Effect of Ti addition on microstructure of Cu-Al-Ni shape memory alloys

Shape memory alloys (SMA) possess distinct characteristics that set them apart from other materials, including the shape memory effect (SME) and pseudoelasticity (SE). This study is focused on examining the influence generated by the Ti addition on the microstructure characteristics of the Cu-Al-Ni shape memory alloy. To accomplish this, Cu-Al-Ni alloys with various Ti contents (0.2%, 0.6%, and 1% by weight) were produced by electric arc melting. Microstructure characterization is achieved by SEM (scanning electron microscopy), EDS (energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy), and XRD (X-ray diffraction) to assess the resulting alloys' microstructures. Besides, mechanical properties were determined by microhardness tests. The findings unveiled that adding Ti resulted in microstructure refinement and characteristic martensitic phases beta 1 '\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$${\beta }_{1}{\prime}$$\end{document}(18R) and gamma 1 '\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$${\gamma }_{1}{\prime}$$\end{document}(2H) inherent to these alloys. Moreover, observing precipitates suggests a potential modification in the alloy's microstructure and properties.