The shape memory effect of stainless shape memory alloy is associated to non-thermolastic gamma (CFC) <FONT FACE=Symbol>«</FONT> epsilon (HCP) martensitic transformation. Recent results generated by our group have demonstrated that the parent austenite grain size is an important parameter for the degree of shape recovery and also in some others properties such as yield stress, hardness and volume fraction of thermal martensite. Using EBSD, this work shows that besides the above-mentioned parameters, the number of martensite orientation variants decreases when the grain size decreases.
Stainless shape memory alloy; grain size; shape memory; electron back scattering diffraction; EBSD
