Homogeneous 177-μm diameter nanocrystalline Nitinol wires were produced and compared to microcrystalline Nitinol from equivalent
ingot stock. Property measurement was carried out using cyclic tension testing, strain-controlled fatigue testing and bend
and stress-free recovery testing (BFR). A B2 cubic structure of 5- to 60-nm grain size was confirmed by transmission electron
microscopy (TEM). The fatigue strain capability at 10
7 cycles is 30% greater in the nanocrystalline versus microcrystalline annealed wire. Grain size and residual strain are positively
correlated in cyclic uniaxial tension testing within the superelastic temperature and strain regime. A transformation-induced
loading plateau that is 40% longer than in standard superelastic polycrystalline wire is also reported for the first time.
Keywords long-plateau Nitinol - medical wire - nanocrystalline Nitinol - Nitinol processing - Nitinol wire
This article is an invited paper selected from presentations at Shape Memory and Superelastic Technologies 2008, held September
21-25, 2008, in Stressa, Italy, and has been expanded from the original presentation.