Superelastic NiTi Shape Memory Alloy Research Articles

Characterization of the temperature-dependent superelastic and elastocaloric effects of a NiTi tube under compression at 293–330 K

Comprehensive characterizations of the superelastic and elastocaloric effects of NiTi and NiTi-based shape memory alloys (SMA) in the operation temperature region are highly desirable for using them in elastocaloric coolers with a large temperature lift. In this article, we report the superelastic and elastocaloric effects of a commercially available superelastic polycrystalline NiTi SMA tube with an outer diameter of 5 mm and a wall thickness of 1 mm between 293 and 330 K. The NiTi tube sample was subjected to a training of 250 cycles to stabilize its superelastic and elastocaloric effects. We observed that temperature dependencies existed for both superelastic and elastocaloric effects of the NiTi tube, and stress–strain curves differed much between isothermal and adiabatic loading conditions. The largest temperature rise and temperature drop measured at 293 K under an applied strain of 3.66% and a strain rate of 0.1 s−1 during loading and unloading were 21 and 11 K, respectively. The loading conditions (loading function and holding time) also impacted the superelastic effect of the NiTi tube. We identified two major reasons for the irreversibility of the adiabatic temperature change: the hysteresis heat dissipation and the temporary residual strain after unloading, and they affected the cooling performance of the elastocaloric cooler in different ways. We investigated the dependencies of the superelastic and elastocaloric effects on the maximum applied strain and the temperature distribution on the NiTi tube during loading and unloading. The results are beneficial to the modeling of elastocaloric coolers with large temperature lifts.

Design and Experimental Evaluation of Passive Ankle-Foot Orthoses Hinges Using Superelastic NiTi Shape Memory Alloy

Design and Experimental Evaluation of Passive Ankle-Foot Orthoses Hinges Using Superelastic NiTi Shape Memory Alloy

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

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.

Direct-Current-Assisted Healing for Functional Degradation of Nanocrystalline Superelastic NiTi Shape Memory Alloys

Direct-Current-Assisted Healing for Functional Degradation of Nanocrystalline Superelastic NiTi Shape Memory Alloys

Development and preliminarily tests of superelastic Ni-Ti SMA ribbed bars for reinforced concrete applications

The research on superelastic shape memory alloy (SMA) bars reinforced concrete members and structures has received a great deal of attention recent years. In this study, novel superelastic Ni-Ti SMA ribbed bars were developed and investigated to improve the bonding performance and to avoid the problem that the threaded or mechanical anchorage parts of the SMA plain round bars (used in many previous studies) were easy to break in advance. A comprehensive experimental program was conducted to characterize the cold-rolled superelastic Ni-Ti SMA ribbed bars, including scanning electron microscopy to observe the micromorphology, differential scanning calorimeter tests to analyze the phase transformation temperatures, and cyclic tensile tests to examine their mechanical properties. Moreover, five reduced-scale concrete beams were prepared and tested to verify the advantages of the superelastic SMA ribbed bars as bottom longitudinal reinforcements. Results shown that the cyclic tensile response of the cold-rolled SMA ribbed bar subjected to some degree of annealing can be similar with that of the annealed SMA plain round bar. Compared with the beam specimen incorporating ECC and superelastic SMA plain round bars and the beam specimen incorporating normal concrete and superelastic SMA ribbed bars, the specimen incorporating ECC and superelastic SMA ribbed bars exhibited a significantly improved deformation ductility, ultimate bearing capacity, energy dissipation ability, self-centering capability, and cracking performance under the cyclic flexural loads. Besides, no reinforcement slippage or fracture were observed during the entire loading process in all beams, suggesting satisfactory bonding effect and uniformity.

Development of a crankshaft driven single long NiTi tube compressive elastocaloric cooler

Elastocaloric cooling has no environmental effects during operation, and achieving a compact structure especially the driver is significant for its commercialization. In this article, a compact, standalone crankshaft driven single long NiTi tube compressive elastocaloric cooler is developed. A crankshaft driver was designed and fabricated to drive a compressive elastocaloric regenerator utilizing a single long polycrystalline superelastic NiTi shape memory alloy tube (outer diameter 5 mm, wall thickness 1 mm, and initial length 305 mm). A novel design of ceramic heat insulation plate was applied to the cooler to reduce the conduction heat loss from the NiTi tube to the stainless-steel loading heads. The cooling performance of the cooler was characterized using synchronized thermocouples and infrared thermography, and the specific cooling(heating) power, temperature span, and coefficient of performance of up to 65(125) W·kg−1, 9.1 K, and 5.0, respectively were measured. The progressions of the temperature span, specific cooling(heating) power, and coefficient of performance with the operation cycle and temperature lift were analyzed. An energy analysis revealed that the heat transfer fluid carried out only 14% of the latent heat generated by the NiTi tube, which demonstrated a potential to enhance the cooling performance by the improvement in the regenerator structure.

