Magneto-optical spectroscopy of the martensitic transition in Fe48Mn24Ga28 Heusler alloys

Magneto-optical spectra of polycrystalline samples of the Fe₄₈Mn₂₄Ga₂₈ Heusler alloy undergoing martensitic transformation from the high-temperature paramagnetic austenitic to ferromagnetic martensitic phase have been studied at 50–320 K in the transversal Kerr effect geometry. A comparison of magnetooptical spectra with data obtained in magnetic measurements has demonstrated that the martensitic transition on the surface of a sample and in its bulk takes place in the same temperature interval. Magnetic anisotropy has been found in the martensitic phase driven by large multidomain inclusions of martensite in austenite. The magneto-optical signal of Fe₄₈Mn₂₄Ga₂₈ differs strongly in spectral shape from that measured in Ni-Mn-Ga.     

Confining concrete cylinders using shape memory alloy wires

This study proposed a new method to confine concrete cylinders or reinforced concrete columns using martensitic, Ti-49.7Ni (at %), or austenitic, Ti-50.3Ni (at %), shape-memory-alloy wires. Prestrained martensitic SMA wire was used to wrap a concrete cylinder and, then, was heated by a heating jacket. In the process, confining stress was developed around the cylinder by the SMA wire due to shape memory effect, which can increase the strength and ductility of the cylinder under axial compressive load. For austenitic shape memory wires, some prestraining was introduced in the wires during wrapping concrete cylinders on which post-tensioning stress was generated. In this study, 1.0 mm diameter of martensitic and austenitic SMA wire was used for confinement. Recovery tests were conducted for the martensitic and the austenitic shape memory wires to determine the recovery stress and superelastic behavior, respectively. The confinement by martensitic shape memory wires had increased the strength slightly and the ductility substantially. However, the austenitic shape memory wires only increased the ductility because the imposed prestress was too small. This study showed the potential of the proposed method to retrofit reinforced concrete columns using shape memory wires to protect themselves from earthquakes.     

Effect of Mn incorporation for Ni on the properties of melt spun off-stoichiometric compositions of NiMnGa alloys

The investigation addresses the effect of Mn incorporation for Ni on the properties of a series of Ni_77−xMn_xGa₂₃ (x=22-29; at%) ferromagnetic shape memory alloys prepared in the form of ribbons by a melt spinning technique. Phase transformation studies in these ribbons by differential scanning calorimetry revealed that austenitic start and martensitic start temperatures decreased with the increase in Mn content. The Curie temperature (T_C) of these alloys determined from thermal variation of magnetisations was found to rise with increasing Mn content. The martensitic transformation temperatures were above T_C in low Mn containing (x=22 and 23) alloys. Morphology observed through transmission electron microscopy manifested complex martensitic features in the alloy with x=22 while x=29 had an austenitic phase. The alloys with intermediate Mn content (x=24, 25) had overlapping magnetic and martensitic transformations close to room temperature. The thermal lag between austenitic and martensitic characteristic temperatures in these alloys has been corroborated to their structural state. X-ray diffraction indicated a predominant martensite phase and austenite phase in low and high Mn containing alloys respectively. In-situ diffraction studies during thermal cycle indicate martensite-austenite transformations.     

Peculiarities of Structure and Phase Composition of Ternary NiMn–NiTi Alloys with a Quasi-Binary Cross-Section

Russian Physics Journal - The influence of a chemical composition on the phase composition, stability, and crystal structure type of the austenitic and martensitic ternary NiMn–NiTi alloys...     

Characterization of defects in a martensitic CuAlNi shape-memory alloy

A water-quenched martensitic CuAlNi shape-memory alloy was investigated by a combination of coincidence Doppler broadening and positron-lifetime spectroscopy, supported by positron-lifetime calculations. We find a high defect concentration in the as-quenched samples. The positron-lifetime calculations suggest that the defects are not only single vacancies but also vacancies associated with dislocations and stacking faults. Annealing in the martensitic phase has no significant influence on the vacancy concentration but results in a different chemical environment around the vacancies. After aging in the austenitic phase the vacancy concentration decreases significantly. PACS 61.72.Ji; 78.70.Bj     

