Cyclic fibre texture in hot extruded Ni50Mn29Ga21

The cyclic texture in polycrystalline 5M Ni50Mn29Ga21 magnetic shape-memory alloy fabricated by hot extrusion was investigated with high-energy synchrotron radiation, neutron diffraction, and electron backscatter diffraction. Combination of these techniques reveals that the texture of the hot extruded sample is quite complex. It is composed of components related to the radial direction and rotated around the extrusion axis. Additionally, the dominant texture components change from the centre to the edge of the rod. The recrystallized grains contain many twins with the trace of the twin boundaries preferentially aligned along the extrusion and radial direction showing the cyclic nature of the texture and microstructure. The results are discussed with respect to deformation mode, phase transformations, starting grain structure, and texture.