Surface hardening of NiTi shape memory alloy induced by the nanostructured layer after surface mechanical attrition treatment.

To conduct grain refinement induced by plastic deformation, NiTi shape memory alloy is processed by surface mechanical attrition treatment. The process leads to surface nanocrystallization and consequently surface hardening. The cross sectional microhardness of the treated NiTi is measured and compared to those of annealed NiTi specimens with residual stress relaxation and recrystallization. Our results show that surface nanocrystallization induced by surface mechanical attrition treatment is an effective method to enhance the surface hardness and anti-wear properties of NiTi shape memory alloy for the biomedical application.