Effect of grain boundary character on the martensitic transformation in Fe–32at.%Ni bicrystals Original Research Article

The effect of grain boundary character on the martensitic transformation was examined in two types of Fe–32at.%Ni bicrystals containing a 90°<211> tilt or a 90°{211} twist boundary focusing on the martensite-start temperature (Ms) during cooling, the morphology of the martensite and the variant selection. The Ms of bicrystals with a tilt boundary was higher than that of single crystals, while bicrystals with a twist boundary showed no significant difference from that of single crystals. Coarse lenticular martensites formed symmetrically in neighbouring grains around the tilt boundary. In contrast, tiny martensites were uniformly distributed in bicrystals with a twist boundary, and in single crystals. In the vicinity of the tilt and twist boundaries, some variants with the habit plane almost parallel to the boundaries were preferentially selected among 24 variants. Moreover, since the equivalent variants in neighbouring grains at the tilt boundary are selected, strain compatibility of the shape strain of martensite across the tilt boundary is satisfied, resulting in an increased Ms. The effect of pre-strain on the heterogeneous nucleation of martensite at the boundaries was also investigated.