Abstract

Recent researches on f erroelastic materials are briefly reviewed. A crystal is f erroelastic if it has two or more stable states with respective spontaneous strains and it can be transformed among these states by an application of mechanical stress. Ferroelasticity is a phenomenon which is widely spread and is sometimes accompanied by other phenomena such as ferroelectricity, magnetic-ordering and superconductivity. A few examples of f erroelastic materials are given, and some related aspects of physical significance are briefly summarized.