Effect of Cu addition on porous NiTi SMAs produced by self-propagating high-temperature synthesis

Abstract The focus of the study is on the effect of copper addition on the porosity, microstructure and mechanical properties of hot pressed NiTi and NiTiCu shape memory alloys (SMAs), ignited by means of self-propagating high-temperature synthesis (SHS). Optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy dispersive spectrometry (EDS), hardness tests and compression tests were applied respectively to determine the microstructure and mechanical behavior of the samples. The experimental results show that the addition of Cu into NiTi SMAs increases porosity and microhardness but also reduces compressive strength.