SMART MATERIALS

SHAPE MEMORY ALLOYS

 Smart materials
Designed materials that have one or more properties that can be
significantly changed in a controlled fashion by external stimuli

Smart: able to produce information and actions

Smart  Programmable
Materials Integrated into the material itself:
 Sensor

 Actuator

 Processor
 Type Input Output

Piezoleletric Deformation Potential Difference

Magnetostrictive Magnetic Field Deformation

Smart Electrostrictive Potential Difference Deformation

Materials Thermoeletric Temperature Potential Difference

Shape Memory Alloy Temperature Deformation

Photochromic Radiation Color Change

Thermochromicss Temperature Color Change

  Shape Memory Alloys
Is a class of shape memory materials (SMMs)
Is a metallic alloys that can return to their original form
Subjected to a memorisation process between two transformation
phases, which is temperature dependent.

SMA
Deformation by applying
an external force
Recover to its original
form when heated
 Non-mechanical
Mechanical
input (thermal
output ACTUATORS
field)

Wide range of applications

in several fields:
• Automotive
SMA
• Aerospace
• Biomedical
• Structural
SMA actuators
Applications
Applications
Applications
  Proprieties of Nitinol

Nitinol


* Young’s Modulus difference between Martensite and Austenite

similar like between Tin and Aluminium
How do SMAs work?
Cristallography and phase transformations, SME,
pseudoelasticity and cyclic behavior.
 Two phases

High temperature Low temperature

phase: Austenite phase: Martensite

Cubic crystal structure of

Crystal Transformation from one phase to austenite

structure the other is due to shear lattice

distortion

Monoclinic crystal
structure of martensite
 Self-accomodated Single-variant
Martensitic martensite: martensite: Detwinned
Twinned martensite (𝑴𝒅 )
variants and martensite (𝑴𝒕 )
detwinning
When the material is subjected to a load at low
process temperature, twinned martensite is transformed into
detwinned martensite. The result is a macroscopic
shape change which remains when the load is
released. This process is known as detwinning.
Detwinning
process

𝜎𝑠 : detwinning start stress

𝜎𝑓 : detwinning finish stress
 Forward transformation Reverse transformation

Transition from A to Mt due to Transition from Mt to A

cooling under stress-free due to heating under
conditions stress-free conditions
Phase
transformations
 Pseudoelasticity
or Superelasticity

Superelasticity
& One-way

Shape memory Shape memory

effects

two-way
 Ability of SMAs to return back to their original shape when heated
above 𝐴𝑓 .

Shape Memory
Effect (SME)
 Elastic deformation of 𝑀𝑡 , under low levels
of stress

Shape Memory
Effect
 Under higher loads, detwinning process takes place
(𝑀𝑡 → 𝑀𝑑 ) resulting in high levels of strain

Shape Memory
Effect
 Unloading of the
Shape Memory material: only some
strain is recovered
Effect
Shape Memory
Effect

Upon heating above 𝐴𝑓 , 𝑀𝑡 is

transformed into 𝐴 and complete
shape recovery is obtained
 Cooling: phase
transformation
Shape Memory
Effect
 Under a constant temperature above 𝐴𝑓 , if the material is
subjected to sufficiently high loads, a macroscopic shape change
is observed. Upon unloading, all the deformation is recovered.

Pseudoelasticity
 The material is
Pseudoelasticity loaded in fully
austenitic state
 At a critical stress 𝜎 𝑀𝑠 ,
transition from 𝐴 to 𝑀𝑑
(stress-induced martensite)
Pseudoelasticity resulting in very high levels
of strain
 Upon unloading, complete shape recovery

Pseudoelasticity
 If the material is subjected to a constant load in the 𝑀𝑑 phase
and it is heated above 𝐴𝑓 , the result is a complete shape recovery.
This mechanism can be used as an actuator as the material is
able to deliver a relatively high load during reverse transform.

SME under
constant load
 When the material is subjected to a cyclic thermomechanical
load, after each cycle there is a small residual strain that cannot
be recovered and that accumulates.
Training: Process of cyclically loading the material until the
residual strain ceases to further accumulate (saturation strain)

Cyclic behavior
of SMAs
Characterization of
SMAs
  Calorimetric analysis
Characterization  Thermomechanical characterization
of SMAs  Fatigue characterization
 Determination of the zero-stress transformation temperatures:
𝑀𝑠 , 𝑀𝑓 , 𝐴𝑠 and 𝐴𝑓 .

