Preparing TiNiNb shape memory alloy powders by hydriding-dehydriding process

© 2016 IOP Publishing Ltd.High-quality TiNiNb shape memory alloy (SMA) powders were prepared by hydrogenation of cold-worked TiNiNb SMA wire composed of amorphous and nancrystalline microstructure, by mechanical pulverization and vacuum dehydrogenation. It is revealed that abundant structural defects introduced by cold-work greatly promoted hydrogen diffusion, which significantly decreased hydriding temperature and shortened hydriding time. After hydrogenation, the hydrogenated sample composed of TiNiH and NbH with high brittleness can be easily ground into ultra-fine powers. The TiNiNb powers obtained by following vacuum dehydrogenation exhibit almost the same reversible phase transformation behavior as that of the original TiNiNb SMA before cold-work. Moreover, a TiNiNb part was obtained by hot-pressure sintering the hydrogenated powders, where sintering and dehydrogenation are carried out in one single step. The sintered TiNiNb part shows most the same reversible phase transformation behaviors as that of the original TiNiNb SMA and there is no visible additional brittle phase appearance.