Quantitative analysis of stress-induced martensites by in situ transmission electron microscopy superelastic tests in Cu–Al–Ni shape memory alloys

Stress-induced martensite nucleation and further growing, in Cu–Al–Ni shape memory alloys, have been studied during in situ superelastic tests in the transmission electron microscope. Two kinds of martensite, β3′ and γ3′, are induced and can coexist under stress, both exhibiting in a high density of stacking faults. The interface plane and the orientation relationships between the different variants of such martensites have been determined, and the atomic configurations of the lattices across the interface have been described. Finally, in light of the results, selection rules for the stress-induced promoted martensites at the nano-scale have been established, being determined by the shear direction and the basal plane of the martensite lattice.