Structural Defects in the 18R Martensite of CuZnAi Shape Memory Alloys

The lattice relaxation at the type I faults in the 18R martensite was studied by high resolution TEM. Local atomic plane rotations and small changes of the interplanar distances were observed over a distance of 1.5 nm. It is shown that this distorted region can be rationalized as an intermediate structure between the martensite and the second variant of the parent phase.