Pressure effect of magnetic and electronic properties of Mn2PtGa Heusler alloy

First-principles calculations are performed to investigate pressure effects on structure, magnetism, martensitic phase transition and Curie temperatures of Mn₂PtGa Heusler alloy in framework of the density functional theory. It is shown that Mn₂PtGa prefer to crystallize in the inverse Heusler type structure. Besides, we predict an extraordinary occurrence of pressure induced metallic ferrimagnetism to half-metallic ferromagnetism transition in cubic phase of Mn₂PtGa alloy under hydrostatic pressure up to 43 GPa and the half-metallic ferromagnetism is found to be robust even the lattice further compression to 90 GPa. However, with the pressure up to 100 GPa, the spin-down gap starts to close and the half metallicity begin to disappear, while with the pressure increasing from 100 GPa to 300 GPa, the alloy returns to metallic characteristic. In addition, the energy difference between the austenitic and martensitic phases is found to increase with increasing pressure followed by a decrease when pressure reaches to 43 GPa, which implies a variation trend of martensitic phase transition temperature. Furthermore, Curie temperatures in both austenitic and martensitic phases are estimated under pressure by using the standard mean-field approximation which agrees well with the theoretical results in literature. The robustness of the half metallicity, magnetic transition and the high Curie temperature under pressure make Mn₂PtGa alloy a promising candidate for applications in spintronic devices.     

Orientation relationship in Eurofer martensitic steels

Both TEM and SEM/EBSD orientation measurements are carried out on a Eurofer97 martensitic steel. The influence of the prior austenitic grain size is studied using dedicated heat treatments. The intra laths misorientation is estimated by TEM. SEM/EBSD orientation mapping enable to study the actual orientation relationship (OR) between the parent austenitic phase and the martensitic phase. Neither the Nishiyama–Wasserman nor the Kurdjumov–Sachs OR is able to account for both the misorientation angle distributions, the pole figure and the misorientation axes measured. The mixed OR recently proposed by Gourgues et al. (Electron backscattering diffraction study of acicular ferrite, bainite, and martensite steel microstructures, Mater. Sci. Tech. 16 (2000), pp. 26–40.) and Sonderegger et al. (Martensite laths in creep resistant martensitic 9–12%Cr steels – Calculation and measurement of misorientations, Mater. Characterization (2006), in Press.) seems to be able to account for most of these results. Based on this OR, a new angular criterion is proposed to detect blocks of laths.     

Laser-induced local modification of the magnetic properties of 301 stainless steel

The martensitic phase of 301 stainless steel has been locally transformed into the austenitic phase by irradiating it with a focused Ar-ion laser beam in order to investigate the local change of magnetic properties accompanying the phase transformation. The intensity of the magnetic signal was found to locally reduce at a laser power of 350 mW and almost extinguish at 550 mW with a beam spot size of 13.2 m (at 1/e intensity), indicating the local austenitic phase transformation of the irradiated stainless steel.On leave from Ltd., Shimoteno, Himeji, Hyogo 670, Japan     

Electronic structures and magnetisms of the Co_2TiSb_(1-x)Sn_x(x= 0, 0.25, 0.5) Heusler alloys: A theoretical study of the shape-memory behavior

The total energy, electronic structures, and magnetisms of the Al Cu2Mn-type Co2TiSb1-xSnx(x = 0, 0.25, 0.5) with the different lattice parameter ratios of c/a are studied by using the first-principles calculations. It is found that the phase transformation from the cubic to the tetragonal structure lowers the total energy, indicating that the martensitic phase is more stable and that a phase transition from austenite to martensite may happen at a lower temperature. Thus, a ferromagnetic shape memory effect can be expected to occur in these alloys. The Al Cu2Mn-type Co2TiSb1-xSnx(x = 0, 0.25, 0.5) alloys are weak ferrimagnets in the austenitic phase and martensitic phase.     

Shape memory alloys — characterization techniques

Shape memory alloys are the generic class of alloys that show both thermal and mechanical memory. The basic physics involved in the shape memory effect is the reversible thermoelastic martensitic transformation. In general, there exists two phases in shape memory alloys, viz., a high-temperature phase or austenitic phase (A) and a low-temperature phase or martensitic phase (M). In addition, an intermediate R phase exists in some special cases. The M↔A transformation is associated with a recoverable strain of about 6.5–8% and the R↔A transformation is associated with a recoverable strain of about 1%. The former transformation has been widely used in the applications like antenna deployment of satellite, aerospace couplings, orthodontic arch wires, medical guide wires for diagnostic and therapeutic catheters and other industrial applications. Our group has been giving emphasis to the characterization techniques for R phase, using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), electrical resistivity probe (ER) and thermomechanical analyzer (TMA). R phase is found to have attractive features like stability against thermal cycling, a small thermal hysteresis and a negligible strain recovery fatigue. DSC has been used successfully to characterize the recoverable strain parameters, apart from the determination of transformation temperatures. ER is used, for the systematic study of the dependence of various phases on heat-treatment temperatures. TMA has been effectively employed for the study of the mixed phases. A space-rotating platform is designed and fabricated, using an actuator of shape memory spring, for obtaining controlled rotations. The efficiency and the reliability of this actuator has been tested, over a million thermal cycles.     

