Thermomechanical evaluation of high-temperature Nb-Ru shape memory alloy

Equiatomic NbRu shape memory alloys have shown to undergo two reversible phase transformations at temperatures ranging up to about 800°C. By changing the content of Nb in the alloy, the transformation temperatures of the forward and reverse transformations can be tuned to a desired temperature. Arc melting is used to fabricate the alloys of specific elemental compositions directly followed by suction casting to obtain a homogenous sample. Cylindrical samples are sectioned using wire EDM for high temperature mechanical testing. In this study, we explore how microstructure affected by small changes in composition and heat treatments, influences the thermomechanical properties under loading at 500 MPa and temperatures up to 800°C.