Plastic deformation of B2-NiTi – is it slip or twinning?

The work addresses two main questions that have baffled the shape memory research community. Firstly, the superb ductility of B2-NiTi cannot be solely attributed to slip on {0 1 1} planes, because there are not a sufficient number of independent slip systems under arbitrary deformations. We show unequivocally, upon diffraction measurements and local strain field traces, that deformation twinning on {1 1 4} planes that can provide additional systems to accommodate plastic flow is activated. Secondly, the slip direction on the {0 1 1} planes has not been established in NiTi with certainty. It is proved precisely to be in 0 0 1 direction based on crystallographic shear analysis producing the specific strain tensor components (measured at mesoscale with digital image correlation, DIC). Based on the single-crystal experiments, the CRSSs (critical resolved shear stress) are established as 250 and 330 MPa for slip and twinning, respectively. The results have implications in devising correct crystal plast...