Banachraum M 643

Shape memory alloys have two preferred lattice structures: The high temperature phase is called austenite, the low temperature phase is called martensite. The phase transformation between the two uniform states can e.g. be realized by the nucleation and growth of small inclusions of the new phase. We rigorously derive the minimal energy of these inclusions in terms of their volume. In turn, this characterizes the energy barrier of the phase transformation. The analysis is performed on the basis of two models from geometrically linear elasticity which also include a term accounting for interfacial energy between the phases. The analysis is based on the Fourier representation of the (tensorial) elastic energy.

Dr. Hans Knüpfer

Hausdorff Zentrum Bonn