Fracture behavior of a martensitic Ni50.3Ti29.7Hf20 (at.%) high-temperature shape memory alloy (SMA) under mode-I nominally isothermal loading was examined. The material was characterized using differential scanning calorimetry to identify the transformation temperatures and uniaxial tensile testing to portray the stress–strain behavior. Pre-cracked disk-shaped compact specimen was tested at room temperature and unstable crack growth was observed. Fracture toughness was measured using the associated load versus crack-mouth opening displacement record. Digital image correlation was implemented to obtain the strain field on the surface and near the crack-tip. Moreover, fracture surface was examined using scanning electron microscopy. The results provide key insights into the fracture properties of NiTiHf high-temperature SMAs.
Most materials naturally expand when heated and contract when cooled; this is known as thermal expansion and is typically characterized by a Coefficient of Thermal Expansion (CTE). Competition between different materials, each with their own CTE, can push optic systems out of focus when the system’s temperature changes. The use of low CTE materials like Invar, carbon fiber composites, and silicon carbide help reduce these temperature effects. Unfortunately, they each have drawbacks such as the high density and low corrosion resistance of Invar, the polymer outgassing of carbon fiber composites, and the low fracture toughness of silicon carbide. In comparison, ALLVAR alloys shrink when heated, known as a negative thermal expansion (NTE), and have low density, high corrosion resistance, high ductility, and do not outgas. This NTE behavior, down to -16 x 10-6 °C-1 at room temperature, offers a new way to athermalize optic systems by combining NTE alloys with positive CTE materials. The NTE alloy can compensate for a positive CTE material to achieve a desired CTE. Here we evaluate ALLVAR alloys as a potential material for optics applications.
A combined experimental and numerical analysis of fracture and crack growth in SMAs is presented. Crack extension is investigated under mode-I, isothermal, monotonic, mechanical loading in near-equiatomic nickel- titanium (NiTi) SMA compact tension (CT) specimens. Stable crack growth is observed and the associated J-R curve is evaluated along with the crack initiation toughness. Finite element analysis (FEA) with an energetics based fracture toughness criterion is also carried out and crack is assumed to extend when crack-tip energy release rate reaches the material specific critical value. Fracture toughening behavior is observed during crack growth and is mainly associated with the energy dissipated by the progressively occurring phase transformation close to the moving crack tip. A comparison between the experimental and numerical results is presented.
Shape memory alloy (SMA) pipe couplers use the shape memory effect to apply a contact pressure onto the surface of
the pipes to be coupled. In the current research, a SMA pipe coupler is designed, fabricated and tested. The thermally
induced contact pressure depends on several factors such as the dimensions and properties of the coupler-pipe system.
Two alloy systems are considered: commercially-available NiTiNb couplers and in-house developed NiTi couplers. The
coupling pressure is measured using strain gages mounted on the internal surface of an elastic ring. An axisymmetric
finite element model including SMA constitutive equations is also developed, and the finite element results are compared
with the experimental results.
The creep behavior and the phase transformation of Ti50Pd30Ni20 High Temperature Shape Memory Alloy
(HTSMA) is investigated by standard creep tests and thermomechanical tests. Ingots of the alloy are induction
melted, extruded at high temperature, from which cylindrical specimens are cut and surface polished. A
custom high temperature test setup is assembled to conduct the thermomechanical tests. Following preliminary
monotonic tests, standard creep tests and thermally induced phase transformation tests are conducted on the
specimen.
The creep test results suggest that over the operating temperatures and stresses of this alloy, the microstructural
mechanisms responsible for creep change. At lower stresses and temperatures, the primary creep mechanism
is a mixture of dislocation glide and dislocation creep. As the stress and temperature increase, the mechanism
shifts to predominantly dislocation creep. If the operational stress or temperature is raised even further, the
mechanism shifts to diffusion creep.
The thermally induced phase transformation tests show that actuator performance can be affected by rate
independent irrecoverable strain (transformation induced plasticity + retained martensite) as well as creep.
The rate of heating and cooling can adversely impact the actuators performance. While the rate independent
irrecoverable strain is readily apparent early in the actuators life, viscoplastic strain continues to accumulate
over the lifespan of the HTSMA. Thus, in order to get full actuation out of the HTSMA, the heating and cooling
rates must be sufficiently high enough to avoid creep.
The unique characteristic of magnetic field induced phase transformation of NiMnCoIn magnetic shape memory
alloys (MSMAs) lies in the generation of large transformation strains under high constant stress levels. Motivated
by experiments, a constitutive model is proposed to take into account magnetic field induced phase transformation
from austenitic to martensitic phase. The working principle of such materials is described by the deformation
of continua due to mechanical and magnetic forces. The cross coupling of mechanical and magnetic variables is
captured by introducing nonlinear kinematics. In the present work, microstructure dependence of martensitic
phase transformation is taken into account by introducing internal variables into the model. The constitutive
response is derived in a consistent thermodynamic way.
Over the past few decades, binary NiTi shape memory alloys have received attention due to their unique mechanical
characteristics, leading to their potential use in low-temperature, solid-state actuator applications. However, prior to
using these materials for such applications, the physical response of these systems to mechanical and thermal stimuli
must be thoroughly understood and modeled to aid designers in developing SMA-enabled systems. Even though shape
memory alloys have been around for almost five decades, very little effort has been made to standardize testing
procedures. Although some standards for measuring the transformation temperatures of SMA's are available, no real
standards exist for determining the various mechanical and thermomechanical properties that govern the usefulness of
these unique materials. Consequently, this study involved testing a 55NiTi alloy using a variety of different test
methodologies. All samples tested were taken from the same heat and batch to remove the influence of sample pedigree
on the observed results. When the material was tested under constant-stress, thermal-cycle conditions, variations in the
characteristic material responses were observed, depending on test methodology. The transformation strain and
irreversible strain were impacted more than the transformation temperatures, which only showed an affect with regard to
applied external stress. In some cases, test methodology altered the transformation strain by 0.005-0.01mm/mm, which
translates into a difference in work output capability of approximately 2 J/cm3 (290 in•lbf/in3). These results indicate the
need for the development of testing standards so that meaningful data can be generated and successfully incorporated
into viable models and hardware. The use of consistent testing procedures is also important when comparing results
from one research organization to another. To this end, differences in the observed responses will be presented,
contrasted and rationalized, in hopes of eventually developing standardized testing procedures for shape memory alloys.
Cyclic and time dependence of superelastic properties such as critical stress for stress-induced martensite (σSIM),
irrecoverable strain levels, and stress hysteresis are crucial parameters to ensure stable operation in applications of shape
memory alloys. In our studies on titanium-niobium shape memory alloys that have undergone various thermo-mechanical
processes, declines in both σSIM and stress hysteresis with increasing cycle number were observed. More
surprisingly, aging treatment at room temperature following cycling produced stress-strain behavior very similar to
behavior of samples prior to cyclic deformation, and irrecoverable strain levels did not increase monotonically with
increasing cycle number. Lowest irrecoverable strain levels and smallest evolution in the superelastic behavior were
found in precipitated cold rolled or processed specimen by equal channel angular extrusion.
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