Effect of electroplastic rolling on the ductility and superelasticity of TiNi shape memory alloy

The brittle TiNi shape memory alloy strips were processed by electroplastic rolling (EPR) without intermediate annealing. The maximum thickness reduction of the alloy strip in the individual EPR pass can be 21.6% and the total deformation in terms of thickness reduction can reach 74% in the seven passes of EPR processing. The ductility of the TiNi alloy is enhanced by electropulse due to the dynamic recrystallization in the process. The rolling separating force in EPR drops compared to the cold rolling. Furthermore, the EPR processed TiNi after annealing exhibits an excellent superelasticity and the recoverable strain of 6% is obtained.