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Precipitation hardening is an effective way to improve the functional stability of NiTi shape memory alloys. The precipitates, mainly Ni₄Ti₃, could be introduced by aging treatment in Ni-rich NiTi alloys. However, the presence of Ni₄Ti₃ precipitates could disturb the transformation behavior, resulting in the multi-stage martensitic transformation (MMT). With the presence of MMT, it is difficult to control the transformation behavior, and thus limits the applicability of NiTi alloys. In this work, previous efforts on explaining the observed MMT are summarized. The difficulties in developing a unified explanation are discussed, and a possible way to avoid the MMT is proposed.

Nickel-Titanium (Ni-Ti) thin films have gained a lot of attention due to their unique features, such as the shape memory effect. Micro-actuators, micro-valve, micro-fluid pumps, bio-medical applications, and electronic applications have a lot of interest in these smart thin films. Sputter-deposited NiTi thin films have shown the potential to be very useful as a powerful actuator in micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) because of their large recovery forces and high recoverable strains. Despite the advancement of improved deposition methods for the NiTi thin films, there are still certain unsolved challenges that impede accurate composition control throughout the deposition process. Many applications, spanning from the aerospace industries to a range of nanotechnologies, require knowledge of the sputtering characteristics of the materials that are subjected to bombardment, ejection, and deposition of ions. In recent decades, atomic scale modeling has been given a high emphasis in ion sputtering research, providing an adequate and precise description of collision cascades in solids using the Stopping and Range of Ions in Matter (SRIM) and Transport of Ions in Matter (TRIM). In this paper, SRIM is used to address how the heavy ions interact with the target materials. A variety of ion-solid interaction characteristics, including the sputter yield, have been determined by simulating collision cascades in the solids. On the other hand, TRIM was used to describe the range of ions that enter into the matter and cause damage to the target throughout the process. The simulation was carried out to compare the sputtering yield of Ni and Ti by varying the energy input (from 300V to 1300V). SRIM simulation was conducted by varying the thickness of the film, the angle of incidence of ions, and the energy involved in the sputtering process. The characterization of the films has been carried out using Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM) to comprehend the surface and interface morphologies of the films and to validate the simulated results. With an increase in energy input (target voltage), the sputtering yield increased. The sputtering yield of the Ni target was higher than the Ti target indicating that Ni can be removed relatively easier than Ti.

The present study investigates the superelasticity properties of spark plasma sintered (SPS) nickel titanium shape memory alloy (NiTi SMA) with the influence of sintering temperature and particle size. The nanoindentation is conducted on the surface of the NiTi SMA at various loads such as 100, 300 and 500mN. The nanoindentation technique determines the quantitative results of elasto-plastic properties such as depth recovery in the form of superelasticity, stiffness, hardness and work recovery ratio from load–depth ($P$–$h$) data during loading and unloading of the indenter. Experimental findings show that the depth and work recovery ratio increases with the decrease of indentation load and particle size. In contrast, increasing the sintering temperature exhibited a better depth and work recovery due to the removal of pores which could enhance the reverse transformation. The contact stiffness is influenced by $dp∕dh$ which leads to attain a maximum stiffness at the highest load (500mN) and particle size (45$\mu$m) along with the lowest sintering temperature (700^∘C). NiTi alloy exhibited a maximum hardness of 9.46GPa when subjected to indent at the lowest load and particle size sintered at 800^∘C. The present study reveals a better superelastic behavior in NiTi SMA by reducing the particle size and indentation load associated with the enhancement of sintering temperature.

The NiTi claddings by tungsten inert gas (TIG) with Ni and Cu interlayer were manufactured to resist the cavitation erosion-corrosion (CEC). The cavitation test, the open circuit potential and the potentiodynamic polarization measurements were used to study the synergistic effect among cavitation erosion (CE) and corrosion for the NiTi claddings. After the CEC test for 11h, the cumulative mass loss of 304 stainless steel is 5 and 1.15 times that of NiTi-Ni-TIG cladding and NiTi-Cu-TIG cladding, respectively. In NiTi-Cu-TIG cladding, the galvanic corrosion between the Cu-Ti intermetallics and the B2 phase causes the anodic dissolution of the Cu-Ti intermetallics, and results in the B2 phase losing support and spalling off during the CEC test. In contrast, NiTi-Ni-TIG cladding can be used against the CEC because of its uniform microstructure, no Cu-rich area and the effect of corrosion on CE of NiTi-Ni-TIG cladding is small.

Laser welding is a suitable joining technique for shape memory alloys (SMAs). This paper reports the existence of shape memory effect (SME) on laser welded NiTi joints, subjected to bending tests, and correlates this effect with the microstructural analysis performed with X-ray diffraction (XRD). All welded samples were able to recover their initial shape after bending to 180°, which is a remarkable result for industrial applications of NiTi involving laser welding.

