Thermomechanical testing of FeNiCoTi shape memory alloy for active confinement of concrete

Abstract

The thermomechanical properties of a new type of shape memory alloy (SMA), FeNiCoTi, are explored in this paper with the aim of examining the feasibility of using this new material as transverse reinforcement for concrete structures subjected to earthquake loading. One advantage of using FeNiCoTi alloy is its cost effectiveness compared to commonly studied NiTi alloy. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) tests are conducted to investigate the transformation temperatures of FeNiCoTi alloy under different heat treatment methods and prestrain schemes. First, a heat treatment method is established to produce FeNiCoTi alloy with wide thermal hysteresis that is pertinent to civil structural applications. Next, recovery stress tests are conducted to explore the effect of parameters including heating method, heating temperature, heating rate, heating protocol and prestrain level on the recovery stress. An optimum prestrain level is determined based on the recovery stress results. Moreover, cyclic tests are carried out to examine the cyclic response of FeNiCoTi alloy after stress recovery. Thermal cyclic tests are also carried out on the FeNiCoTi alloy to better understand the effect of temperature variation on the recovery stress. In addition, reheating of the FeNiCoTi alloy after deformation is conducted to examine the reusability of the material after being subjected to excessive deformation. Test results of the FeNiCoTi alloy indicate that this cost-effective SMA can potentially be a promising new material for civil structural applications.