Physics IA Draft Copy - Criterion A (27th Apr 2024)

1. Research Question

What is the effect of weight, temperature and current on the recovery and response time of shape
memory alloy (Nitinol) springs for adaptive vibration damping in automotive applications?

2. Personal Engagement
I was recently going through a bunch of Physics videos, and I came across this remarkably
interesting one where the person was using a heat gun to bring an extended spring back to its
original shape. He said he used a material for the spring called Nitinol which is considered as a
shape memory alloy (SMA). I went on to investigate what it is and found it to be astonishing
since it is used in many applications. It is mainly used extensively in industrial and automotive
applications. It is used as a coupling agent in automobiles. Nitinol can replace conventional
actuators, such as solenoids and servo motors. For example, nitinol springs can act as both a
temperature sensor and an actuator in thermal valves for fluidics.

3. Background Information

Actuators are devices that perform various tasks such as moving an object due to changes in the
environment (such as changes to temperature, pressure, and other variables). In a car, more than
100 actuators are used to control various parts of the car such as engines, transmission boxes,
improve passenger safety and comfort etc. Most of these actuators today are electric motors,
solenoids, thermobimetals, wax motors, vacuum, or pressure actuators. Actuators provide silent
operation, enhanced reliability, durability, and resistance to humidity, shock, and vibrations.

Nitinol actuators are compact, lightweight alternatives to mechanical actuators. Nitinol is also
used in leaf springs, bumper systems, side mirrors and many others. Nitinol springs were used as
part of the suspension in NASA's Curiosity rover which was sent to Mars. Nitinol is also used in
different biomedical applications such as orthodontics, stents, heart valve tools, bone anchors,
staples etc. All of these uses and applications had intrigued me to take upon this topic of shape
memory alloys (SMA) springs as my Physics IA.

The usage of these shape memory alloys has recently risen in the market due to their useful
properties in real world applications. These actuators can be related to nitinol’s property of being
able to return to its original shape when undergoing changes to heat or electrical charges being
passed through. Japanese have recently used this type of technology in Nitinol in many
automotive applications.

Nitinol's special crystal structure lets it bounce back to its original shape when heated or
electrified by moving from a higher to a lower energy state. Heating or passing electricity
through the Nitinol makes its crystal structure relax, bringing the material back to its first form.
4. Variables:

Dependent:

• Time taken for the mechanism to retract back to its original shape/position (in seconds, s)

Independent:

• The weights placed on the shape memory alloy (SMA) (in grams, g)
• The temperature on which the heat gun is applied to the shape memory alloy (in °C)
• The voltage supplied to the shape memory alloy (in volts, V)
Controlled:

• Material Composition: Ensure that the shape memory alloy springs used are all made of
Nitinol to maintain consistency in material composition.
• Initial Spring Configuration: Keep the initial configuration of the shape memory alloy
springs consistent to eliminate variations in starting conditions such as length of string
and length of stretched spring.
• Testing Environment: Maintain a controlled testing environment, including vibration and
wind isolation, power supply stability as well as calibration of instruments such as the
voltmeter and thermometer to ensure consistent conditions and results for all
experiments.
• Applied Weight: Control the weight applied to the springs during testing to analyze how
weight affects recovery and response time.
• Temperature: Keep the temperature constant throughout the experiments to isolate the
effect of temperature on the behavior of the shape memory alloy springs.
• Electric Current: Control the electric current passing through the shape memory alloy
springs to analyze its influence on recovery and response time accurately.
5. Experimental Methodology:

Hypothesis
1. Weight: Increasing the weight of the vibrating system will result in slower recovery and
response times of the Nitinol springs.
2. Temperature: Increasing the temperature of the Nitinol springs will result in faster
recovery and response times.
3. Current: Increasing the current applied to the Nitinol springs will result in faster recovery
and response times.

a. List of materials:

1. Nitinol spring (shape memory alloy)

2. Different masses of balls (ranging from 10g to 300g)
3. Power supply (varying voltages from 2V to 30V)
4. Clamp
5. Stopwatch
6. Heat Gun
7. Infrared Thermometer

b. Procedure

1. Using different weights: Attach different weights to the shape memory alloy (SMA) and
measure the force required to extend it to a specific length. This will help determine the
spring constant of the SMA in its original form.
2. Heating the SMA with a heat gun: Record the temperature at which the SMA begins to
regain its original shape after being deformed and vary the temperature accordingly. This
is known as the transition temperature.
3. Varying the voltage and current: Applying varying electrical currents to the SMA and
observe the effect on its transformation temperature. This is because electrical resistance
changes as the SMA undergoes a phase change.
4. Measure the time taken to return to its original shape: Record the time it takes for the
SMA spring to return to its original shape after being deformed and heated above its
transition temperature. This is known as the recovery time.
5. Record observations: Note any visual changes in the SMA spring as it is heated or
deformed.
6. Repeat the experiment: Perform each test multiple times, at least 6 times, to ensure the
results are consistent. Record the errors and take them into account while doing final
calculations.
Raw data table

Temperature (C) Voltage (V) Weight of mass (g) Time taken to

restore (s)