SELF-ACCOMMODATION AND SHAPE MEMORY MECHANISM OF EPSILON-MARTENSITE .2. THEORETICAL CONSIDERATIONS

Based on present experimental observations and related work, theoretical aspects of the self-accommodation and shape memory mechanism of epsilon-martensite are discussed in comparison with the well-known and widely studied Cu-based shape memory alloys. It follows that the gamma --> epsilon martensitic transformation and its related shape memory behavior share some similarities in self-accommodation of the transformation and variant reorientation upon deformation. Therefore the basic processes involved in the shape memory behavior of epsilon-martensite can be similarly generalized in terms of the model established for the Cu-based shape memory alloys, although some details differ significantly.