Experimental Investigation and Numerical Simulation of the Mechanical and Thermal Behavior of a Superelastic Shape Memory Alloy Beam During Bending

Author(s):  
Johannes Ullrich ◽  
Marvin Schmidt ◽  
Andreas Schütze ◽  
André Wieczorek ◽  
Jan Frenzel ◽  
...  

Superelastic Shape Memory Alloys (SMA) are typically used in applications where the martensitic phase transformation is exploited for its reversible, large deformation such as medical applications (e.g. stents). In this work, we focus on the mechanical and thermal behavior of a Nickel-Titanium SMA strip in bending mode. One possible application of this mode is to provide a restoring force when used in joints of SMA wire actuator systems making the need for an antagonistic SMA actuator redundant. In these applications mentioned above, typically only the mechanical properties are of interest while the temperature is considered constant, even though the martensitic phase transformation in SMA is a thermo-mechanically coupled process. As a part of the DFG (German Research Association) Priority Programme SPP1599 “Ferroic Cooling” which aims at advancing the development of solid state cooling devices, we have an equally large interest for the thermal evolution of Nickel-Titanium SMA during deformation and its induced phase transformation. In this paper we investigate the thermal and the mechanical response of a SMA beam during bending experiments in which the deformation is induced by holding one end of a SMA strip fixed while the other end is subject to a prescribed deflection. Sensors and high speed thermal cameras are used to capture reaction forces, deformations and temperature changes. We compare these experimental results with numerical simulation results obtained from Finite Element simulations where a thermo-mechanically coupled SMA model is implemented into a finite deformation framework.

2006 ◽  
Vol 319 ◽  
pp. 17-24
Author(s):  
Rolf Gotthardt

The shape memory effect and the high damping in shape memory alloys are based on the martensitic phase transformation, which takes place essentially without diffusion and any change of order have an influence on its side effects: the memory effect, the superelasticity and the high damping capacity of the martensitic phase. A new method to control the performance of shape memory alloys is presented, which is based on selective modification of specified parts of working components. In this research, ion irradiation has been used to introduce locally disorder into a crystal or even amorphise it. A pre-deformed Ni-Ti, 6μm thin film in its martensitic state has been irradiated with Ni-ions of energy of 5 MeV up to a dose of 1016 ions/cm2. By this treatment, a 2μm thin surface layer has been finally transformed into an amorphous state, in which the martensitic transformation is suppressed. During heating the underlying non-modified layer is contracting and an out-of-plane movement is observed. The amorphous layer is elastically deformed and its energy is used during cooling to bring the film in its original shape. In this way, a reversible movement of the film is created. This new technique not only allows us to design new types of micro-actuators, but also to influence locally the high damping, which can be of great importance for micro-engineering applications.


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