Alloy Design for Additive Manufacturing of Shape Memory Alloys

Abstract

Abstract There is a growing need to design tailored alloys for Additive Manufacturing (AM) in order to achieve the desired properties and quality in the resulting parts. The need is even stronger for functional materials such as Nickel- Titanium (NiTi) shape memory alloys (SMAs) with microstructure-driven properties such as superelasticity and the shape memory effect. These alloys have been used in innovative applications in aerospace, biomedical, and robotics. Despite their potential, the realization of NiTi SMAs through AM faces significant challenges, including phase stability, compositional heterogeneity, and solidification defects, which impede the achievement of desired microstructural and mechanical characteristics.