Multiscale investigation of inhomogeneous plastic deformation of NiTi shape memory alloy based on local canning compression

Abstract

As a severe plastic deformation (SPD) technique, local canning compression provides a novel approach to produce bulk amorphous and nanocrystalline nickel–titanium shape memory alloy (NiTi SMA). From the macroscale, mesoscale and microscale viewpoint, physical mechanism of inhomogeneous plastic deformation of NiTi alloy under local canning compression is investigated by means of optical microscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). Inhomogeneous plastic deformation of NiTi alloy leads to coexistence of amorphous phase, nanocrystalline phase, B2 austenite and B19′ martensite. The interaction between the dislocations and the grain boundaries lays the profound foundation for guaranteeing the continuity and the compatibility between the grains in a polycrystalline NiTi sample subjected to inhomogeneous plastic deformation. Deformation twinning and dislocation slip are the two important deformation modes in plastic deformation of NiTi alloy under local canning compression. Based on the statistically stored dislocation and the geometrically necessary dislocation, the mechanism of the critical dislocation density plays a predominant role in the occurrence of the amorphous phase in the deformed NiTi sample. When the deformation temperature is higher than a critical temperature, the amorphous phase is not able to occur in the NiTi sample subjected to SPD.