Study on the propagation of coupling shock waves with phase transition under combined tension-torsion impact loading

Phase transition can strongly change the stress wave propagation features. In this paper, the characteristic wave propagation under combined tension and torsion impact loading was studied with a simplified constitutive model of phase transition considering both pressure and shear stress. The results showed that for loading from the austenitic phase to the mixed phase, the wave propagation was similar to that in the elasto-plastic materials. However, for an instantaneous loading from the austenitic phase or mixed phase directly to the martensitic phase, a coupling shock wave (CSHW) with phase transition was predicted due to the second phase strengthening effect, which has barely been studied before. Through analysis of the constitutive equations with phase transition and the discontinuity conditions of shock waves, the control equations of the generalized Hugoniot curve was obtained and the CSHW problem with phase transition was solved analytically. An independent numerical simulation of step loading along a NiTi thin walled tube suffering a combined tension-torsion impact loading was given to prove the existence of CSHW. The simulation discloses the formation mechanism of CSHW and the adjusting process of the stress state ahead of CSHW, which reflects the intrinsic characteristic of materials with strong nonlinear constitutive behavior.     

Crystalline damage growth during martensitic phase transformations

A thermomechanical model is developed within a large deformation setting in order to simulate the interactions between martensitic phase transformations and crystalline damage growth at the austenitic grain level. Subgrain information is included in the model via the crystallographic theory of martensitic transformations. The damage and transformation characteristics are dependent of the specific martensitic transformation systems activated during a loading process, which makes the model strongly anisotropic. The state of transformation for the individual transformation systems is represented by the corresponding volume fractions. The state of damage in the austenite and in the martensitic transformation systems is reflected by the corresponding damaged volume fractions. The thermodynamical forces energetically conjugated to the rate of volume fraction and the rate of damaged volume fraction are the driving forces for transformation and crystalline damage, respectively. The expressions for these driving forces follow after constructing the specific form of the Helmholtz energy for a phase-changing, damaging material. The model is used to analyze several three-dimensional boundary value problems that are representative of microstructures appearing in multiphase carbon steels containing retained austenite. The analyses show that the incorporation of damage in the model effectively limits the elastic stresses developing in the martensitic product phase, where the maximum value of the stress strongly depends on the toughness of the martensite. Furthermore, in an aggregate of randomly oriented grains of retained austenite embedded in a ferritic matrix the generation of crystalline damage delays the phase transformation process, and may arrest it if the martensitic product phase is sufficiently brittle. The response characteristics computed with the phase-changing damage model are confirmed by experimental results.     

替代掺杂的MnNiGe1-xGax合金中马氏体相变和磁-结构耦合特性

研究了MnNiGe_1-xGa_x (x=0–0.30) 系列合金中成分、结构、马氏体相变性质和磁性的相互关系. 在较小的成分范围内, Ga取代Ge元素可有效地将马氏体相变温度降低近400 K. Ga的引入削弱了体系中的共价成键作用, 马氏体相显示出磁交换作用的增强. 相图显示, 掺杂使马氏体相变先后穿过T_N 和T_C 两个磁有序温度, 居里温度窗口效应在体系有存在的可能, 磁性对相变温度的成分关系有所影响. 实验观察到合金变磁转变的特性及相变行为对制备方法的敏感性. 这些特性的发现, 有利于进一步优化这类材料的磁结构和相变特性, 获得具有应用价值的新材料. 关键词： MM’X合金 马氏体相变 磁有序温度 变磁转变     

Magnetic properties of nonstoichiometric Ni<Subscript>2</Subscript>MnIn Heusler alloys

Results from studies of the crystal structure, resistivity, susceptibility, and magnetization of nonstoichiometric Ni₅₀Mn_{50 − x} In _x Heusler alloys are presented. Anomalous effects discovered in temperature dependences can be interpreted as the influence of the frustrated magnetic state exhibited by manganese moments in the martensitic phase. A field-induced phase transition to the austenitic phase was observed for several concentrations around room temperature.     

