2013 Volume 54 Issue 8 Pages 1502-1509
The influence of aging on the superelastic behavior of Ti72Nb15Zr10Al3 alloy (which is associated with the martensitic transformation from β to α″ martensite) was investigated. The precipitation of ω phase during aging significantly affects the mechanical properties. A non-monotonic change in the stress required for martensitic transformation was observed as the aging temperature changed from 453 to 603 K. This variation in stress may be attributed to two factors: change of chemical composition in the matrix and internal strain because of ω phase formation. The likely variation in the stress for martensitic transformation associated with each of these effects was estimated. As the volume fraction of ω phase increased, the change in the chemical composition produced a greater effect than the change in the internal strain.