Modification of TiNi alloy by fast pulse laser heat treatment
摘要
In this study, the effects of local heat treatment with fast pulse laser on thin TiNi shape memory alloy strip materials were investigated. Various materials characterization methods including optical microscope, scanning electron microscope, atomic force microscope, X-ray diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry, and Vickers hardness were used to identify the differences of microstructure, mechanical properties, and functional properties between regions inside and outside the laser-scanned region. The tensile test was also conducted for both the non-laser-scanned specimen and the laser-scanned specimen. The area covered by laser scanning shows great differences by possessing a more homogeneous austenite phase without shear bands and a higher elongation after tensile test up to the 600 MPa stress. In contrast, the non-laser-scanned region within the same alloy strip demonstrates shear band features and higher hardness. The results provide more possibilities for generating multi-sectional material properties within a single shape memory alloy thin part by high-speed pulse laser processing.