Cyclic functional degradation of NiTi shape memory alloy wires in wide ranges of strain rate and ambient temperature

Shape memory alloy (SMA) dampers frequently experience cyclic loading over a broad spectrum of strain rates and ambient temperatures, resulting in a significant thermo-mechanical coupling effect during cyclic deformation. Nevertheless, the impact of this coupling effect on the functional degradation of SMAs has not been thoroughly examined, particularly in scenarios involving severe deformation. In this study, a series of strain-controlled cyclic loading–unloading tests were conducted on NiTi SMA wires utilizing various combinations of strain rates ranging from 5 × 10⁻⁴ to 6 × 10⁻²/s and different ambient temperatures (313–393 K). The functional degradation was exacerbated by increasing ambient temperature and loading rate due to the complex interactions among the inelastic deformation mechanisms and thermo-mechanical coupling effects. Furthermore, although the cyclic deformation behavior of NiTi SMA wires varied with the loading rate, this rate dependence diminished with increasing ambient temperature. The synergistic effect of elevated strain rates and high temperatures markedly accelerated the fatigue failure of NiTi SMA wires and substantially altered the underlying microstructural morphology. These findings can provide valuable support for evaluating the service performance of NiTi SMA dampers under various engineering conditions and contribute to developing a cyclic constitutive model for NiTi SMAs.