Stress-induced martensitic transformations in NiTi and NiTi-TiC composites investigated by neutron diffraction

Superelastic NiTi (51.0 at% Ni) with 0, 10 and 20 vol% TiC particles were deformed under uniaxial compression as neutron diffraction spectra were simultaneously obtained. The experiments yielded in-situ measurements of the thermoelastic stress-induced transformation. A detailed Rietveld determination is made of the phase fractions and the evolving strains in the reinforcing TiC particles and the austenite as it transforms to martensite on loading (and its subsequent back transformation on unloading). These strains are used to shed light on the phenomenon of load transfer in composites where the matrix undergoes a stress-induced phase transformation