Dialog between the experiment and the numerical simulation for a shape memory alloy multicrystal

Dialog between the experiment and the numerical simulation for a shape memory alloy multicrystal. The aim of this study is to make dialog between the numerical simulation and the experiment in the case of the tensile test behavior for a CuAlBe shape memory alloy multicrystal. This dialog allows to compare qualitatively the distributions of martensitic transformation, observed through a long distance microscope, with obtained by Finite element simulation using a thermomechanical behavior law. The last is based on the description of martensitic transformation on a single crystal scale. It is implemented in the Abaqus(R) finite element code. The applied boundary conditions for modeling correspond to the measured ones at the edge of the area by a technique of digital image correlation. Geometrical and crystallographic properties of the various grains of the multicrystal are experimentally determined. The tensile test is carried out at room temperature where the alloy has a superelastic behavior. A good agreement between the experimental observation and numerical results is observed.