High-resolution in-situ characterization of the surface evolution of a polycrystalline NiTi SMA-alloy under pseudoelastic deformation

The current study addresses the relation between grain orientations, local strain concentrations and resulting topographical changes in NiTi on the meso- and microscale by means of a comprehensive experimental in-situ approach, involving electron backscatter diffraction, confocal laser scanning microscopy and digital image correlation. The findings presented herein clearly show that this approach is capable of identifying the relationships between the microstructural features and phase transformation-induced topographical evolutions, which govern defect formation in thin protective coatings. (C) 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.