Low volume-fraction microstructures in shape memory alloys

Experimental findings suggest that an important parameter controlling the width of the thermal hysteresis loop in certain martensitic transformations is the crystallographic compatibility of the highly symmetric austenite phase and the martensitic variants. Based on this observation, a theory of hysteresis has been proposed that assigns an important role to the energy of the transition layer (Zhang, James, Mueller, Acta mat. 57(15):4332-4352, 2009). In this talk, I will report analytical results on microstructures in such low-hysteresis shape memory alloys. This talk is partly based on joint work with Sergio Conti (Bonn).