Alternate stresses and temperature variation as factors of influence of ultrasonic vibration on mechanical and functional properties of shape memory alloys

It is known that the main factors in a variation in the shape memory alloy properties under insonation are heating of the material and alternate stresses action. In the present work the experimental study of the mechanical behaviour and functional properties of shape memory alloy under the action of alternate stresses and varying temperature was carried out. The data obtained had demonstrated that an increase in temperature of the sample resulted in a decrease or increase in deformation stress depending on the structural state of the TiNi sample. It was shown that in the case of the alloy in the martensitic state, a decrease in stress was observed, and on the other hand, in the austenitic state an increase in stress took place. It was found that action of alternate stresses led to appearance of strain jumps on the strain–temperature curves during cooling and heating the sample through the temperature range of martensitic transformation under the constant stress. The value of the strain jumps depended on the amplitude of alternate stresses and the completeness of martensitic transformation. It was shown that the heat action of ultrasonic vibration to the mechanical behaviour of shape memory alloys was due to the non-monotonic dependence of yield stress on the temperature. The force action of ultrasonic vibration to the functional properties was caused by formation of additional oriented martensite.     

Orientation relationship in various 9%Cr ferritic/martensitic steels–EBSD comparison between Nishiyama–Wassermann,Kurdjumov–Sachs and Greninger–Troiano

EBSD measurements were carried out on four different martensitic steels (T91, P92, EM10 and Eurofer) in various metallurgical conditions (nine different microstructural states). The usual orientation relationships (ORs) between the parent austenitic phase and the resulting martensite in martensitic steels are those of Nishiyama–Wassermann (NW) and Kurjumov–Sachs (KS). The present study first proposes a methodology based on the combined analysis of the misorientation distribution, the pole figures (PFs) and the angle/axis pairs. This methodology leads to the conclusion that neither NW nor KS relationships are able to account for all the features observed whatever the material under study. A third OR proposed by Greninger and Troiano (GT) proves to describe the relationship between austenite and ferrite in all four different martensitic steels much more accurately.     

Bain strain upon thermoelastic martensitic transformation in intermetallic compounds based on titanium nickelide

Analysis of our original results and the data in the literature on the behavior of structural parameters of the austenitic and martensitic phases near phase transitions in alloys of the TiNi-TiMe (Me = Au, Pd, Pt, Rh, Cu, Co, Fe, Rh) system has been performed. It is established that the Bain strain and dilatation changes depend on the martensitic transformation “channel.”     

On the cryogenic magnetic transition and martensitic transformation of the austenite phase of 7MoPLUS duplex stainless steel

The magnetic behaviour and martensitic transformation at cryogenic temperatures (down to 4 K) of the austenite phase of the duplex stainless steel (DSS), 7MoPLUS, were studied. As regards the prediction of Neel temperature, the empirical expressions for austenitic stainless steels are not applicable to the austenite phase of 7MoPLUS, although the composition of the austenite phase falls within the composition ranges within which the expressions were developed. Regarding the prediction of martensitic point Ms, the applicability of ‘old’ and recently developed expressions has been examined. The recently developed expressions, which take into account more alloying elements and their interactions, are not suitable for the austenite phase of 7MoPLUS. But for the ‘old’, simpler expressions, they seem to be valid in the sense that they all predict high stability of the austenite phase. Results obtained from 7MoPLUS were qualitatively the same as those obtained from another DSS, designated as 2205. Reasons for the applicability and inapplicability of these empirical expressions are suggested.     

内应力对Mn2NiGa铁磁形状记忆合金的结构、相变和磁性能的影响

通过施加压应力的方法,在铁磁形状记忆合金Mn₂NiGa中引入残留内应力,研究了内应力对 Mn₂NiGa材料的结构、相变和磁性能的影响.研究发现,加压过程使材料发生了塑性形变,在材料内部引入了大量的位错缺陷.卸载后保留的位错缺陷在材料中造成了残留的内应力,导致了马氏体相变温度大幅度提高, 使原本室温下的母相转变成了马氏体相.测量到导致样品转变成马氏体的阈值压应力为1.0 GPa.加压形成的马氏体中的残留内应力将矫顽力从低于50 Oe提高到350 Oe.残留内应力在730 K的热处理中由于位错缺陷的消失而得以消除,样品实现了马氏体逆相变.如此高的逆相变温度使得 Mn₂NiGa马氏体的居里温度测量成为可能,获得了530K的数值.     

The influence of Al substitution on the phase transitions and magnetocaloric effect in Ni43Mn46Sn11−xAlx alloys

The effects of Al substitution on the phase transitions and magnetocaloric effect of Ni₄₃Mn₄₆Sn_11−xAl_x (x=0-2) ferromagnetic shape memory alloys were investigated by X-ray diffraction and magnetization measurements. With the increase of Al content, the cell volume decreases due to the smaller radius of Al, and the martensitic transformation temperature increases rapidly, while the Curie temperature of austenitic phase shows a small increase. A large positive and a negative magnetic entropy change were observed near the first-order martensitic transition and the second-order magnetic transition, respectively. The magnetic entropy changes, hysteresis behavior, and refrigerant capacity near the two transitions are compared.