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A Shape-Memory Effect Alloy With Novel Applications

This document summarizes research on Spangold, a gold alloy containing copper and aluminum that exhibits shape-memory properties. When hot mounted and polished, the alloy displayed evidence of martensite formation. Heating and quenching the alloy caused "rumpling" and "spangles" on the surface due to the volume expansion of the austenite-to-martensite phase transformation. This created a novel pattern that could have applications in jewelry design. Shape-memory alloys like Nitinol are commonly used in biomedical applications such as orthodontic wires and stents due to their ability to remember their original shape when heated above the transformation temperature.

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59 views2 pages

A Shape-Memory Effect Alloy With Novel Applications

This document summarizes research on Spangold, a gold alloy containing copper and aluminum that exhibits shape-memory properties. When hot mounted and polished, the alloy displayed evidence of martensite formation. Heating and quenching the alloy caused "rumpling" and "spangles" on the surface due to the volume expansion of the austenite-to-martensite phase transformation. This created a novel pattern that could have applications in jewelry design. Shape-memory alloys like Nitinol are commonly used in biomedical applications such as orthodontic wires and stents due to their ability to remember their original shape when heated above the transformation temperature.

Uploaded by

swaminathan G.
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
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Materials Today Volume 27 July/August 2019

d d UNCOVERED

Uncovered
Spangold
A shape-memory effect alloy with
novel applications
George F. Vander Voort
Consultant-Struers Inc., Vander Voort Consulting LLC, USA
georgevandervoort@hotmail.com (G.F. Vander Voort)

Spangold, a 14-karat gold alloy containing 10% Cu and 5% Al, was


invented by Wolff and Cortie [1,2] in the Physical Metallurgy Division
of MINTEK in Randburg, South Africa in the early 1990s. Spangold is a
shape-memory effect (SME) alloy with a novel application. Its purpose
was to use the SME to create a novel surface pattern for jewelry applica-
tions. Deon Sanders of MINTEK, and the inventors, gave me an as-cast
specimen of Spangold as I had done work with other SME alloys. I
decided to see if I could form some martensite by the SME when I hot
compression mounted the specimen in a metallurgical mounting press. austenite at higher temperatures. Austenite is the “parent” phase.
After hot mounting, I polished the surface and examined it using crossed Ironically, martensite in Nitinol is soft and ductile and easily
polarized light and I could see some evidence of martensite that was cre- deformed while austenite in Nitinol is rather strong and hard –
ated. Next, I used the traditional method on the polished specimen by
the exact opposite of these phases in steels. Nitinol was first used
heating it in boiling water, holding it for a short time and then quench-
ing it in cold water. This created new martensite with surface “rumpling” in the 1970s in biomedical applications, one of the most impor-
or “spangles” at the free surface due to the volumetric expansion at the tant being for orthodontic arch wires, which worked far better
free surface due to the usual volumetric expansion associated with the than anything used before; its use as stents to open arteries did
austenite-to-martensite transformation. The original martensite is not begin until the 1990s.
fainter in appearance and when the new, vivid martensite crosses the
original martensite, we observe what is called “anti-spangles.” The image
was photographed using Nomarski differential interference contrast This year’s cover competition is brought to you
(DIC) illumination to best reveal the surface topography. in association with ZEISS. As the world’s only
The best-known shape memory alloy (SMA) is Nitinol, which manufacturer of light, X-ray, electron and ion
is equal parts of Ni and Ti on an atomic weight basis. It was microscopes, ZEISS offers tailor-made micro-
scope systems for materials research, academia
invented in 1963 at the US Naval Ordnance Laboratory when and industry.
the SME was discovered in an equiatomic alloy of Ni and Ti that Visit www.zeiss.com/microscopy to learn more.
they called Nitinol. Nitinol has been found to be the most com- Visit https://www.materialstoday.com/materials-
today-cover-competition-2018 to see all the
mercially useful of all SMAs. It has two temperature-dependent
winning images.
crystal structures (phases), martensite at low temperatures and

1369-7021/Ó 2019 Published by Elsevier Ltd. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mattod.2019.06.004


123
UNCOVERED Materials Today Volume 27 July/August 2019
d d

Further reading [2] US Patent 5,503,691, Ira M. Wolff, Michael B. Cortie, The Aesthetic Enhancement or
Modification of Articles or Components Made of Non-ferrous Metals, granted April 2,
[1] Ira M. Wolff, Michael B. Cortie, Gold Bull. 27 (2) (1994) 44–54. 1996. (Also, European Patent EP 0 569 239 A1, application published November 10, 1993.
UNCOVERED

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