On the size of the hysteresis in pseudoelasticity

Pseudoelasticity is a phenomenon that occurs in alloys with shape memory: In a loading-unloading cycle a body will return to its original configuration, but its path in a load-deformation diagram will run through a hysteresis loop.Pseudoelastic behaviour can be modelled by statistical mechanics which produces a non-monotone load-deformation isotherm. Once such a nonmonotone curve has been calculated there is the possibility of a phase transition that is connected with a hysteresis loop.The paper describes a method for the calculation of the width of the hysteresis. It comes to the conclusion that this width is determined by the interfacial energy associated with domain boundaries between the phases. The bigger that energy is the bigger is the hysteresis loop.