In Situ Synchrotron Diffraction Assessment of Reversibility of the Martensitic Transformation in Single-Crystalline Co–Ni–Ga Shape Memory Alloy Under Torsion

Heusler-type Co–Ni–Ga shape memory alloys attracted significant attention due to their excellent functional properties in single-crystalline state under both compressive and tensile loading. The present study investigates the superelastic deformation behavior under torsion. Using a newly installed torsion testing setup, in situ synchrotron diffraction was carried out on single-crystalline material in order to investigate the martensitic phase transformation. Incremental deformation experiments reveal a fully reversible martensitic transformation under torsional loading at room temperature, leading to excellent strain recovery after deformation to 6.5% shear strain. Furthermore, relevant aspects towards the analysis of powder diffraction data obtained for single-crystalline material in transmission mode under torsional loading are presented and critically discussed.