Crystallographic features during martensitic transformation in Ni-Mn-Ga ferromagnetic shape memory alloys

The martensitic transformation crystallography in two Ni ₅₃Mn₂₅Ga₂₂ (at. %) ferromagnetic shape memory alloys (FSMAs) was investigated by means of misorientation calculation and pole figure analysis based on the orientation of the martensitic lamellae obtained from electron backscattered diffraction (EBSD) measurements. In the alloy that was first annealed at 1073K for 4h, and then cooled to 473K at ~4K/min and held for 30min, followed by cooling to room temperature at ~10K/min, there are only two kinds of differently orientated martensitic lamellae with a misorientation angle of ~82° distributed alternatively in each initial austenite grain. There is a compound twinning orientation relationship between the two lamellae. The prevalent orientation relationship between austenite and martensite is Kurdjumov-Sachs (K-S) relationship with (111)_A//(10I)_M, [1-10]_a//[11-1]_m. In the alloy that was annealed at 1173K for 4h followed by furnace cooling, nanoscale twins inside the martensitic lamellae were observed and the orientation relationships both between the nanotwins within one lamella and between the nanotwins in two neighboring lamellae were determined. The results presented in this paper will enrich the crystallographic data of the FSMAs and offer useful information for the development of novel FSMAs with optimal performances.