The effect of rare earth element Nd addition on the microstructure and martensitic transformation behavior of Ni50Ti50−xNdx(x=0, 1, 3, 7, 20) shape memory alloy was investigated experimentally. The results showed that the microstructure of Ni-Ti-Nd ternary alloy consists of the NiNd phase and the NiTi matrix. One-step martensitic transformation was observed in all alloys. The martensitic transformation start temperatureMsincreased gradually with increasing Nd content for Ni-Ti-Nd alloys.

The effect of rare earth element neodymium (Nd) addition on the microstructure and martensitic transformation behavior of Ni[Formula: see text]Ti[Formula: see text]Nd[Formula: see text] ([Formula: see text] = 0, 0.1, 0.3, 0.5 and 0.7 at.%) shape memory alloy was investigated by scanning electronic microscope, X-ray diffraction and differential scanning calorimetry. The results show that the microstructure of Ni–Ti–Nd ternary alloy consists of NiNd phase, NiTi2 and the NiTi matrix. A one-step martensitic transformation is observed in the alloys. The martensitic transformation temperature Ms increases sharply increasing 0.1–0.7 at.% Nd content is added.

A Ni-Ti shape memory alloy with a porous structure is obtained by the method of self-propagating high-temperature synthesis (SHS) and investigated the possibility of changing its microstructure and hardness. The research aimed to study the changes in the microstructure and hardness of the Ni-Ti shape memory alloy with a porous structure when the Ni and Ti metal powders are preliminarily subjected to ultrasound activation for different periods. The microstructure of the alloy surfaces was studied with using a Hitachi scanning electron microscope (SEM), and the hardness was measured with a Brinell electronic hardness tester. The results of the experiments showed that the porosity and hardness of the Ni-Ti alloy enlarged with an increase in the time of ultrasound activation of the components. The innovative aspect of this study is that prior to the synthesis of powder elements with a purity of Ni 99.9% and Ti 99.9% with an average particle size of 40 μm, they were previously subjected separately to ultrasound activation at different periods.