Welding strength of dissimilar laser-welded NiTi and NiTiCu shape memory wires

NiTi shape memory alloys are widely used in various medical and aerospace products because of their outstanding preparties, namely superelasticity and shape memory effect. Joining of dissimilar NiTi shape memory wires can be applied in the design of smart components made up of different functionalities or properties. However, preserving the shape memory effect of the welded regions is really challenging due to the influence of laser heat on the microstructure and consequently activation temperature of the welded samples. This paper investigates the mechanical properties of the welded NiTi to NiTiCu wires using tensile test and microhardness analysis. In fact, the experimental results allow to identify the optimum operational parameters for joining of dissimilar NiTi shape memory wires.