High-temperature shape memory alloys based on the Cu-Al-Ni system: design and thermomechanical characterization

To offer a response to the increasing interest on high-temperature shape memory alloys, mainly driven by the aeronautic and aerospace industries, the design and characterization of Cu-Al-Ni shape memory alloys with high transformation temperatures, between 373 K and 473 K, are approached. The present alloy design is based on the transformation from cubic β3 austenite to the monoclinic β'3 martensite, which offers the advantage of exhibiting not only higher transformation temperatures but also a thermal hysteresis of about 12 K, much smaller than the orthorhombic γ'3 martensite historically considered for this alloy system. The influence of the alloy concentration and the thermal treatments, on the martensitic transformation temperatures is systematically analyzed and a quantitative and predictive equation is proposed. The influence of the stress on the transformation was also studied under two experimental conditions: at constant stress as a function of temperature (shape memory effect) and at constant temperature as a function of the stress (superelastic effect). A double stress-induced transformation from β3 to β'3 and α'3 with an outstanding reversible and reproducible 24% superelastic strain is also reported. The experimental results allows also determine the Clausius-Clapeyron diagrams for this series of alloys, as a fundamental tool for further design of sensing and actuating devices based on these high-temperature shape memory alloys.