Change in phase stability and transformation kinetics of NiTiCuW alloy after heat treatment at 650–850 °C

In this study, the effects of different heat treatment temperatures (650 °C, 750 °C, and 850 °C) on the phase transformation behavior, microstructure, thermodynamic parameters, and microhardness of the NiTiCuW alloy, produced by adding tungsten (W) to the NiTiCu shape memory alloy, were investigated. The crystal structure change was determined by X-ray diffraction (XRD), the transformation temperatures were determined by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), the microstructure was examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and the mechanical properties were evaluated by Vickers microhardness measurements. XRD results showed that the reference and 850 °C samples were predominantly in the B2 (austenite) phase at room temperature, while martensitic phases (B19/B19′) became prominent at 650 °C and 750 °C. DSC analyses revealed that the transformation peaks became sharper at 650 °C and the R-phase transformation could be observed; at 750 °C, the peaks broadened, indicating a decrease in transformation stability. The austenite finish temperature (Af) increased from 2.1 °C (reference) to 52.9 °C at 650 °C and 60.3 °C at 750 °C, while it remained low (4.5 °C) at 850 °C. Thermodynamic evaluations showed that ΔS increased at 650 °C (0.053 J/g K) and decreased at 750–850 °C (≈0.032 J/g K). Microhardness reached its maximum value at 650 °C (398 Hv), decreased at 750 °C (271 Hv), and showed an upward trend again at 850 °C (351 Hv), compared to the reference value (243 Hv). These results indicate that the heat treatment temperature critically determines the functional and mechanical performance of the NiTiCuW alloy.