Study of Thermoelastic Martensitic Transformations Using a Phase-Field Model

The mechanisms of face-centered cubic (fcc)\( \Leftrightarrow \)face-centered tetragonal (fct) thermoelastic martensitic transformations (MTs) in Mn-rich Mn-Cu alloys were studied using a phase-field model. In this article, a phase-field model describing the martensitic transformation was developed with the capability of treating continuously varying temperatures under two boundary conditions. The analysis of various energies during the microstructural evolution reveals that the elastic strain energy is a resistant force in the forward MT, but it becomes a driving force in the reverse MT. The feature of self-accommodation in forward MT is revealed by comparing the elastic strain energy of two martensitic variants with three martensitic variants. The simulated microstructural evolution demonstrates that the plate of polytwinned martensite shrinks with increasing temperature, and during the sequent cooling, the plate of polytwinned martensite grows and almost retraces to its original state. This reversibility of MTs is in good agreement with the reported experimental observation of thermoelastic MTs.