Superelastic guiding member

摘要

A method of forming a superelastic elongated member having a straight memory comprising: providing an elongated member formed of an alloy consisting of 40 to 49% titanium and the balance nickel and up to about 10% of an element selected from the group consisting of iron, cobalt, chromium and vanadium; and cold working the elongated member to effect a size reduction of 30 to 70%, the method characterized by subjecting the cold worked elongated member to thermomechanical memory imparting treatment to develop a straight memory comprising: mechanically straightening the cold worked elongated member and then heat treating the straightened elongated member at a temperature between 300 DEG and 400 DEG .