In-situ Carbide Particle Reinforced Fe-Mn-Si Based Shape Memory Alloy And Its Performance

Shape memory alloys are one kind of functional materials possessing a great practical use. The Fe-Mn-Si based alloys have a series of advantages such as low cost and processing easiness. However, the low shape memory recovery ratio and the limited anti-corrosion ability restrict their usage. In the present paper, the in-situ carbide particulate reinforced Fe-Mn-Si based shape memory alloys (SMA) were prepared by optimizing the compositions. The mechanical properties of the prepared alloys were also studied.Eight kinds of Fe-Mn-Si based SMA were designed by adding a suitable amount of Nb, V, Ti, and RE (Ce) elements. The Fe-Mn-Si based SMA reinforced with a uniformly dispersed in-situ carbide particulates were prepared.Optical microscope (OM), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) were used to study the microstructures and phases of Fe-Mn-Si based alloys. The solid solution stated alloy matrix mainly consisted of the austenite and a small amount of heat reducedεmartensite. The presence of a suitable amount of heat reducedεmartensite favored the enhancement of the shape recovery ratio. With increasing the pre-deformation degree, the amount of the stress induced martensite increased, and its orientation changed from a single direction to a crossed from.Tensile tests were used to study the shape memory effect of the alloys by changing the processing parameters and the chemical compositions. It showed that the shape memory ratio of the solid solution stated alloys increased significantly after an ageing treatment (250 min) at a proper temperature (750℃) before deformation. The shape memory ratio of the alloys enhanced with increasing the ageing temperature. A maximum value was obtained at 750℃, above which the shape memory ratio showed a decrease. The shape recovery ratio of the prepared alloys decreased with increasing the pre-deformation degree. A best shape memory ratio was obtainable at 2% pre-deformation. The recovery ratio of Fe-14.0Mn-6.0Si-9.0Cr-5.0Ni-0.83Nb- 0.045Ce alloy reached a high value of 96.9%. The shape recovery ratio of the alloys could be effectively improved through suitable thermo-mechanical training, especially the first cycle training.The anti-corrosion ability of the Fe-Mn-Si based alloys was improved by adding a suitable amount of Nb, V, Ti, and RE (Ce) elements. The experimental results showed that the anti-corrosion ability of alloys in NaOH solution was three times higher than that of 304 and 316 stainless steels.