Shape memory alloys (SMAs) are a new generation material which exhibits unique nonlinear deformations due to a phase transformation which allows it to return to its original shape after removal of stress or a change in temperature. It shows a shape memory effect (martensitic condition) and pseudoelasticity (austenitic condition) properties depends on various heat treatment conditions. The reason for these properties depends on phase transformation through temperature changes or applied stress. Many technological applications of austenite SMAs involve cyclical mechanical loading and unloading in order to take advantage of pseudoelasticity, but are limited due to poor fatigue life. In this thesis, I investigated two important mechanical feature to fatigue behavior in pseudoelastic NiTi SMA wires using high energy synchrotron radiation X-ray diffraction (SR-XRD). The first of these involved simple bending and the second of these involved relaxation during compression loading. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) was performed to identify the phase transformation temperatures. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images were collected for the initial condition of the NiTi SMA wires and during simple bending, SEM revealed that micro-cracks in compression regions of the wire propagate with increasing bend angle, while tensile regions tend to not exhibit crack propagation. SR-XRD patterns were analyzed to study the phase transformation and investigate micromechanical properties. By observing the various diffraction peaks such as the austenite (200) and the martensite (100), (110), and (101) planes, intensities and residual strain values exhibit strong anisotropy depending upon whether the sample is in compression or tension during simple bending. This research provides insight into two specific mechanical features in pseudoelastic NiTi SMA wires.

This thesis aims to (i) design and optimize the geometry of magneto-photonic crystal based on ferromagnetic garnet in order to resonantly enhance the magneto-optical re- sponse, (ii) to explore the possibility of using magnetic shape memory alloy to build an optically active photonic element, using advanced FDTD modeling. A Faraday rotation of 180◦ was reached but with low values of transmissivity. An investigation of the origin of such high values of Faraday rotation led to a conclusion that such structure has to be highly sensitive towards a change of a refractive index of its surroundings. This was confirmed, and so further development of this structure can lead to an efficient concentra- tion detector. Three designs of optically active element utilizing deformation of magnetic shape memory material in the external magnetic field were numerically simulated. Two designs (photonic crystal with cylindric holes in a hexagonal lattice and self-standing foil with cylindric holes in a square lattice) proved to be efficient and worth of further development. 1

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Kupferbasierte Legierungen mit Formgedächtniseffekt (z.B. Cu-Al-Ni-Mn) sind vergleichsweise kostengünstige Vertreter im Bereich der Hochtemperatur-Formgedächtnislegierungen mit vielversprechenden Umwandlungseigenschaften. Üblicherweise werden diese über konventionelle schmelzmetallurgische Prozesse hergestellt und dann einer thermomechanischen Behandlung unterzogen. Für die vorliegende Arbeit wurden die Formgedächtnislegierungen Cu-11.85Al-3.2Ni-3Mn und Cu-11,35Al-3,2Ni-3Mn-0,5Zr (m-%) unter Nutzung des selektiven Laserschmelzens (Selective Laser Melting – SLM) verarbeitet und Bauteile, nach einer Optimierung der Prozessparameter, mit einer hohen relativen Dichte (ca. 99%) hergestellt. Anschließend wurde der Einfluss des Energieeintrags, eines zusätzlichen Umschmelzschrittes (Mehrfachbelichtung) und einer Substratheizung auf das Gefüge, das Umwandlungsverhalten, die mechanischen Eigenschaften und die Rückverformung (Zweiweg-Effekt, Pseudoelastizität) untersucht. Zum Vergleich wurden weitere Probenkörper mittels Rascherstarrung der Schmelze hergestellt. Besonders die Korngröße und die thermische Stabilisierung der unterschiedlichen Phasen wirken sich unmittelbar auf die Umwandlungstemperaturen sowie das Rückverformungsverhalten aus. Durch die Nutzung des selektiven Laserschmelzens ergeben sich neue Möglichkeiten bei der Herstellung von endkonturnahen sowie geometrisch komplexen Bauteilen mit Formgedächtniseffekt. Zudem können die Gefüge, und damit die Umwandlungseigenschaften des Materials, bereits während der Herstellung eingestellt werden.

