Abstract: The effects of quenching temperature on shape memory effect and microstructure of Fe 18Mn 5Si 8Cr 4Ni shape memory alloy have been studied. The results show that both the shape recovery ratio and the recovery strain increased as quenching temperature increased, the amount of stress induced ε martensite in the process of cold work decreased with the increase of quenching temperature, the shape recovery ratio and the recovery strain reached maximum at 650℃, and then decreased rapidly with the further increase of quenching temperature,the stress induced ε martensite wholly disappeared at 1023K. But when the quenching temperature is higher than 1023K, the further increase of quenching temperature had little effect on shape recovery ratio, the amount and size of thermal induced ε martensite would increased with the further increase in quenching temperature. The shape memory effect can be improved by the moderate amount of pre exist ε martensite in the matrix before deforming.

Key words: shape memory alloy, shape recovery ratio , martensite transformation