Pseudo-creep in Shape Memory Alloy Wires and Sheets

Interruption of loading during reorientation and isothermal pseudoelasticity in shape memory alloys with a strain arrest (i.e., holding strain constant) results in a time-dependent evolution in stress or with a stress arrest (i.e., holding stress constant) results in a time-dependent evolution in strain. This phenomenon, which we term as pseudo-creep, is similar to what was reported in the literature three decades ago for some traditional metallic materials undergoing plastic deformation. In a previous communication, we reported strain arrest of isothermal pseudoelastic loading, isothermal pseudoelastic unloading, and reorientation in NiTi wires as well as a rate-independent phase diagram. In this paper, we provide experimental results of the pseudo-creep phenomenon during stress arrest of isothermal pseudoelasticity and reorientation in NiTi wires as well as strain arrest of isothermal pseudoelasticity and reorientation in NiTi sheets. Stress arrest in NiTi wires accompanied by strain accumulation or recovery is studied using the technique of multi-video extensometry. The experimental results were used to estimate the amount of mechanical energy needed to evolve the wire from one microstructural state to another during isothermal pseudoelastic deformation and the difference in energies between the initial and the final rest state between which the aforementioned evolution has occurred.