ESOMAT 2009, 02005 (2009)
DOI: 10.1051/esomat/200902005

Transmission electron microscopy study of low-hysteresis shape memory alloys

R. Delville¹, R. D. James², U. Salman³, A. Finel³ and D. Schryvers<sup>1

1</sup>  Electron Microscopy for Materials Science (EMAT), University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, B-2020 Antwerp, Belgium
²  Department of Aerospace Engineering and Mechanics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, USA
³  Laboratoire d'Etude des Microstructures, CNRS-ONERA, B.P.72, 92322 Châtillon Cedex, France

remi.delville@ua.ac.be

Published online: 1 September 2009

Abstract
Recent findings have linked low hysteresis in shape memory alloys with phase compatibility between austenite and martensite. In order to investigate the evolution of microstructure as the phase compatibility increases and the hysteresis is reduced, transmission electron microscopy was used to study the alloy system Ti₅₀Ni_50-xPd_x where the composition is systemically tuned to approach perfect compatibility. Changes in morphology, twinning density and twinning modes are reported along with special microstructures occurring when the compatibility is achieved. In addition, the interface between austenite and a single variant of martensite was studied by high-resolution and conventional electron microscopy. The atomically sharp, defect free, low energy configuration of the interface suggests that it plays an important role in the lowering of hysteresis. Finally, dynamical modeling of the martensitic transformation using the phase-field micro-elasticity model within the geometrically linear theory succeeded in reproducing the change in microstructure as the compatibility condition is satisfied. Latest results on the extension of these findings in other Ni-Ti based ternary/quaternary systems are also reported.

© Owned by the authors, published by EDP Sciences 2009