The severe nonlinear behavior caused by the martensitic transformation (MT) and subsequent plastic deformation (PD) of detwinned martensite leads to a complex local stress redistribution at the location of stress risers of superelastic shape memory alloy (SMA) components. Nevertheless, in the literature, the simple linear elastic fracture mechanics (LEFM) equations are widely used in the evaluation of the fracture response of superelastic components which has resulted in obvious conflicts between the conclusions regarding the effect of MT on the fracture parameters, i.e. stress intensity factor (SIF) and material toughness. Furthermore, the linear elasticity method is frequently used in the literature to calculate the stress intensity range ($\mathrm{\Delta }K$) when the fatigue crack growth rate dependence on $\mathrm{\Delta }K$ ($da∕dN-\mathrm{\Delta }K$) is being evaluated. Moreover, the PD followed by MT is poorly considered in the fracture mechanics of SMAs. This paper presents a numerical investigation on the role of both MT and PD, as well as the notch acuity, on the evolution of notch-tip stresses and strains and stress concentration factor ($K_{\mathrm{\text{tn}}}$) upon the incremental application of the macroscopic tensile load on a thin NiTi notched superelastic ribbon, to mimic the effects of MT and PD on the SIF of superelastic parts. It is revealed that MT results in drastic deviations of the notch-tip stress, as well as the stress concentration factor ($K_{\mathrm{\text{tn}}}$), from that obtained in LEFM. Due to the heterogeneous evolution of MT, the trend of the deviations is not regular and unique upon monotonic external loading. Accordingly, the results represent the ineffectiveness of the LEFM method in the evolution of the stress concentration factor (hence, the SIF) and toughness in monotonic loading, as well as the stress intensity range ($\mathrm{\Delta }K$) under fatigue loading in SMA components.

Owing to geometrical non-uniformity, geometrically graded shape memory alloy (SMA) structures by design have the ability to exhibit different and novel thermal and mechanical behaviors compared to geometrically uniform conventional SMAs. This paper reports a study of the pseudoelastic behavior of geometrically graded NiTi plates. This geometrical gradient creates partial stress gradient over stress-induced martensitic transformation, providing enlarged stress controlling interval for shape memory actuation. Finite element modeling framework has been established to predict the deformation behavior of such structures in tensile loading cycles, which was validated by experiments. The modeling results show that the transformation mostly propagates along the gradient direction as the loading level increases.

The finite element analysis (FEA) of porous NiTi shape memory alloys (SMAs) remains a challenge due to irregularity and complexity of pore structure. In this paper, the real finite element model (FEM) is established based on the geometrical reconstruction. Through a SMA constitutive model, the mechanical behavior and stress-induced martensitic (SIM) phase transformation are analyzed with the real FEM. The results show that the stress–strain curve of FEA is in good agreement with the experimental curve and the calculation can reflect the mechanical behavior well in the compressive process. With the increase of load, the SIM first appears pore walls or weak parts of struts, then spreads to the center of matrix, and finally happens to most of matrix. When the slope of the stress–strain curve shows obvious changes, the SIM has happened in quite a part of matrix.

This paper reports experimental study on the hardness and wear behavior of NiTi Thin Film Shape Memory Alloy (SMA) at micrometer scales. A triboindenter (Hysitron Inc., Minneapolis, USA) was used to conduct a series of indentations under various loads (the corresponding maximum indentation depth from 18.52nm to 333.53nm) and wear by scanning scratch method at temperatures from 25°C to 120°C. It was found that with increasing temperature, the hardness of NiTi thin film increased while its wear resistance decreased. The observed anomalous variation of wear resistance with hardness value is further analyzed by the interplay of phase transition and plasticity.

The thermomechanical behavior of shape memory alloys is now well mastered. However, a hindrance to their sustainable use is the lack of knowledge of their fracture behavior. With the aim of filling this partial gap, fracture tests on edge-cracked specimens in NiTi have been made. Particular attention was paid to determine the phase transformation zones in the vicinity of the crack tip. In one hand, experimental kinematic fields are observed using digital image correlation showing strain localization around the crack tip. In the other hand, an analytical prediction, based on a modified equivalent stress criterion and taking into account the asymmetric behavior of shape memory alloys in tension-compression, provides shape and size of transformation outset zones. Experimental results are relatively in agreement with our analytical modeling.

Shape memory alloys (SMA) show several interesting features in their material behavior which are due to martensitic phase transformation. In NiTi, this transformation covers the three crystallographic phases of austenite, martensite, and R-phase. This publication analyzes the influence of the R-phase formation on the overall material behavior by means of a micromechanical model. The model is based on energy minimization with the assumption of a certain energy dissipation when martensite is formed. To simplify the formulation, the dissipation associated with the transformation between austenite and R-phase is neglected, since the geometrical change in unit cell geometry is relatively small in this case. Numerical simulations show that especially the slope reduction in the stress–strain curve, which is known from experiments, can be explained by R-phase formation.

Effect of Al₂O₃ nanoparticles (80 nm) on the grain structure and phase formation in Ni-50Ti system during high-energy mechanical alloying (MA) was studied. While the formation of NiTi B2 phase occurs progressively during MA, it is shown that the hard inclusions cause abrupt phase formation at short milling times, particularly at higher nano-Al₂O₃ contents. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy showed significant grain refinement in the presence of alumina nanoparticles to sizes less than 10 nm, which precedes the formation of semicrystalline structure and reduces the diffusion length and thus accelerates the phase formation. The composite powder reached steady-state MA condition at shorter milling times with finer grain structure and higher hardness.