Tension-compression asymmetric functional degeneration of super-elastic NiTi shape memory alloy: Experimental observation and multiscale constitutive model

The functional degeneration of super-elastic NiTi shape memory alloy (SMA) rods is investigated in the cyclic tension-unloading and compression-unloading experiments. The results show that the functional degeneration exhibits a strong tension–compression asymmetry, which originates from the initial 〈111〉 and 〈110〉 mixed textures along the axial direction of the rods, the polarity of martensite transformation, and the complex interaction between martensite transformation and dislocation slipping. Moreover, the dependence of functional degeneration on the applied stress level is discussed. To understand and predict the effect of initial texture on the cyclic deformation of polycrystalline NiTi SMA, a multiscale constitutive model is constructed at finite deformation. At the mesoscopic scale, two major inelastic deformation mechanisms, i.e., the transformation between austenite and martensite phases and the transformation-induced plasticity caused by the strain mismatch at the austenite–martensite interface, are considered. The total deformation gradient is multiplicatively decomposed into the martensite transformation, transformation-induced plasticity and elastic parts. The deformation gradient parts at the mesoscopic scale are obtained by upscaling these physical quantities at a smaller spatial scale (i.e., the microscopic scale). The proposed model is formulated within the framework of irreversible thermodynamics. The driving forces for martensite transformation and transformation-induced plasticity are derived according to the established Helmholtz free energy and Clausius-Duhem inequality. The complex interaction between martensite transformation and dislocation slipping, and the forward/reverse inheritance of dislocations caused by the moving austenite–martensite interfaces are considered. To calculate the overall cyclic responses of polycrystalline NiTi SMA at the macroscopic scale, the developed constitutive model is implemented into the finite element software ABAQUS/Explicit using a user-defined material subroutine. A polycrystalline representative volume element is constructed by introducing the initial 〈111〉 and 〈110〉 mixed textures observed in the experiment. By comparing the simulated results with the experimental data, the capability of the proposed model to predict the texture-induced tension–compression asymmetric functional degeneration is verified, and the influence of texture type on the cyclic deformation is discussed.

Superelastic Nickel-Titanium (NiTi)-Based Smart Alloys for Enhancing the Performance of Concrete Structures.

Recent advances in materials science have led to the development of smart materials that can continuously adapt to different loading conditions and changing environment to meet the growing demand for smart structural systems. The unique characteristics of superelastic NiTi shape memory alloys (SMAs) have attracted the attention of structural engineers worldwide. SMAs are metallic materials that can retrieve their original shape upon exposure to various temperatures or loading/unloading conditions with minimal residual deformation. SMAs have found increasing applications in the building industry because of their high strength, high actuation and damping capacities, good durability, and superior fatigue resistance. Despite the research conducted on the structural applications of SMAs during the previous decades, the existing literature lacks reviews on their recent uses in building industry such as prestressing concrete beams, seismic strengthening of footing-column connections, and fiber-reinforced concrete. Furthermore, scarce research exists on their performance under corrosive environments, elevated temperatures, and intensive fires. Moreover, the high manufacturing cost of SMA and the lack of knowledge transfer from research to practice are the main obstacles behind their limited use in concrete structures. This paper sheds light on the latest progress made in the applications of SMA in reinforced concrete structures during the last two decades. In addition, the paper concludes with the recommendations and future opportunities associated with expanding the use of SMA in civil infrastructures.