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Polycrystalline NiTi shape memory alloys have the ability to recover their original, pre-deformed shape in the presence of external loads when heated through a solid-solid phase transformation from a lower-symmetry B19' martensite phase to a higher-symmetry B2 austenite phase. The strain associated with a shape memory alloy in an actuator application typically has thermal, elastic and inelastic contributions. The objective of this work was to investigate the aforementioned strains by recourse to in situ neutron diffraction experiments during selected combinations of heating, cooling and/or mechanical loading. The primary studies were conducted on polycrystalline Ni49.9Ti50.1 specimens on the Spectrometer for MAterials Research at Temperature and Stress (SMARTS) at Los Alamos National Laboratory. Quantitative information on the phase-specific strain, texture and phase fraction evolution was obtained from the neutron data using Rietveld refinement and single-peak analyses, and compared with macroscopic data from extensometry. First, the lattice strain evolution during heating and cooling in an unloaded sample (i.e., free-recovery experiment) was studied. The lattice strain evolution remained linear with temperature and was not influenced by intergranular stresses, enabling the determination of a thermal expansion tensor that quantified the associated anisotropy due to the symmetry of B19' NiTi. The tensor thus determined was subsequently used to obtain an average coefficient of thermal expansion that was consistent with macroscopic dilatometric measurements and a 30,000 grain polycrystalline self-consistent model. The accommodative nature of B19' NiTi was found to account for macroscopic shape changes lagging (with temperature) the start and finish of the transformation. Second, the elastic response of B19' martensitic NiTi variants during monotonic loading was studied. Emphasis was placed on capturing and quantifying the strain anisotropy which arises from the symmetry of monoclinic martensite and internal stresses resulting from intergranular constraints between individual variants and load re-distribution among variants as the texture evolved during variant reorientation and detwinning. The methodology adopted took into account both tensile and compressive loading given the asymmetric response in the texture evolution. Plane specific elastic moduli were determined from neutron measurements and compared with those determined using a self-consistent polycrystalline deformation model and from recently reported elastic stiffness constants determined via ab initio calculations. The comparison among the three approaches further helped understand the influence of elastic anisotropy, intergranular constraint, and texture evolution on the deformation behavior of polycrystalline B19' NiTi. Connections were additionally made between the assessed elastic properties of martensitic NiTi single crystals (i.e., the single crystal stiffness tensor) and the overall macroscopic response in bulk polycrystalline form. Lastly, the role of upper-cycle temperature, i.e., the maximum temperature reached during thermal cycling, was investigated during load-biased thermal cycling of NiTi shape memory alloys at selected combinations of stress and temperature. Results showed that the upper-cycle temperature, under isobaric conditions, significantly affected the amount of transformation strain and thus the work output available for actuation. With the objective of investigating the underlying microstructural and micromechanical changes due to the influence of the upper-cycle temperature, the texture evolution was systematically analyzed. While the changes in transformation strain were closely related to the evolution in texture of the room temperature martensite, retained martensite in the austenite state could additionally affect the transformation strain. Additionally, multiple thermal cycles were performed under load-biased conditions in both NiTi and NiTiPd alloys, to further assess and understand the role of retained martensite. Dimensional and thermal stabilities of these alloys were correlated with the volume fraction and texture of retained martensite, and the internal strain evolution in these alloys. The role of symmetry, i.e., B19' monoclinic martensite vs. B19 orthorhombic martensite in these alloys was also assessed. This work not only established a methodology to study the thermal and elastic properties of the low symmetry B19' monoclinic martensite, but also provided valuable insight into quantitative micromechanical and microstructural changes responsible for the thermomechanical response of NiTi shape memory alloys. It has immediate implications for optimizing shape memory behavior in the alloys investigated, with extension to high temperature shape memory alloys with ternary and quaternary elemental additions, such as Pd, Pt and Hf. This work was supported by funding from NASAÂ s Fundamental Aeronautics Program, Supersonics Project (NNX08AB51A) and NSF (CAREER DMR-0239512). It benefited additionally from the use of the Lujan Neutron Scattering Center at Los Alamos National Laboratory, which is funded by the Office of Basic Energy Sciences (Department of Energy) and is operated by Los Alamos National Security LLC under DOE Contract DE-AC52-06NA25396.

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