The training and re-training procedures for the two way memory effect and its degradation in a Cu-Al-Be alloy

The β phase of the Cu-Al-Be alloy, as other copper based alloys, presents a thermoelastic martensitic transformation. This transition (β → β) is responsible of different special effects: The shape memory effect (SME), the superelasticity, and the two way memory effect (TWME). The TWME corresponds to the memorization of two shapes: the low temperature one in the martensitic state and the high temperature one in the austenitic state. The change between one shape to the other is performed by simple temperature change. The TWME is not inherent to the martensitic transformation, it must be induced by a thermomechanical treatment called training. The aim of this work is first to demonstrate the ability of Cu-Al-Be alloys to display a good TWME, then to study its thermal degradation, and finally to explore the possibility of re-training a TWME aged sample