DSC study on temperature memory effect of NiTi shape memory alloy

A systematic study on the temperature memory effect (TME) in a polycrystalline NiTi shape memory alloy was presented. The investigation was carried out through a series of differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) tests. Two types of tests were conducted, namely single-step test and multi-step test. The influence of the step temperature on the peak/trough temperatures in the subsequent heating process and the associated energy absorption/release in the phase transformations was investigated. Using a simple theoretical model, the exact mechanism behind TME was studied.