Intrinsic response of nanocrystalline superelastic NiTi shape memory alloy

Intrinsic response of nanocrystalline superelastic NiTi shape memory alloy

A multi-scale diffusional-mechanically coupled model for super-elastic NiTi shape memory alloy wires in hydrogen-rich environment

The functional devices made by NiTi shape memory alloys (SMAs) are often serviced in hydrogen (H)-rich environment. Recently experimental results showed that the martensite transformation (MT) of NiTi SMA changed strongly after charging H, which originates from the H diffusion in the material and an additional transformation resistance caused by the absorbed H atoms. In this work, a multi-scale diffusional-mechanically coupled constitutive model is constructed to describe the super-elastic deformation of NiTi SMA wires in H-rich environment. In the grain scale, a crystal plasticity-based constitutive model is developed within the framework of irreversible thermodynamics. Four deformation mechanisms, i.e., elasticity, MT, transformation-induced plasticity (TRIP) and H expansion are taken into account. Since the H atoms can be trapped by the lattice defects, the total H concentration is further decomposed into two parts, i.e., the lattice hydrogen concentration and the trapped one. The generalized thermodynamic forces of MT and TRIP are derived from the Gibbs free energy and Clausius-Duhem inequality. The evolution of H concentration field is derived by combining the chemical potential, diffusion balance equation and the Fick's law. In the polycrystalline aggregate scale, in order to measure the interaction among the grains and obtain the overall response of the polycrystalline aggregate, a diffusional-mechanically coupled self-consistent homogenization method is developed. Meanwhile, the finite volume method is employed to calculate the H concentration in each grain. An assumption of uniform stress field in the macroscopic scale is adopted to achieve the scale transition from the polycrystalline aggregate to the whole wire. To validate the prediction capability of the proposed model, the predictions are compared with the experiments. Moreover, the influences of loading rate on the deformation of the wires in the process of in-situ charging H are predicted and discussed.

Thermo-mechanically coupled functional fatigue of NiTi shape memory alloys under multiaxial cyclic loadings

In this work, the rate-dependent and loading path-dependent cyclic deformation behaviors of super-elastic NiTi shape memory alloy (SMA) are investigated under multiaxial cyclic loadings with various loading frequencies. The evolutions of stress–strain response, temperature and dissipation energy with increasing the number of cycles are investigated systematically. It is found that the functional fatigue occurs in the process of cyclic deformation, and such a phenomenon is more significant under non-proportionally multiaxial loadings and with higher frequency. The temperature variation induced by the internal heat generation becomes more obvious with increasing the loading frequency. Moreover, it is revealed that the path-dependent functional fatigue has a positive correlation to a newly defined indicator for different loading paths, i.e., the degree of non-proportionality, and the rate-dependent functional fatigue can be attributed to the thermo-mechanically coupled nature of martensite transformation. The experimental results performed in this work and the revealing deformation mechanisms are helpful to establish a three-dimensional thermo-mechanically coupled cyclic constitutive model of NiTi SMAs.

Highly efficient grooved NiTi tube refrigerants for compressive elastocaloric cooling

Elastocaloric (eC) cooling without environmental issues has been a promising substitute for the conventional vapor-compression refrigeration. Commercial superelastic NiTi shape memory alloy tubes show large elastocaloric cooling capacity and ultrahigh fatigue life under cyclic compression but suffer from the limited specific heat transfer area (Aht) and insufficient cooling performance. Up to now, compressive NiTi tube eC refrigerant with Aht larger than 1 m2 Kg−1 has not been available due to the easy buckling problem. In this work, the buckling-free vertically and spirally grooved NiTi tubes (VGT and SGT) with Aht of 1.04 m2 Kg−1 and 1.25 m2 Kg−1 respectively are developed as the compressive eC refrigerants. The VGT and SGT are fabricated by the slow-feeding wire electric discharge machining based on the bared NiTi tubes. Then a compressive eC refrigeration prototype (ERP) is built to experimentally characterize the specific cooling power (SCP) and system temperature span (ΔTspan) of the grooved tubes. Under the regenerative flow configuration, the VGT and SGT achieve large zero-ΔTspanSCP of 2.18 W g−1 and 2.61 W g−1 at the operation frequency (fERP) = 0.5 Hz. Besides, the VGT and SGT produce maximum no-cooling-load ΔTspan of 25.2 K and 27.7 K respectively at fERP = 0.417 Hz. The experimental SCP and ΔTspan exceed most of the reported eC regenerators and there are still rooms for enhancing the cooling results by improving the ERP in future. Overall, the developed VGT and SGT with large Aht records and excellent cooling performance show big potentials of heat transfer structure design in developing highly efficient eC devices.

