A cyclic integrated microstructural-mechanical model for a shape memory alloy

Shape memory alloys are able to recover the initial shape even after a large deformation. The memory property is due to the ability to change the microstructure under a variation of the stress state or the temperature. The stress-strain curve is characterized by the presence of a stage where the slope of the curve sharply decreases and the initial microstructure transforms into a new one. In this work, an integrated microstructural-mechanical model is proposed for the equiatomic NiTi shape memory alloy, that is suitable to predict the cyclic behaviour of a pseudoelastic shape memory alloy starting from the microstructure composition.

Automated summary

Shape memory alloys have the ability to recover their initial shape due to their memory property of changing microstructure. This study proposes an integrated microstructural-mechanical model for equiatomic NiTi shape memory alloy.