Continuous Heating Dissolution and Continuous Cooling Precipitation Diagrams of a Nickel-Titanium Shape Memory Alloy

Binary NiTi alloys are the most common shape memory alloys in medical applications, combining good mechanical properties and high biocompatibility. In NiTi alloys, the shape memory effect is caused by the transformation of an austenite phase to a martensite phase and the reverse process. Transformation temperatures are strongly influenced by the exact chemical composition of the NiTi phase and the presence of precipitates in the microstructure induced by thermo-mechanical treatment, especially solution annealing and ageing. Isothermal time–temperature precipitation diagrams can be found in the literature. Cooling is frequently not considered, as water quenching is typically assumed to be sufficient. To the best of our knowledge, continuous heating dissolution (CHD) and continuous cooling precipitation (CCP) diagrams do not exist. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) is a common method to analyse the austenite/martensite transformation in shape memory alloys, but it has not yet been used to analyse precipitation processes during continuous temperature changes. We have enabled DSC to analyse dissolution and precipitation processes in situ during heating as well as during cooling from the solution annealing temperature. Results are presented as CHD and CCP diagrams, including information from microstructure analysis and the associated changes in the austenite/martensite transformation temperatures.

Statistical Approach to the Analysis of the Corrosive Behaviour of NiTi Alloys under the Influence of Different Seawater Environments

Probabilistic models of corrosion rate estimation in the case of two NiTi alloys obtained by different technological processes are analysed in this paper. The depth of corrosion was measured by focused ion beam analysis on a metal surface that was not protected by an anti-corrosion coating. The samples were exposed to the influence of three different seawater environments, and empirical data were obtained in a systematic measurement procedure after 6, 12 and 18 months. Assuming that corrosion processes begin immediately after exposure of the samples to the influence of the seawater environment, and observing the corrosion rate as a random variable affected by various stochastic processes, the formed standard linear corrosion model was analysed by a statistical approach. The three best-fitted three-parameter distributions which can describe the changes in the corrosion rate for NiTi alloys exposed to the influence of the seawater environment adequately were obtained by fitting the continuous theoretical distributions. Adequate statistical tests showed similarities and differences in the behaviour of the two observed NiTi alloys from the point of view of corrosion processes caused by air, tide and sea.

Corrosion Behavior of NiTi Alloys Fabricate by Selective Laser Melting Subjected to Femtosecond Laser Shock Peening

NiTi alloys are commonly used in many fields such as aerospace, mechanical engineering due to their excellent mechanical properties and shape memory effect. In recent years, the emergence of selective laser melting (SLM) technology provides a new method for the preparation of NiTi parts. But the surface corrosion failure of SLM-NiTi is the most common problem. This paper mainly focuses on the research of femtosecond laser shock peening of the surface of SLM-NiTi alloy to improve the corrosion resistance. Selecting different scanning space (1 μm, 3 μm, 5 μm, 10 μm), and analyze the surface morphology of the material through the OM, SEM, EDS and white light interferometer, and investigate the surface nanohardness and corrosion resistance through nanoindentation and electrochemical testing. The research results show that part of the TiO2 is formed under different scanning spaces, and part of NiO is formed when the scanning space is 1μm. At the same time, it is found that the sample under the condition of 10 μm has the most excellent corrosion resistance and nanohardness. The nanohardness reaches 1303 ± 40 HV and the corrosion current density reaches 1.45 ± 0.1 × 10−9 A·cm−2. Proper femtosecond laser treatment can effectively improve the surface strength and corrosion resistance of the NiTi alloys.

Ambient-Temperature Indentation Creep of Shape Memory NiTi Alloys: Additively Manufactured versus Cast

In this study, depth-sensing indentation creep response of cast and additively manufactured (laser powder bed fusion) NiTi alloys in heat-treated conditions have been investigated at ambient temperature. Indentation creep tests were evaluated with the help of a dual-stage approach comprising a loading segment with a subsequent constant load-holding stage and an unloading phase afterward. The investigation was carried out at a maximum load of 50 mN along with a holding time of 600 s. Different creep parameters comprising indentation creep displacement, creep strain rate, creep stress exponent as well as the indentation size effect have been analyzed quantitatively for the employed materials. In addition, microstructural analysis has been performed to ascertain the processing–microstructure–creep property correlations. A substantial indentation size effect was seen for both cast and printed NiTi samples in heat-treated conditions. According to the creep stress exponent measurements, the dominant mechanism of rate-dependent plastic deformation for all NiTi samples at ambient temperature is attributed to the dislocation movement (i.e., glide/climb). The outcome of this investigation will act as a framework to understand the underlying mechanisms of ambient-temperature indentation creep of the cast and printed NiTi alloy in conjunction with heat-treated conditions.