Advances in martensitic transformations in Cu-based shape memory alloys achieved by in situ neutron and synchrotron X-ray diffraction methods

This article deals with the application of several X-ray and neutron diffraction methods to investigate the mechanics of a stress induced martensitic transformation in Cu-based shape memory alloy polycrystals. It puts experimental results obtained by two different research groups on different length scales into context with the mechanics of stress induced martensitic transformation in polycrystalline environment

Strategies to increase austenite FCC relative phase stability in high-Mn steels

Several strategies to increase the FCC austenite stability compared to BCC and HCP martensites have been tested and are discussed. The relative stability of the different phases was analyzed by studying the effects of: a) grain size, b) antiferromagnetic ordering of the austenite, c) thermal cycling through the FCC-HCP transition, d) plastic deformation of the austenite and e) combined effects. As a first step, the effect of decreasing the grain size was analyzed in Fe-Mn alloys for Mn contents smaller than 18 wt.%, where BCC and HCP martensites compete in stability. Formation of the BCC phase is inhibited for 15 wt.% and 17 wt.% of Mn for grain sizes smaller than 2 μm. This enabled, for the first time at these compositions, the measurement of the Neel temperature of the austenite using specific heat and magnetic measurements. A comparison of the obtained transition temperatures with accepted models is discussed. The effect of modifying the grain size on the FCC-HCP transition temperatures was also analyzed for 15 wt.% and 17 wt.% Mn contents showing a complete HCP inhibition for grain sizes smaller than 200 nm. A nucleation model for the HCP martensite is considered which includes an additional resistance to the transformation term depending on the austenitic grain size. Additional combined effects on the FCC stabilization are discussed like the interaction between the antiferromagnetic ordering and the introduction of defects by thermal cycling through the martensitic transformation. The analysis can be easily applied to systems with a larger number of components. Results obtained in the Fe-Mn-Cr system are also presented.The authors acknowledge the financial support from ANPCyT (PICT-2017-2198), CONICET (PIP 2015-112-201501-00521), CONICET (PIP 2017e2019 GI 0634), ANPCyT (PICT-2017-4518), and Universidad Nacional de Cuyo (06/C516 and 06/C588)

Modeling martensitic phase transformation in dual phase steels based on a sharp interface theory

Martensite forms under rapid cooling of austenitic grains accompanied by a change of the crystal lattice. Large deformations are induced which lead to plastic dislocations. In this work a transformation model based on the sharp interface theory, set in a finite strain context is developed. Crystal plasticity effects, the kinetic of the singular surface as well as a simple model of the inheritance from austenite dislocations into martensite are accounted for

Two-Scale Thermomechanical Simulation of Hot Stamping

Hot stamping is a hot drawing process which takes advantage of the polymorphic steel behavior to produce parts with a good strength-to-weight ratio. For the simulation of the hot stamping process, a nonlinear two-scale thermomechanical model is suggested and implemented into the FE tool ABAQUS. Phase transformation and transformation induced plasticity effects are taken into account. The simulation results regarding the final shape and residual stresses are compared to experimental findings

Two-Scale Thermomechanical Simulation of Hot Stamping

Hot stamping is a hot drawing process which takes advantage of the polymorphic steel behavior to produce parts with a good strength-to-weight ratio. For the simulation of the hot stamping process, a nonlinear two-scale thermomechanical model is suggested and implemented into the FE tool ABAQUS. Phase transformation and transformation induced plasticity effects are taken into account. The simulation results regarding the final shape and residual stresses are compared to experimental findings

Investigation of the role of Ti oxide layer in the size-dependent superelasticity of NiTi pillars: Modeling and simulation

Recent compression tests of NiTi pillars of a wide range of diameters have shown significant size dependency in the strain recovered upon unloading. In this paper, we propose a numerical model supporting the previously proposed explanation that the external Ti oxide layer may be responsible for the loss of superelasticity in the small pillars. The shape memory alloy at the center of the pillar is described using a nonlocal superelastic model, whereas the Ti oxide layer is modeled as elastoplastic. Voigt average analysis and finite element calculations are compared to experiments for the available range of pillar sizes. The simulation results also suggest a size-dependent strain hardening due to the constraint on the phase transformation effected by the confining Ti oxide layer.United States. Army Research Office (DAAD-19–02-D-0002

Computational micro to macro transitions for shape memory alloy composites using periodic homogenization

In the current manuscript, a homogenization framework is proposed for periodic composites with shape memory alloy (SMA) constituents under quasi-static thermomechanical conditions. The methodology is based on the step-by-step periodic homogenization, in which the macroscopic and the microscopic problems of the composite are solved simultaneously. The implementation of the framework is examined with numerical examples on SMA composite laminates. Complexity of the composite nonlinear response and non-proportional stress state in the SMA appears, even in the case of uniaxial macroscopic boundary conditions. Moreover, under certain conditions, the composite laminate can exhibit a non-convex transformation surface. Additionally, the transformation temperatures at various stress levels under isobaric thermal cycling can be quite different between the composite and the pure SMA

Structural Dependence of the Molecular Mobility in the Amorphous Fractions of Polylactide

Fragility index and cooperativity length characterizing the molecular mobility in the amorphous phase are for the first time calculated in drawn polylactide (PLA). The microstructure of the samples is investigated from wide-angle X-ray scattering (WAXS) whereas the amorphous phase dynamics are revealed from broadband dielectric spectroscopy (BDS) and temperature-modulated differential scanning calorimetry (TMDSC). The drawing processes induce the decrease of both cooperativity and fragility with the orientation of the macromolecules. Post-drawing annealing reveals an unusual absence of correlation between the evolutions of cooperativity length and fragility. The cooperativity length remains the same compared to the drawn sample while a huge increase of the fragility index is recorded. By splitting the fragility index in a volume contribution and an energetic contribution, it is revealed that the amorphous phase in annealed samples exhibits a high energetic parameter, even exceeding the amorphous matrix value. It is assumed that the relaxation process is driven in such a way that the volume hindrance caused by the thermomechanical constraint is compensated by the acceleration of segmental motions linked to the increase of degrees of freedom. This result should also contribute to the understanding of the constraint slackening in the amorphous phase during annealing of drawn PLA, which causes among others the decrease of its barrier properties