AbstractPre-strained martensitic Shape Memory Alloy wires embeddedz into a composite material act against the stiffness of the host material if they are heated above their retransformation temperature, biasing their strain recovery. As a result, recovery stresses are generated in the composite, leading to a shift in resonance vibration frequency if the wires are placed along the neutral axis of a composite beam. Guidelines for quantification of the effects produced, as a function of SMA wire composition, volume fraction, level of pre-strain, and of host material stiffness are not available yet. In order to investigate the governing mechanisms of activation, adaptive composite materials based on Kevlar fiber reinforced epoxy matrices have been produced by embedding thin Shape Memory Alloy wires, 150 microns in diameter, during processing in an autoclave. A mold was specially designed to pre-strain the SMA wires and prevent their recovery during the cure cycle. Values of the degree of activation in the composite materials, in terms of maximal recovery force and of the corresponding maximal resonance vibration frequency shift will be presented as a function of the stiffness of the host material and SMA volume fraction. Preliminary guidelines for the optimization of these materials will thus be given.
