C. Frick, Max Planck Institute for Metals Research, Stuttgart, Germany; K. Gall, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA; A. Ortega, J. Tyber, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO; H. J. Maier, A. E. M. Maksound, University of Paderborn, Paderborn, Germany; Y. Liu, University of Western Australia, Crawley, Australia
Nickel titanium (NiTi) shape memory alloys, also referred to as Nitinol, have been used in various medical applications owing to their ability to recover large strains and their relatively strong chemical and mechanical bio-compatibility. Here we examine the link between the deformation and thermal processing of NiTi and the ensuing structure and properties. Although deformation/thermal processing is often used to alter the transformation temperatures, it also concurrently influences other properties such as hardness and fatigue performance. We present fundamental results aimed at seamlessly linking standard processing practice to structure and properties such as transformation temperatures, instrumented micro-hardness, stress-strain response, and fatigue performance.
