Experimental consideration of multistage martensitic transformation and precipitation behavior in aged Ni-rich Ti-Ni shape memory alloys

It has been demonstrated with systematic experiments that the appearance and disappearance of multistage martensitic transformation in aged Ni-rich Ti-Ni alloys depend on the heat treatment atmosphere. No multistage transformation occurs when the evaporation of Ti and Ni and/or the preferential oxidation of Ti in the specimen are prevented and the purification of heat treatment atmosphere in an evacuated quartz tube is achieved. The heterogeneity in precipitation morphology of Ti₃Ni₄ phase which is responsible for the multistage transformation can be suppressed with the regulation of heat treatment atmosphere as mentioned above. We have concluded that the multistage martensitic transformation in aged Ni-rich Ti-Ni alloys is an extrinsic nature, i.e., a kind of artifact during the heat treatment.