Modeling of hydrogen effect on the superelastic behavior of Ni-Ti shape memory alloy wires

Abstract

Superelastic NiTi wires are widely used in orthodontic treatments, but sometimes fracture can be observed after few months of use in buccal cavity and attributed to the degradation of NiTi mechanical properties due to hydrogen absorption. In this paper, a modeling approach is proposed in order to describe the effect of hydrogen diffusion on the transformation properties of NiTi SMAs. In order to experimentally predict such effects, cathodic hydrogen charging was performed at a current density of 10 for 6h, 24h, 48h and 72h in 0.9% NaCl aqueous solution at room temperature. Tensile tests were carried out shortly after hydrogen charging. The obtained stress-strain curves showed an increase of yield transformation stresses for forward and reverse martensitic transformations and a decrease of maximum transformation strain. Using Fick’s second law, the transformation temperatures variation can be expressed as a function of the mean concentration of absorbed hydrogen and then taked into account in the SMA constitutive model developed by Chemisky et al (2011). The numerical results are compared to the experimental ones to calibrate the proposed method. Simulations showed that hydrogen diffusion induces a shifting of transfomation temperatures, a decreasing of maximum transformation strain and an increasing of yield transfomation stresses.