Wavelets image analysis for Friction Stir Processed TiNi functional behavior characterization

A key topic regarding Ti Ni Shape Memory materials concerns the possibility to attain welded junctions that preserves the shape memory properties of material. Other research topic for SMAs regards the retention of the shape memory effect cyclic stability; in fact, good shape memory properties frequently decrease during SME cycling of material. A method able to improve the cyclic stability of TiNi shape memory effect is the grain refinement. Considering these above mentioned research topics, a solid state welding process, as the Friction Stir Welding, is thus attractive for SMA joining and it exhibits potentials for achieving welded joints affected by microstructural changes that preserve the shape memory properties and retain, furthermore, the cyclic stability of SME. The basic objective of this study was to investigate the feasibility of friction stir welding process to join TiNi shape memory alloy sheets flat memorized, preserving the TiNi shape memory behaviour. This aim has been pursued determining the influence of the thermomechanical modifications induced by Friction Stir Processing of TiNi sheets on the functional properties of material. Optical microscopic investigations of Friction Stir Processed material cross sections have been used to highlight the modified microstructure of processed zone. A proper image processing procedure has been performed in order to quantify the amount of martensitic phase and to detect its morphology modification along the processed region. Particularly each micrographic image at first has been denoised using the 2D Wavelet transform technique and successively a texture segmentation procedure allows evaluating the amount of the martensite and austenite phases and classifying the morphological changes of martensitic regions. The austenitic and martensitic transformation temperatures of material were investigated using a stress applied characterization method suitably set up to perform the whole stress-temperature material characterization.