A two-scale thermo-mechanically coupled constitutive model for grain size- and rate-dependent deformation of nano-crystalline NiTi shape memory alloy

In this paper, a two-scale thermo-mechanically coupled constitutive model is established to predict the grain size (GS)- and rate-dependent deformation of nano-crystalline super-elastic NiTi shape memory alloy (SMA). At the mesoscopic scale, the polycrystalline representative volume element (RVE) is considered as an aggregation of individual grains. Owing to the relatively large volume fraction (VF) of grain boundary in nano-crystalline NiTi SMA, an individual grain is further considered as a composite containing the grain interior (GI) and grain boundary (GB) phases. For the GI phase, a crystal plasticity-based model accounting for the internal heat generation is developed through the fundamental laws of irreversible thermodynamics. The constraint of GB phase on the martensite transformation in the GI phase is considered by introducing a scaling law between the transformation hardening modulus (THM) and GS. Owing to its un-transformable nature and relatively high yielding stress, the GB phase is assumed to behavior constitutively linear thermo-elasticity. To evaluate the thermo-mechanical interactions among the grains, GI phase and GB phase, and obtain the overall response of the polycrystalline RVE, a double inclusion self-consistent homogenization scheme involving the material nonlinearity and thermo-mechanical coupling effect is developed in an incremental form. At the macroscopic scale, the overall thermo-mechanical responses for the specimen of nano-crystalline NiTi SMA are obtained by solving the equations of force balance, deformation compatibility, and thermodynamic equilibrium through an approximation method. Finally, considering the specific texture measured in experiments, the proposed model is validated by predicting the GS- and rate-dependent deformation of nano-crystalline NiTi SMA sheet. Furthermore, the anisotropic thermo-mechanical responses of the sheet caused by the texture are predicted and discussed.

Pre-tensioned SMA cable tests and its application in a novel self-centering viscoelastic damper

The elastic modulus of superelastic NiTi shape memory alloy (SMA) is between normal structural steel and viscoelastic materials. To enhance the initial stiffness and self-centering capability of viscoelastic (VE) dampers, an innovative self-centering high-damping rubber damper (SC-HRD), which is parallel composed of an SMA-cable-controlled self-centering system and a traditional high-damping rubber damper, was proposed and investigated in this study. The influence of initial strain, loading amplitude, and strain rate on the behavior of SMA cables after training and pre-tensioning was also tested for the SC-HRD application. Configuration and working principles of the SC-HRD were subsequently illustrated, followed by numerical studies on the behavior of the novel damper. Parametric analyses were then carried out on several design parameters of the SC-HRD to optimize its mechanical performance. Results show that the initial stiffness and residual self-centering strength of the SMA cables, which are essential for the SC-HRD application, can be enhanced with the increasing initial strain and loading strain rate. Compared with traditional VE dampers, the SC-HRD has better initial stiffness and self-centering capacities. Initial strain and relative area ratio of the pre-tensioned SMA cables in the proposed SC-HRD are suggested to be designed as about 2% and 0.123%, respectively, to achieve appropriate initial stiffness, energy dissipation, and residual deformation of the proposed SC-HRD.

Enhanced Fatigue Resistance of Nanocrystalline Ni50.8Ti49.2 Wires by Mechanical Training

In this paper, the fatigue resistance of superelastic NiTi shape memory alloy (SMA) wires was improved by combining mechanical training and nanocrystallization. Fatigue tests were performed after mechanical training with a peak stress of 600 MPa for 60 cycles of nanocrystalline (NC) NiTi wires, and the associated microscopic mechanism was investigated by using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and transmission Kikuchi diffraction (TKD). The results showed that stress-controlled training effectively improved the functional stability (the accumulated residual strain decreased by 83.8% in the first 5000 cycles) of NC NiTi SMA wires, as well as increased the average structural fatigue life by 187.4% (from 4538 cycles to 13,040 cycles). TEM observations and TKD results revealed that training-induced dislocations resulted in lattice rotation and preferential grain orientation. The finite element method (FEM) simulation results indicated that the training-induced preferential grain orientation tended to decrease the local stress concentration and strain energy density. Combined with fractography analysis, the uniform deformation caused by mechanical training changed the crack growth mode from multi-regional propagation to single-regional propagation, improving the structural fatigue life.

