Comparison Of Inclusion Size and Area Distribution In Binary and Ternary NiTi Shape Memory Alloys

Ternary NiTi shape memory alloys have been in commercial application for quite some time. Infact, the first successful commercial shape memory product was a NiTiFe ternary shape memory alloy used for coupling applications. Recent studies emphasize the correlation between fatigue life and inclusion size. It is believed that the fatigue life is mainly governed by the maximum inclusion size. Despite the commercial use of ternary NiTi alloys such as NiTiFe, NiTiCu, NiTiCo, NiTiCr, not much information is available with regards to the inclusion size and distribution in these systems. This study explores the inclusion size and area fraction distribution in binary and ternary NiTi. Additionally, select quaternary and pentanary systems are also investigated. A comparison is made between the binary and non-binary systems.