Finite Element Analysis on Nitinol Medical Applications
Nitinol, an alloy of about 50% Ni and 50% Ti, is a very unique material. At constant temperature above its Austenite finish (Af) temperature, under uniaxial tensile test, the material is highly nonlinear and capable of large deformation to the ultimate strain on the order of 15%. This material behavior, known as superelasticity, along with its excellent biocompatibility and corrosion resistance, makes Nitinol a perfect material candidate for many medical device applications. However, the nonlinear material response also requires a specific material description to perform the stress analysis. The user developed material subroutine from HKS/West makes the simulation of the Nitinol devices possible. This article presents two case studies of the nonlinear finite element analysis using ABAQUS/Standard and the Nitinol UMAT.