An explicit, straightforward approach to modeling SMA pseudoelastic hysteresis

•Direct, explicit approach to modeling SMA pseudo-elasticity.•New nonlinear hardening rule with substantial coupling.•Thermodynamic restrictions are rendered free and explicit.•Direct, explicit approach to matching realistic hysteresis loops of any given shape.•Bypassing usual complicated procedures for identifying a large set of unknown parameters.

Toward a straightforward approach to modeling SMA pseudoelastic behavior, a new finite J2J2-flow elastoplastic model with nonlinear combined hardening is proposed by coupling the size change of the yield surface with the moving of the yield surface center. A departure from usual approaches is that any given shapes of hysteresis loops may be automatically generated via explicit procedures in the framework of classical J2J2 elastoplasticity with no reference to any phase variables. Numerical examples are presented to show good accord with test data for Ti–Ni alloys.