Effects of Notches and Grain Size on Transformations in Nitinol

In this paper, we present a research methodology to characterize the effects of crystallographic orientation and grain size on the deformations and transformations in Nitinol.

The approach involves a combination of full-field strain measurements using Moire interferometry and finite element modeling. We explore the effects of localized stress raisers such as notches and grain boundaries, and discuss implications for medical device design.