In situ synchrotron analysis of lattice rotations in individual grains during stress-induced martensitic transformations in a polycrystalline CuAlBe shape memory alloy

► 3DXRD, Laue microdiffraction measurements of grain rotation in a shape memory alloy. ► During stress-induced martensitic transformation, the austenite grains rotate. ► This rotation reverses with the reverse transformation. ► The austenite grains splits into various orientations with martensite formation. Two synchrotron diffraction techniques, three-dimensional X-ray diffraction and Laue microdiffraction, are applied to studying the deformation behaviour of individual grains embedded in a Cu 74Al 23Be 3 superelastic shape memory alloy. The average lattice rotation and the intragranular heterogeneity of orientations are measured during in situ tensile tests at room temperature for four grains of mean size ∼1 mm. During mechanical loading, all four grains rotate and the mean rotation angle increases with austenite deformation. As the martensitic transformation occurs, the rotation becomes more pronounced, and the grain orientation splits into several sub-domains: the austenite orientation varies on both sides of the martensite variant. The mean disorientation is ∼1°. Upon unloading, the sub-domains collapse and reverse rotation is observed.