Texture, Texture Transformation and Properties of CuZnAl Shape Memory Alloys

The pseudoelastic elongation and the Young's modulus were estimated using texture and orientation dependent properties in the 95.5% hot-rolled Cu - 14.0 wt% Zn - 8.0 wt% Al, in the 96.7% extruded Cu - 17.7 wt% Zn - 7.0 wt% Al - 0.5 wt% Ti and in the 95% cold drawn Cu - 27.1 wt% Zn - 4.6wt% Al shape-memory-alloys. The textures were measured in martensitic phases, and the austenitic textures were calculated using texture transformation, which gave rise to the maximum possible shape change for a particular application. The maximum value of the pseudoelastic elongation (6.55%) was found at the normal direction in the sheet and a minimum value of 2.23% at 35° from the normal direction to the rolling direction. In the rod and wire, the maximum value 4.80% and 5.28% were found at 45° and 90° from the axis direction. The anisotropic constant 1.5, 1.2 and 1.3 of the Young's modulus were found in the sheet, rod and wire, respectively. These values enabled us to estimate the optimum texture for a technological application.