Activation of CuAlNi SMAs using a solar energy

Abstract

"Shape memory alloys are special materials that can perform mechanical work during martensitic transformation. CuAlNi shape memory alloys have gained attention based on them high transformation temperatures domain and can be considered as HTSMAs (high temperature shape memory alloys). The thermal component in order to achieve martensitic transformation can be obtained from sun using a solar concentrator. The heating/cooling process was registered and analyzed during the experiments. Material surface was analyzed before and after thermal shocks by microstructure point of view using scanning electron microscopy (SEM VegaTescan LMH II, SE detector) and atomic force microscopy (AFM EasyScan II, non-contact mode). The experiments follow the material behavior during fast heating and propose the possibility of activating smart materials using the sun heat for aerospace applications. "