Phase Transformation Behavior and Superelasticity of Nanocrystalline Ni51Ti49−xTax Shape Memory Alloys
摘要
This paper presents the phase transformation behaviors and mechanical properties of nanocrystalline Ni51Ti49−xTax (x = 1, 2, 3) shape memory alloys as alternatives to binary NiTi for enhanced X-ray imaging visibility for medical applications. The alloys were fabricated via severe cold drawing (70% area reduction) for amorphization and subsequent low-temperature annealing at the peak temperature for nanocrystallization. The grain size of the alloys was approximately 20 nm. With the increase of Ta content, the transformation temperature and latent heat for the B2 ↔ R phase transformation decreased. These nanocrystalline alloys displayed complete superelasticity at room temperature with recoverable strain exceeding 10%.