Differential Scanning
Calorimetry (DSC) test
Calorimetric is used.

analysis The four temperatures

are estimated by using
tangent lines in the DSC
plot.
  Electrical resistivity measurements:
 During reverse transformation (𝑀 → 𝐴): Resistivity increases
 During forward transformation (𝐴 → 𝑀): Resistivity decreases

Alternative
methods
  Bend and Free Recovery method: Cooling the specimen to
martensitic state, bending the specimen and heating it to
austenitic state.

Alternative
methods
 o 𝑻 < 𝑴𝒇 (Fully martensitic state): Loading until detwinning
process is complete and to a maximum stress level. Unloading
and increasing the temperature above 𝐴𝑓 . SME behavior is
observed. The properties that can be obtained are:
 Young modulus of martensite 𝐸 𝑀
 Detwinning start and finish stresses 𝜎𝑠 , 𝜎𝑓
Monotonic
loading/unloading
 o 𝑻 > 𝑨𝒇 (Fully austenitic state): Loading and unloading.
Pseudoelastic effect is observed. The properties that can be
obtained are:
 Young modulus of austenite 𝐸 𝐴
 Upper and lower plateau stresses

Monotonic
loading/unloading
 Increasing/decreasing temperature at constant stress.
We obtain: Four transformation temperatures at a given stress
level 𝑴𝝈𝒔 , 𝑴𝝈𝒇 , 𝑨𝝈𝒔 , 𝑨𝝈𝒇 .
This experiment can be repeated several times at different stress
levels in order to have more sets of points to extrapolate.

Isobaric testing
Construction of
the phase
diagram
  Mechanical fatigue characterization:
 Chuck-to-Chuck Method
 Machined Block Method

Fatigue
characterization
  Functional fatigue characterization: Subjecting the sample
to thermal cyclic loading
 Constant stress
 Constant strain
 Constant stress with limited maximum strain

Fatigue
characterization
Experimental procedure
Wire shaping into a spring and testing
  Characteristics of the SmartFlex® wire:
 Diameter: 400 𝜇𝑚
 Maximum force: 75 𝑁
 Maximum stroke: 5 %
 Suggested operating force: 21 𝑁
 Transformation temperatures:

Wire shaping
into a spring
  Set-up: The wire was coiled around a bolt and clamped in the
ends between two nuts. A 45˚ groove was machined in two of
the nuts to be able to pass the wire.

Wire shaping
into a spring
  Heat treatment: Heating in an oven at temperatures ranging
from 400˚C to 550˚C for around 30 minutes. The cooling
process was made by air or by water quenching.

Wire shaping
into a spring
 Smart Materials

SHAPE MEMORY
ALLOYS
Shape Memory Alloy
Shape Memory Alloy
• Shape Memory Alloys
Is a class of shape memory
materials (SMMs)

Is a metallic alloys that can return to

their original form

Subjected to a memorisation process

between two transformation phases,
which is temperature dependent.

Two type of behaviour:

- Shape Memory Effect
- Superelastic Effect
Shape Memory Alloy
 SMA actuators
Wide range of applications
in several fields:
• Automotive
• Aerospace
• Biomedical
• Structural

Wide range of temperatura of activation:

10°C to 90°C degree for Nitinol alloys.
Even higher temperatura for other alloys
 Applications
• Biomedical • Robotics
– stents – actuators
 Applications
• Aerospacial
• Noise Mitigation Using
SMA
• Continuosly deformable
Airfoil SMA-controlled
• Adjustable inlet (F-15)
 Applications
• Automotive
 Workshop – Lock system
Studio, sviluppo e progettazione di un sistema di blocco e
interblocco di sicurezza per macchine automatiche
Thesis - Wire shaping & tests
 Thesis - Nitinol wire control
Si è cercato di mettere in relazione variabili esterne come la dinamica meccanica, la
dinamica termica e la transizione di fase, in funzione di una sola variabile interna ξ, che
individua la percentuale di volume di martensite nella lega.

Il modello descrive la variazione di stress in funzione di 3 contributi

(meccanico, di transizione di fase e termico):
E è il modulo di Young,
Ω è il coefficiente i transizione di fase
ϴ è il coefficiente di espansione termica.
Workshop - gripper
Three Fingers grabbing tennis ball using
Shape Memory alloy and compliant joint