Landau theory for shape memory polycrystals

We propose a Ginzburg-Landau theory for the elastic properties of shape memory polycrystals. A single crystal elastic free energy for a system that undergoes a square-to-rectangle transformation is generalized to a polycrystal by introducing a crystal orientational field that is deter-mined from a continuum phase-field model. The coupled system is used to study domain morphology and mechanical properties of shape memory alloys in different temperature regimes. (C) 2003 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.