Advances in Materials Research

Volume 15, Number 1, 2026, pages 69-82

DOI: 10.12989/amr.2026.15.1.069

Effect of heat treatments on microstructure and properties of TiNiCu shape memory alloys developed through powder metallurgy

Abid Hussain , Afzal Khan , Muhammad Imran Khan , Saif Ur Rehman , Asnaf Aziz

Abstract

This research paper explores the development and characterization of three Ti-Ni-Cu shape memory alloys (SMAs), Ti50Ni40Cu10, Ti50Ni38Cu12, and Ti50Ni35Cu15, synthesized through powder metallurgy. We investigate the effects of various heat treatments, including solution treatment, annealing, and aging, on their microstructure and properties. Comprehensive analyses, including Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Energy-Dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), and percentage porosity measurements, were conducted. This study aims to study the influence of heat treatment processes on SEM morphology, EDX, DSC thermal transitions, porosity, and density of the SMAs. From the DSC results, it is evident that transformation temperatures increase with higher Cu content in the solution-treated, annealed, and aged samples. The percentage porosity and pore size increase with higher Cu content in all heat treatment processes, but the minimum percentage porosity and smallest pore sizes are observed in the annealed samples. SEM images confirm the presence of porosity and reveal the pore sizes. Optical microscopy shows that grain size increases with higher Cu content.

Key Words

advanced materials; aging; annealing; porosity; scan electronic microscopy

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