Evolution of Structure and Properties of Nickel-Enriched NiTi Shape Memory Alloy Subjected to Bi-Axial Deformation.

The effect of a promising method of performing a thermomechanical treatment which provides the nanocrystalline structure formation in bulk NiTi shape memory alloy samples and a corresponding improvement to their properties was studied in the present work. The bi-axial severe plastic deformation of Ti-50.7at.%Ni alloy was carried out on the MaxStrain module of the Gleeble system at 350 and 330 °C with accumulated true strains of e = 6.6-9.5. The obtained structure and its mechanical and functional properties and martensitic transformations were studied using DSC, X-ray diffractometry, and TEM. A nanocrystalline structure with a grain/subgrain size of below 80 nm was formed in bulk nickel-enriched NiTi alloy after the MaxStrain deformation at 330 °C with e = 9.5. The application of MaxStrain leads to the formation of a nanocrystalline structure that is characterized by the appearance of a nano-sized grains and subgrains with equiaxed and elongated shapes and a high free dislocation density. After the MaxStrain deformation at 330 °C with e = 9.5 was performed, the completely nanocrystalline structure with the grain/subgrain size of below 80 nm was formed in bulk nickel-enriched NiTi alloy for the first time. The resulting structure provides a total recoverable strain of 12%, which exceeds the highest values that have been reported for bulk nickel-enriched NiTi samples.

Production, Mechanical and Functional Properties of Long-Length TiNiHf Rods with High-Temperature Shape Memory Effect.

In the present work, the possibility of manufacturing long-length TiNiHf rods with a lowered Hf content and a high-temperature shape memory effect in the range of 120-160 °C was studied. Initial ingots with 1.5, 3.0 and 5.0 at.% Hf were obtained by electron beam melting in a copper water-cooled stream-type mold. The obtained ingots were rotary forged at the temperature of 950 °C, with the relative strain from 5 to 10% per one pass. The obtained results revealed that the ingots with 3.0 and 5.0 at.% Hf demonstrated insufficient technological plasticity, presumably because of the excess precipitation of (Ti,Hf)2Ni-type particles. The premature destruction of ingots during the deformation process does not allow obtaining high-quality long-length rods. A long-length rod with a diameter of 3.5 mm and a length of 870 mm was produced by rotary forging from the ingot with 1.5 at.% Hf. The obtained TiNiHf rod had relatively high values of mechanical properties (a dislocation yield stress σy of 800 MPa, ultimate tensile strength σB of 1000 MPa, and elongation to fracture δ of 24%), functional properties (a completely recoverable strain of 5%), and a required finishing temperature of shape recovery of 125 °C in the as-forged state and of 155 °C after post-deformation annealing at 550 °C for 2 h.