Study on Interface and mechanical property of laser welding of NiTi shape memory alloy and 2A12 aluminum alloy joint with a TC4 wire

2A12 aluminum alloy had the advantages of light weight and high strength. It could be used to manufacture the skin of the hypersonic aircraft. Due to the thermal deformation of fuselage and wing under long-term thermal and mechanical load, the accuracy of flight control was reduced. The shape memory effect of NiTi shape memory alloy (SMA) could be used to reduce the thermal deformation by realizing the laser welding of NiTi SMA and 2A12 aluminum alloy. According to previous studies on laser welding of NiTi SMA and TC4, the tendency to crack for the welded joints could be reduced by placing the laser beam on the side of TC4. Therefore, TC4 wire was used as the filling material. As the TC4 wire was constantly sent into the molten pool to absorb laser energy, the melting amount of NiTi SMA and 2A12 aluminum alloy were reduced. It was beneficial to reduce the formation of brittle intermetallic compounds. There were mainly the fusion zone (FZ), NiTi SMA/FZ interface, and the 2A12 aluminum alloy/FZ interface in the welded joints. With the increase of laser power, the growing distance of Ti2Ni phase also increased. In addition, the Ti-Al intermetallic compounds and the fracture load of joints firstly increased and then decreased. When the laser power was high, Ni-Al intermetallic compounds increased. This caused the decrease of fracture load of welded joints. Besides, pores caused by the burning of elements in the FZ would also weaken the fracture load of welded joints. When the laser power was 2.4 kW, more Ti-Al intermetallic compounds appeared at the interface and the maximum fracture load of welded joint was 211 N/mm. The fracture mode was intergranular brittle fracture. The heat affected zone (HAZ) with optimal mechanical properties basically retained the shape memory effect of NiTi SMA.

Molecular Dynamics Investigation of the Influence of Voids on the Impact Mechanical Behavior of NiTi Shape-Memory Alloy

To date, research on the physical and mechanical behavior of nickel-titanium shape-memory alloy (NiTi SMA) has focused on the macroscopic physical properties, equation of state, strength constitution, phase transition induced by temperature and stress under static load, etc. The behavior of a NiTi SMA under high-strain-rate impact and the influence of voids have not been reported. In this present work, the behavior evolution of (100) single-crystal NiTi SMA and the influencing characteristics of voids under a shock wave of 1.2 km/s are studied by large-scale molecular dynamics calculation. The results show that only a small amount of B2 austenite is transformed into B19’ martensite when the NiTi sample does not pass through the void during impact compression, whereas when the shock wave passes through the hole, a large amount of martensite phase transformation and plastic deformation is induced around the hole; the existence of phase transformation and phase-transformation-induced plastic deformation greatly consumes the energy of the shock wave, thus making the width of the wave front in the subsequent propagation process wider and the peak of the foremost wave peak reduced. In addition, the existence of holes disrupts the orderly propagation of shock waves, changes the shock wave front from a plane to a concave surface, and reduces the propagation speed of shock waves. The calculation results show that the presence of pores in a porous NiTi SMA leads to significant martensitic phase transformation and plastic deformation induced by phase transformation, which has a significant buffering effect on shock waves. The results of this study provide great guidance for expanding the application of NiTi SMA in the field of shock.

Investigation into the Hybrid Production of a Superelastic Shape Memory Alloy with Additively Manufactured Structures for Medical Implants

The demographic change in and the higher incidence of degenerative bone disease have resulted in an increase in the number of patients with osteoporotic bone tissue causing. amongst other issues, implant loosening. Revision surgery to treat and correct the loosenings should be avoided, because of the additional patient stress and high treatment costs. Shape memory alloys (SMA) can help to increase the anchorage stability of implants due to their superelastic behavior. The present study investigates the potential of hybridizing NiTi SMA sheets with additively manufactured Ti6Al4V anchoring structures using laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) technology to functionalize a pedicle screw. Different scanning strategies are evaluated, aiming for minimized warpage of the NiTi SMA sheet. For biomechanical tests, functional samples were manufactured. A good connection between the additively manufactured Ti6Al4V anchoring structures and NiTi SMA substrate could be observed though crack formation occurring at the transition area between the two materials. These cracks do not propagate during biomechanical testing, nor do they lead to flaking structures. In summary, the hybrid manufacturing of a NiTi SMA substrate with additively manufactured Ti6Al4V structures is suitable for medical implants.

