Stability of γ′1 martensite in Cu-base alloys

Abstract

The analysis of the nonequilibrium σ - T diagrams constructed from the results of tension/compression thermomechanical tests with [001] Cu-based shape memory alloy/SMA/ single crystals was found to be a good way how to understand complex path dependent phenomena exhibited by SMA single crystals. Particularly, it has been shown that the γ′1 martensite phase forming in Cu-based SMA may exist in much wider range of stress-temperature conditions than would be expected just from the results of thermal cycles or tensile loading-unloading tests with single crystals usually presented in the literature.