Nanoindentation/atomic force microscopy analyses of ε-martensitic transformation and shape memory effect in Fe-28Mn-6Si-5Cr alloy

Nanoindentation was conducted to investigate the stress-induced epsilon-martensitic transformation behavior and the shape memory effect in a Fe-28Mn-6Si-5Cr alloy. The shape memory effect was evaluated from the volume change in an indent mark caused by annealing measured by atomic force microscopy. Using the load-displacement (P-h) data obtained from nanoindentation, the plot of P/h vs. h showed two types of slopes, corresponding to the epsilon-martensitic transformation and slip deformation, and exhibited a correlation with the shape recovery ratio. (C) 2011 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.