Nucleation of Austenite in Mechanically Stabilized Martensite by Localized Heating

The nucleation of bcc austenite in a single crystal of a mechanically stabilized 2H-martensite of Cu-Al-Ni shape-memory alloy is studied. The nucleation process is induced by localized heating and observed by optical microscopy. It is observed that nucleation occurs after a time delay and that the nucleation points are always located at one of the corners of the sample (a rectangular bar in the austenite), regardless of where the localized heating is applied. Using a simplified nonlinear elasticity model, we propose an explanation for the location of the nucleation points, by showing that the martensite is a local minimizer of the energy with respect to localized variations in the interior, on faces and edges of the sample, but not at some corners, where a localized microstructure can lower the energy.