SHAPE MEMORY ALLOYS

George M Thomas
S7 ME - A
Roll No. : 42
ADR16ME044
TABLE OF CONTENTS

 Introduction
 Martensite & Austenite Phases
 Superelasticity
 Shape Memory Effect
 Advantages & Disadvantages
 Applications
 Conclusion
 Reference
INTRODUCTION
 A shape memory alloy (SMA) is an alloy that can be deformed when
cold but returns to its pre-deformed ("remembered") shape when
heated.
 It may also be called memory metal, memory alloy, smart metal,
smart alloy, or muscle wire.
 The two most prevalent shape-memory alloys are copper-aluminium-
nickel and nickel-titanium (Nitinol)
 SMA works on the principle of Shape Memory Effect.
MARTENSITE & AUSTENITE PHASES
 Martensite is a very hard form of steel crystalline structure.(Stable at
lower temperature)
 Austenite, also known as gamma-phase iron, is a metallic, non-
magnetic allotrope of iron or a solid solution of iron, with an alloying
element. (Stable at higher temperature)
TWINNING & DETWINNING
 Crystal twinning occurs when two separate crystals share some of the
same crystal lattice points in a symmetrical manner.
 The result is an intergrowth of two separate crystals in a variety of
specific configurations.
 The surface along which the lattice points are shared in twinned
crystals is called a composition surface or twin plane.
 The reversal is called detwinning.
SUPERELASTICITY
 SMAs display a phenomenon sometimes called Superelasticity,
implies that the atomic bonds between atoms stretch to an extreme
length without incurring plastic deformation.
 Superelasticity still achieves large, recoverable strains with little to no
permanent deformation, but it relies on more complex mechanisms.
SHAPE MEMORY EFFECT
 The shape memory effect (SME) occurs because a temperature-
induced phase transformation reverses deformation.
 Since these crystal structures do not have enough slip systems for
easy dislocation motion, they deform by twinning—-or rather,
detwinning
 Cooling from austenite to (twinned) martensite, which happens either
at beginning of the SMA’s lifetime or at the end of a thermal cycle.
 Applying a stress to detwin the martensite.
 Heating the martensite to reform austenite, restoring the original
shape.
 Cooling the austenite back to twinned martensite.
SHAPE MEMORY EFFECT (Contd.)
 This phase transformation happens extremely quickly and gives
SMAs their distinctive "snap“.
 This particular phase transformation is called Shape Memory Effect.
SHAPE MEMORY EFFECT (Contd.)
 Shape memory effect can be classified into:
1. One Way Shape Memory
When a shape-memory alloy is in its cold state (below As), the
metal can be bent or stretched and will hold those shapes until
heated above the transition temperature.
 Upon heating, the shape changes to its original. When the metal
cools again it will remain in the hot shape, until deformed again.
2. Two Way Shape Memory
The two-way shape-memory effect is the effect that the material
remembers two different shapes: one at low temperatures, and
one at the high-temperature shape.
SHAPE MEMORY EFFECT (Contd.)
A material that shows a shape-memory effect during both heating
and cooling is said to have two-way shape memory.
This can also be obtained without the application of an external
force (intrinsic two-way effect). The reason the material behaves
so differently in these situations lies in training.
Training implies that a shape memory can "learn" to behave in a
certain way.
ADVANTAGES
 Bio compatibility
 Diverse field of application
 Good mechanical properties (strong & corrosive resistant)

DISDVANTAGES
 Expensive
 Poor fatigue properties
 Overstress
APPLICATIONS
 Biological Applications
 Bone plates – memory effect pulls bones together to promote
healing.
 Stents – for arteries
 Eyeglasses
APPLICATIONS
 Robotics
 Wire formed SMA (Flexible Nitinol) have the ability to flex the
robotic muscles according to electric pulses sent through the wire.
 Space Science
Design of rover wheels (new type of wheel)
CONCLUSION
 The use of SMA as a biomaterial is fascinating because of its
Superelasticity and shape memory effect, which are completely new
properties compared to the conventional metal alloys.
 The reversible property SMA possess is the reason why it has wide
range of applications.
 The true potential of SMA is very great but the technology is still at its
infant stage.
REFERNCES
 Jackson, C.M., H.J. Wagner, and R.J. Wasilewski. 55- Nitinol- -The
Alloy with a Memory: Its Physical Metallurgy, Properties, and
Applications: A Report. Washington: NASA, 2018
 Kauffman, George, and Isaac Mayo. "Memory Metal." Chem. Matters
Oct. 2017
 Otsuka, K., Wayman, C.M., 2019. Introduction. In: Shape Memory
Materials, Cambridge University.
 Buehler, W.J., Wiley, R.C., 2018. Nickel-base alloys.
 Perkins, J., 2019. Residual stresses and the origin of reversible (two-
way) shape memory effect.