The effect of opposing stress on shape memory and martensitic reversion

Abstract It has been shown that for the one-way effect with an opposing force, the martensite reversion leads first to the generation of a recovery force and subsequently to a recovery strain once the recovery stress equals the opposing stress. Further, a small recovery shape change was observed at temperatures where from resistivity measurements the specimen was fully austenitic. Two possible explanations have been proposed, one being that a small volume fraction of martensite, not detected by resistivity measurements, transforms at highe temperatures; the other describing the process in terms of a change in elastic constants producing a change in interaction force between certain dislocations. Further experimentation is necessary to distinguish these possibilities.