Skip to main content

Advertisement

Log in

Microstructural Evolution of Superelasticity in Shape Memory Alloys

  • Original Research
  • Published:
Multiscale Science and Engineering Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Superelasticity in shape memory alloys (SMAs) is an important feature which caused by martensitic transformation and microstructural evolution. The composition of crystal variants and microstructures during the superelasticity process are simulated by molecular dynamics in the current work. Then, a computational post-processing scheme, which can identify variants type and interface orientation are proposed. This method reveals that the crystal adopts a multi-phase mixture during the superelsticity process, including many crystal systems, such as orthorhombic (O), R-phase (R), monoclinic (M) and body-centered-orthorhombic (BCO). In addition, the interface normal vectors between two different variants are examined by the compatibility equation, and the result has good agreement. The stress–strain curve, volume fraction for present variants and total energy diagram are illustrated. The microstructural evolution shows that R phase can serve as the transitional region between pairs of BCO variants. The variants O, BCO, M phase coherent between each other with specific pattern to form twinned arrangement. Furthermore, different random seeds for the initial velocity of the atoms, are used in the simulation to obtain equivalent microstructural evolution paths. The corresponding macroscopic properties are analyzed. The microstructural evolution path can have different energy barrier of initialization, which also leads to different present variant in the crystal. The results discovered in the current work are expected to provides design guidelines for the applications in SMAs.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Y. Zheng, B. Huang, J. Zhang, L. Zhao, The microstructure and linear superelasticity of cold-drawn TiNi alloy. Mater. Sci. Eng. A 279(1–2), 25–35 (2000)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Y. Liu, Detwinning process and its anisotropy in shape memory alloys. Proc. SPIE 4234, 1–12 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1117/12.424392

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. O. Kastner, G. Eggeler, W. Weiss, G.J. Ackland, Molecular dynamics simulation study of microstructure evolution during cyclic martensitic transformations. J. Mech. Phys. Solids 59(9), 1888–1908 (2011)

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

  4. G.P.P. Pun, Y. Mishin, Molecular dynamics simulation of the martensitic phase transformation in NiAl alloys. J. Phys. Condens. Matter 22(39), 395403 (2010)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. J. Diani, K. Gall, Molecular dynamics simulations of the shape-memory behaviour of polyisoprene. Smart Mater. Struct. 16(5), 1575–1583 (2007)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. A.P. Sutton, J. Chen, Long-range Finnis–Sinclair potentials. Philos. Mag. Lett. 61(3), 139–146 (1990)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Y. Zhong, K. Gall, T. Zhu, Atomistic study of nanotwins in NiTi shape memory alloys. J. Appl. Phys. 110(3), 033532 (2011)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. J. Wu, C. Yang, N.T. Tsou, Identification of crystal variants in shape-memory alloys using molecular dynamics simulations. Multiscale Multiphys. Mech. 1(3), 271–284 (2016)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. K. Bhattacharya, Microstructure of Martensite: Why It Forms and How It Gives Rise to the Shape-Memory Effect, vol. 2 (Oxford University Press, 2003)

  10. J.M. Ball, R.D. James, Fine phase mixtures as minimizers of energy. Arch. Ration. Mech. Anal. 100(1), 13–52 (1987)

    Article  MathSciNet  MATH  Google Scholar 

  11. M.W. Finnis, J.E. Sinclair, A simple empirical N-body potential for transition metals. Philos. Mag. A 50(1), 45–55 (1984)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. J.M. Kim, R. Locker, G.C. Rutledge, Plastic deformation of semicrystalline polyethylene under extension, compression, and shear using molecular dynamics simulation. Macromolecules 47(7), 2515–2528 (2014)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. C.-W. Yang, N.-T. Tsou, Microstructural analysis and molecular dynamics modeling of shape memory alloys. Comput. Mater. Sci. 131, 293–300 (2017)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. R. Mirzaeifar, K. Gall, T. Zhu, A. Yavari, R. Desroches, Structural transformations in NiTi shape memory alloy nanowires. J. Appl. Phys. 115(19), 194307 (2014)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. X. Huang, G.J. Ackland, K.M. Rabe, Crystal structures and shape-memory behaviour of NiTi. Nat. Mater. 2, 307–311 (2003)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. K. Parlinski, M. Parlinska-Wojtan, Lattice dynamics of NiTi austenite, martensite, and R phase. Phys. Rev. B 66(6), 064307 (2002)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. S. Kibey, H. Sehitoglu, D.D. Johnson, Energy landscape for martensitic phase transformation in shape memory NiTi. Acta Mater. 57(5), 1624–1629 (2009)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. N. Hatcher, O.Y. Kontsevoi, A.J. Freeman, Role of elastic and shear stabilities in the martensitic transformation path of NiTi. Phys. Rev. B Condens. Matter Mater. Phys. 80(14), 144203 (2009)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. L. Wang, C. Wang, L.-C. Zhang, L. Chen, W. Lu, D. Zhang, Phase transformation and deformation behavior of NiTi–Nb eutectic joined NiTi wires. Sci. Rep. 6, 23905 (2016)

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The authors wish to acknowledge the support of the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST), Taiwan, Grant no. MOST 104-2628-E-009-004-MY2. We would also like to thank the National Center for High-performance Computing (NCHC) of the National Applied Research Laboratories (NARLabs) of Taiwan for providing a computational platform.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Nien-Ti Tsou.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Lai, MJ., Lu, HY. & Tsou, NT. Microstructural Evolution of Superelasticity in Shape Memory Alloys. Multiscale Sci. Eng. 1, 141–149 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42493-018-00010-0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s42493-018-00010-0

Keywords

Navigation