Experimental investigation of mechanical properties of NiTi superelastic shape memory alloy cables

Abstract

As a self-centering element in a recoverable functional structure, shape memory alloys (SMAs) usually require a large diameter to provide sufficient bearing capacity, and pre-strain is applied to obtain good self-centering performance and initial stiffness. This study aims to explore the mechanical properties of large-diameter NiTi SMA cables and their potential applications in recoverable functional structures. Through the uniaxial tensile test of 11 SMA cables with 7 × 7 × 1.0 mm, the mechanical properties of SMA cables under different strain amplitudes, cyclic loading effects, loading rates, and different pre-strain modes were evaluated. The results indicate that the energy dissipation capacity of SMA cable increases with the increase of strain amplitude, but at the same time, it will reduce its self-centering capabilities. The equivalent viscous damping ratio decreases after the SMA cable enters the martensitic hardening stage. The residual strain of SMA cable depends on the combined effect of strain amplitude and number of cycles. The larger the strain amplitude and the number of cycles, the more significant the degradation of self-centering performance. After 20 times of constant amplitude loading and unloading, the mechanical properties of SMA cable are relatively stable. The reverse phase transformation stress of the pre-strained SMA cable gradually decreases with the increase of the tensile strain amplitude. The pre-strained SMA cable exhibits a stable restoring force strength in the sub-cycle, and the residual strain is zero. The test results support experimental data for applying large-diameter SMA cables in recoverable functional structures.