Fabrication of manganese-aluminum bronze as a shape memory alloy by accumulative roll bonding process

Cu/Al/Mn nanocomposites were produced from copper and aluminum strips and manganese powder using Accumulative Roll Bonding (ARB) and then solid solution treatment was performed to produce shape memory alloy. Two solid solution treatment temperatures (850 and 950 degrees C) were employed to evaluate the phase formation. Scanning electron microscopy, optical microscopy and X-ray diffraction were used for the microstructural and structural studies of the samples. The composition of the produced sample after solid solution treatment at 950 degrees C was also evaluated by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The results showed that manganese-aluminum bronze, 83Cu-12Al-5Mn (wt.%), was successfully produced by the ARB process followed by heat treatment. The microstructure of the composite annealed at 950 degrees C consisted of a fully martensitic phase after ice-water quenching. In addition, the electrochemical corrosion behavior of the produced nanocomposite and bronze was investigated in a 3.5 wt.% NaCl solution by a potentiostat-galvanostat device. It was found that the corrosion resistance of the bronze alloy is higher than that of the composite due to having a single phase microstructure. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.