Recent developments in crystallographic investigation of martensitic transformation

The results and new knowledge obtained in recent years by using an atom force microscope (AFM) to investigate the surface relieves and to reveal the lattice deformation characteristics in martensitic transformation (MT) are summarized. All-round analysis and research about crystallography and morphology of MT have been done based on our "displacement vector" theory. New viewpoints that the "invariant-plane-strain" criterion have no universality and that the large rotation of habit-planes takes place in {557} lath and {225} plate martensites are put forward. Thereby, the formation mode of {557} martensite is established, which is in good agreement with the experimental results. Finally, according to the self-accommodation principle between variants crystallographic calculations of twin and multi-variant martensites in shape memory alloys have been carried out. The calculation method greatly simplifies the crystallographic calculation process of phenomenological theory. And the calculated results are in good agreement with experimental ones.