EFFECTS OF PARTICLE SIZE AND SINTERING TEMPERATURE ON SUPERELASTICITY BEHAVIOR OF NiTi SHAPE MEMORY ALLOY USING NANOINDENTATION

The present study investigates the superelasticity properties of spark plasma sintered (SPS) nickel titanium shape memory alloy (NiTi SMA) with the influence of sintering temperature and particle size. The nanoindentation is conducted on the surface of the NiTi SMA at various loads such as 100, 300 and 500[Formula: see text]mN. The nanoindentation technique determines the quantitative results of elasto-plastic properties such as depth recovery in the form of superelasticity, stiffness, hardness and work recovery ratio from load–depth ([Formula: see text]–[Formula: see text]) data during loading and unloading of the indenter. Experimental findings show that the depth and work recovery ratio increases with the decrease of indentation load and particle size. In contrast, increasing the sintering temperature exhibited a better depth and work recovery due to the removal of pores which could enhance the reverse transformation. The contact stiffness is influenced by [Formula: see text] which leads to attain a maximum stiffness at the highest load (500[Formula: see text]mN) and particle size (45[Formula: see text][Formula: see text]m) along with the lowest sintering temperature (700∘C). NiTi alloy exhibited a maximum hardness of 9.46[Formula: see text]GPa when subjected to indent at the lowest load and particle size sintered at 800∘C. The present study reveals a better superelastic behavior in NiTi SMA by reducing the particle size and indentation load associated with the enhancement of sintering temperature.

Analytical bond behavior of cold drawn SMA crimped fibers considering embedded length and fiber wave depth

The NiTi SMA fibers were cold drawn to introduce prestrain, and then, they were made to crimped fibers with various wave depths. The recovery stress was measured, which was useful for closing the cracks in fiber-reinforced concrete. The pullout behaviors were also examined considering the existing recovery stress, and it is found that the recovery stress did not influence so much on the pullout behavior. According to the pullout results, a parametric study used a finite element analyzing (FEA) model to quantify the cohesive surface model’s parameters and the value of the friction coefficient. Then, the developed model is used to investigate the crimped fiber’s pullout behavior with various embedded lengths and wave depths. When the fiber in the elastic range, the peak stresses significantly raise due to increasing embedded waves; they show a linear relationship. After the yield of the SMA fiber, the peak stresses are also a function of embedded waves; however, the increasing trend is slow down. Concerning the cost, the even distribution of the fiber, and for guaranteeing the fiber experiences the pulling out, it is recommended that the embedded lengths and corresponding wave depths should be designed to avoid the yield.

Seismic Resistant Bridge Columns with NiTi Shape Memory Alloy and Ultra-High-Performance Concrete

Reinforced concrete bridge columns often endure significant damages during earthquakes due to the inherent deficiencies of conventional materials. Superior properties of the new materials such as shape memory alloy (SMA) and ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC), compared to the reinforcing steel and the normal concrete, respectively, are needed to build a new generation of seismic resistant columns. Application of SMA or UHPC in columns has been separately studied, but this paper aims to combine the superelastic behavior of NiTi SMA and the high strength of UHPC, in order to produce a column design with minimum permanent deformation and high load tolerance subjected to strong ground motions. Additionally, the excellent corrosion resistance of NiTi SMA and the dense and impermeable microstructure of UHPC ensure the long-term durability of the proposed earthquake resistant column design. The seismic performance of four columns, defined as steel reinforced concrete (S-C), SMA reinforced concrete (SMA-C), SMA reinforced UHPC (SMA-UHPC), and reduced SMA reinforced UHPC (R-SMA-UHPC) is analyzed through a loading protocol with up to 4% drift cycles. The use of NiTi SMA bars for the SMA reinforced columns is limited to the plastic hinge region where permanent deformations happen. All the columns have 2.0% reinforcement ratio, except the R-SMA-UHPC column that has a 1.33% reinforcement ratio to optimize the use of SMA bars. Unlike the S-C column that showed up to 68% residual deformation compared to peak displacement during the last loading cycle the SMA reinforced columns did not experience permanent deformation. The SMA-C and R-SMA-UHPC columns showed similar strengths to the S-C column, but with about 5.0- and 6.5-times larger ductility, respectively. The SMA-UHPC column showed 30% higher strength and 7.5 times larger ductility compared to the S-C column.