Martensitic Phase Transition inβ-Phase Alloys

A Landau theory of the martensitic phase transition in $\beta$-phase alloys was constructed, starting with the instability which drives the "$\omega$" distortion in some body-centered-cubic metallic structures, and succeeds in accounting for the wide range of precursor phenomena and low-temperature structures observed in $\beta$-phase alloys. The theory is similar to that proposed for the $A15$ alloys, but with the simpler electronic and vibrational properties here, critical experiments to test the theory can be suggested.