Modelling of the martensitic phase transformation for finite element computation

Abstract
A macroscopic model of the martensitic phase transformation is proposed. It is based on a simplifid micro-mechanical analysis of the phase transformation and involves two macroscopic internal variables: the martensite volume fraction, and the mean transformation strain of the martensitic phase. The behaviour of a volume of SMA is deduced for various thermomechanical loadings. The model is adapted to numerical computation of complex structure in SMA using the Finite Element Method and has been implemented in the ABAQUS finite element code using an implicit integration scheme. A shape memory structure taken from literature is modelled. The computations are in good agreement with experiments and it shows the interest of such models in the engineering of SMA structures and actuators.