 900℃, the microstructure has an FCC single phase with an average grain size of 18 μm. Finally, the Co10Fe10Mn35Ni35Zn10 HEA has a compressive yield strength of 302 MPa.

비래해충인 혹명나방(Cnaphalocrocis medinalis)과 멸강나방(Mythimna separata)은 아시아의 주요 벼 재배국가에 광범위하게 분포하고 있는 벼의 주요 해충이다. 국내에서는 벼멸구, 흰등멸구와 함께 중국에서 비래하여 나타나는 것으로 알려져 있다. 혹명나방과 멸강나방의 발생지역과 통계적으로 유의미한 상관관계에 있는 환경변수를 확인하고, 국내에서의 지속적인 발생 가능성을 알아보기 위해 Maxent (Maximum Entropy Model) 3.3.2를 사용하였다.

Loan consultants assist clients with loan application processing and loan decisions. Their duties may include contacting people to ask if they want a loan, meeting with loan applicants and explaining different loan options. We studied the efficiency of service quality of loan consultants contracted to a bank in Korea. They do not work as a team, but do work independently. Since he/she is not an employee of the bank, the consultant is paid solely in proportion to how much he/she sell loans. In this study, a consultant is considered as a decision making unit (DMU) in the DEA (Data Envelopment Analysis) model. We use a principal component analysis-data envelopment analysis (PCA-DEA) model integrated with Shannon’s Entropy to evaluate quality efficiency of the consultants. We adopt a three-stage process to calculate the efficiency of service quality of the consultants. In the first stage, we use PCA to obtain 6 synthetic indicators, including 4 input indicators and 2 output indicators, from survey results in which questionnaire items are constructed on the basis of SERVQUAL model. In the second stage, 3 DEA models allowing negative values are used to calculate the relative efficiency of each DMU. In the third stage, the weight of each result is calculated on the basis of Shannon’s Entropy theory, and then we generate a comprehensive efficiency score using it. An example illustrates the proposed process of evaluating the relative quality efficiency of the loan consultants and how to use the efficiency to improve the service quality of the consultants.