2. DISCOVERY
The word "nitinol" is
derived from its
composition and its place
of discovery: (Nickel
Titanium-Naval Ordnance
Laboratory).
William J. Buehler along
with Frederick Wang,
discovered its properties
during research at the
Naval Ordnance
Laboratory in 1959.
5. PHYSICS OF SMA Shape Memory
Alloys (SMAs)
exhibit unique
properties due to a
phase
transformation in
their crystalline
structure, allowing
them to
"remember" their
original shape and
return to it when
heated after being
deformed.
6. Applications of Shape Memory
Alloys in Medicine
In dentistry, SMAs are widely
used in orthodontics for
braces and wires due to their
super elasticity and shape
memory effects
SMAs are used in various
surgical instruments due
to their super elasticity
and biocompatibility.
7. Applications of SMAs in Aerospace
SMA being both
structural and
active, can
effectively
reduce the
complexity of a
system when
compared to the
same system
utilizing
standard
technology
8. Challenges in Smart Memory Alloy
Use
❖ Fatigue and
Fracture:
❖ Stability of
Transformation
Temperatures:
❖ Biocompatibility:
❖ Training Process:
Material Costs
and
Manufacturing:
❖ Control and
Actuation:
9. Innovation in SMA Design
The advent of 3D
printing technology
has opened new
possibilities for
designing and
manufacturing
SMAs.
Combining SMAs
with polymers can
result in a
lightweight material
that has the
advantages of both
constituents.
10. SMAs in Robotics
❖ Micro and
Nano
Robotics:
❖ Soft Robotics:
❖ Bio-inspired
Robots:
❖ Grippers and
Manipulators
: Surgical
Robots:
❖ Actuation in
Underwater
Robotics:
11. Material Costs and Manufacturing
SMAs, especially
those containing
nickel (e.g., Nitinol),
can be relatively
expensive
compared to other
materials. The
higher cost can limit
their widespread
adoption,
particularly in cost-
sensitive
applications.
12. Control and Actuation:
Their ability to
"remember" and
revert to their
original shape
when heated,
termed the shape
memory effect
(SME), or to exhibit
super elasticity at
certain
temperatures,
enables their use
as actuators in
various systems.
