In-situ characterization of highly reversible phase transformation by synchrotron X-ray Laue microdiffraction

Abstract

The alloy Cu25Au30Zn45 undergoes a huge first-order phase transformation (6% strain) and shows a high reversibility under thermal cycling and an unusual martensitc microstructure in sharp contrast to its nearby compositions. This alloy was discovered by systematically tuning the composition so that its lattice parameters satisfy the cofactor conditions (i.e., the kinematic conditions of compatibility between phases). It was conjectured that satisfaction of these conditions is responsible for the enhanced reversibility as well as the observed unusual fluid-like microstructure during transformation, but so far, there has been no direct evidence confirming that these observed microstructures are those predicted by the cofactor conditions. To verify this hypothesis, we use synchrotron X-ray Laue microdiffraction to measure the orientations and structural parameters of variants and phases near the austenite/martensite interface. The areas consisting of both austenite and multi-variants of martensite are scanned by microLaue diffraction. The cofactor conditions have been examined from the kinematic relation of lattice vectors across the interface. The continuity condition of the interface is precisely verified from the correspondent lattice vectors between two phases.

Document Details

Document Type
Pub Defense Publication
Publication Date
May 23, 2016
Source ID
10.1063/1.4951001

Entities

People

  • Alastair Macdowell
  • Nobumichi Tamura
  • Richard D. James
  • Xian Chen

Organizations

  • Air Force Office of Scientific Research
  • Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
  • Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
  • Office of International Science and Engineering
  • Office of Naval Research
  • Research Grants Council, University Grants Committee
  • University of Minnesota

Tags

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Mathematical Modeling and Probability Theory.
  • Metallurgy
  • Systems Analysis and Design