Technical Notes - Some Characteristics of the Martensite Transformation of Cu-Al-Ni Alloys

MARTENSITE transformations in ß Cu-Al alloys have been studied by Greninger1 and other investigators. According to Greninger, the parent phase ß1 an ordered body-centered-cubic structure obtained from ß phase by suppressing the eutectoid decomposition, transforms into an ordered hexagonal-close-packed phase in composition containing 12.9 to 14.7 pct Al. The M, temperature decreases with increasing aluminum content; for the alloy containing 14.5 pct Al, for example, the ß1??' transformation occurs below room temperature. More recently, Kurjumow2 studied the transformation in ß Cu-Al alloys with the addition of nickel. His report stimulated new interest in the subject due to the observation of completely reversible transformation without hysteresis in the transformation temperature ranging from 10° to —10°C. In the present paper some characteristics are described of the transformation of Cu-Al-Ni alloys that were partly studied by Kurjumow. Experimental Procedure High purity copper (99.999 pct) and aluminum (99.99 pct) and electrolytic nickel were used in the preparation, by the Bridgman technique, of single crystal specimens which contained aluminum and nickel of 14.5 and 0.5 to 3.0 pct, respectively. Polished surfaces were prepared mechanically. Specimens were then chemically etched to remove distorted material, homogenized at 1000°C for several hours, and quenched drastically to room temperature in a 10 pct NaOH bath to produce the parent phase ß1. The transformation was studied under a microscope and, in some cases, recorded by means of motion pictures. A device similar to that designed by Greninger and Mooradian3 was used to cool and reheat the specimens. Results and Discussion When the specimens were cooled below room temperature, the ß1 to ?' transformation began at 10°C with the appearance of ?' crystals In relief, Fig. la. As the specimen temperature dropped further, the transformation continued, either by the growth of the ?' crystals, with the ß1 — ?' interface moving into the ß1 phase, Fig. 1c and 1d, or by the formation of new ?' crystals, Fig. 1b. As a consequence of the former process, banded structure is observed as a common feature of the low temperature phase. According to the theory of the formation of martensite by Wechsler, Lieberman, and Read,' the bands of ?' phase are probably twin-related, as is the case in the diffusionless phase change of In-T1 alloys,5 but this was not revealed by X-ray tech- niques. New ?' crystals, in needle form, often emerged suddenly across the ?' bands during the transformation. These acicular crystals then grew, both in length and in width, see Fig. 2a through 2d. The transformation on cooling is completed at about -35°C. Upon heating, the reverse transformation started at —10° C, in a manner nearly opposite to the transformation on cooling, and completed at 35°C. There was no noticeable change in the transformation temperature when the nickel content was varied within the limits previously mentioned. Through control of the specimen temperature, the transformation can be started, stopped, or reversed at will. This phenomenon has frequently been observed in the martensite transformation of many nonferrous alloy systems. Other systems are Au-Cd6 and In-Tl.5 ow-- ever, in the latter systems, the transformation is accomplished by single interface motion if the specimen composition is homogeneous and the temperature gradient in the specimen is uniform and sharp, whereas in the Cu-Al-Ni specimens, only multiple interface transformation is observed. The speed of the interface motion appears to be a functionof the rate of temperature change and the temperature gradient across the specimen length. In one case, in which the temperature increased at the rate of 10°C per min and there was no temperature gradient along the specimen axis, the speed of the disappearance of a ?' plate was determined, by the study of the motion pictures made, to be 26 µ per sec. Quench markings were observed on the polished surfaces of specimens. The markings were grouped into one or more sets of different orientations, and were parallel in each set. The ?' plates formed in subsequent transformation were parallel to the markings, indicating that the ?' plates and the quench markings had the same geometric relation-ship to the ß1 matrix. The quench markings on two intersecting surfaces of a specimen were therefore used in the determination of the habit plane of transformation, by the trace method suggested by Barrett.' Results obtained from five sets of markings in three specimens indicate that the habit plane is an irrational plane about 2" from one of the {221} planes. This is very close to the habit plane (3" from 221 planes) of ß Cu-Al alloys containing more than 13.0 pct Al.1 The martensite transformation of Cu-Al-Ni alloys is reproducible. No sluggishness was found between consecutive transformation cycles, although a slight difference in the distribution pattern of the ?' plates was observed, compare Figs. Id and 2d. The transformation can be strain-induced. This characteristic has been tested by a simple method. When a specimen was elastically strained slowly in a vise, ?' plates were gradually produced in the same fashion as during transformation on cooling, This test was done at room temperature, and thus above the M,