a b s t r a c tIn this study, microstructure and mechanical properties of an austenite NiTi alloy treated with laser shock peening (LSP) was investigated. It was found that the thickness of shock affected layer is about 250-300 μm. The surface hardness of the specimen is increased by approximately 10% after LSP. Laser induced shock introduces slightly residual compressive stress in the peened specimen. The superleastic stress-strain curves of the fully LSP processed NiTi material show no change in phase transition stress, about 100 MPa decrease in martensite yield stress, and a loss of maximum transition strain about 12% after LSP. The ultrahigh-strain-rate plastic deformation by LSP results in dislocation substructure and amorphization underneath the surface which are responsible for the hardness increase and superelastic strain loss.

Abstract:The transformation behavior and tensile properties of an ultra-high-strength transformation-induced plasticity (TRIP) steel (0.2C-2.0Si-1.8Mn) were investigated by different heat treatments for automobile applications. The results show that F-TRIP steel, a traditional TRIP steel containing as-cold-rolled ferrite and pearlite as the original microstructure, consists of equiaxed grains of intercritical ferrite surrounded by discrete particles of M/RA and B. In contrast, M-TRIP steel, a modified TRIP-aided steel with martensite as the original microstructure, containing full martensite as the original microstructure is comprised of lath-shaped grains of ferrite separated by lath-shaped martensite/retained austenite and bainite. Most of the austenite in F-TRIP steel is granular, while the austenite in M-TRIP steel is lath-shaped. The volume fraction of the retained austenite as well as its carbon content is lower in F-TRIP steel than in M-TRIP steel, and austenite grains in M-TRIP steel are much finer than those in F-TRIP steel. Therefore, M-TRIP steel was concluded to have a higher austenite stability, resulting in a lower transformation rate and consequently contributing to a higher elongation compared to F-TRIP steel. Work hardening behavior is also discussed for both types of steel.

The free surface particle velocity of NiTi target shocked with a pulsed laser beam was measured with a photonic Doppler velocimetry (PDV) system to study the dynamic deformation behavior of NiTi alloys at ultra-high strain rate of 10 6 ∼10 7 /s. Through the analysis of the particle velocity profiles, the shock wave intensity was found to have the influence on the process of austenite-martensite transformation. Theoretical analysis of shock wave propagation showed that the first plateau in the velocity profile was caused by martensitic transformation and the second plateau if existing is caused by the subsequent plastic yielding of shock induced martensite. Residual martensite of the NiTi, which exhibited as needlelike structures, was observed in the laser shocked region. Based on the present results, and the studies by Nemat-Nasser et al. (2005), Liao et al. (2012), and Wang et al. (2013), we concluded that laser induced shock can cause the martensitic transformation as long as the laser induced shock pressure reaches a critical value. The dynamic transition stress and the dynamic tensile strength of NiTi alloys were also determined from the experimentally measured surface velocity profile.