Elastocaloric effect characterization of a NiTi tube to be applied in a compressive cooler

In this article, the elastocaloric effect of a commercial superelastic NiTi shape memory alloy (SMA) tube (with an outer diameter of 5 mm and wall thickness of 1 mm) to be applied in a compressive cooler was measured and analyzed. The elastocaloric effect of the tube was measured vs the applied strain and strain rate. The largest temperature changes of 21 K during loading and 16 K during unloading were measured at an applied strain of 3.30% and strain rate of 0.33 s−1. In the fatigue testing of the sample, only 0.20% of the residual strain accumulated after a runout of 1 × 106 sinusoidal force-controlled loading–unloading cycles at a maximum compressive stress of 1100 MPa and frequency of 20 Hz. Numerical results of the cooling characteristics of a compressive device using a single NiTi tube with the above-mentioned cross section and an aspect ratio of 60:1 as the refrigerant showed that the device could produce a total cooling power of up to 20 W and a coefficient of performance of up to 6.5. The results of this article demonstrate that superelastic NiTi SMA tubes of suitable wall thickness and aspect ratios are good candidates to be applied in a compressive elastocaloric cooler.

Seismic performance of self-centering concrete-filled square steel tubular column-to-steel beam connection equipped with SMA bolts

This study demonstrates the considerable potential of the combined application of superelastic NiTi shape memory alloy (SMA) bolts and brass friction energy dissipation devices for self-centering connections to effectively deal with both the large residual drift and lower energy dissipation of traditional connections after an earthquake. Cyclic tests were conducted on eight 1/2 scaled concrete-filled square steel tubular (CFSST) column-to-steel beam connections, including seven T-stub steel connections with SMA bolts and one conventional T-stub steel connection with normal high-strength bolts. The mechanical behavior of the connection was analyzed considering the effect of the pre-strain of the SMA bolt and the pretension force in the friction bolts through web friction devices (WFDs). The results showed that the SMA connection specimen exhibited recognizable double-flag-shaped hysteretic responses with excellent recentering ability and moderate energy dissipation capability, and the primary structural components remained elastic after each cyclic loading. The self-centering capacity of the SMA connection increases with an increase in the pre-strain of the SMA bolt, and the energy dissipation capacity of the SMA connection increases with an increase in the pre-tension force in the friction bolts. Moreover, the SMA self-centering connection has good shock resistance and repairability. After an earthquake, the seismic performance of the SMA connection can be quickly restored by replacing the T-stub steel.

Effect of heat treatment and end-hook geometry on pullout behaviour of heavily cold worked superelastic NiTi shape memory alloy fibres embedded in concrete

In this study, superelastic fibres were fabricated from heavily cold worked shape memory alloy (SMA) wire followed by heat treatment, with the goal of enhancing fibre pullout performance and simplifying the fibre production process. The effects of annealing at 350 °C, 450 °C, and 550 °C for 20, 40, and 60 min on the tensile properties of the cold worked SMA were studied. Monotonic and cyclic single fibre pullout tests were conducted using an embedment length of 30 mm. The fibres had straight, 3D, 4D, and 5D end-hook geometries and were embedded in normal strength (NS), high performance (HP), and ultra-high-performance (UHP) concrete. The results demonstrated that heat treatment at 350 °C for 20 and 40 min produced significantly higher peak load, pullout energy, average bond strength, and equivalent bond strength values as compared to the properties of fibres exposed to other temperatures and durations. Heat treatment at 350 °C for 40 min showed the highest re-centring and cumulative energy dissipation under cyclic pullout. Pullout performance significantly increased when either mechanical anchorage or concrete strength were increased. Among the SMA fibre geometries, 5D in NS concrete, 4D and 5D in HP concrete, and 3D and 4D fibres in UHP concrete generated sufficient resistance for martensitic transformation that resulted in a significantly higher re-centring ratio and cumulative pullout energy under cyclic loading than was observed for their steel counterparts.

Fatigue life study of superelastic NiTi Shape Memory Alloys using self-heating under cyclic loading method

This paper concerns the High Cycle Fatigue (HCF) properties of superelastic NiTi Shape Memory Alloys (SMA). Up till today, HCF fatigue of SMAs has not been much studied and, therefore, there is a lack of tools to design the SMA pieces and structures against fatigue. In this study, it is proposed to investigate the HCF properties of NiTi SMAs by using a new approach based, on one hand, on self-heating tests under cyclic loading and, on the other hand, on a probabilistic two-scale model. The proposed model permits to establish a link between self-heating phenomena and the fatigue properties of the material. Finally, our approach is validated by comparing the model predictions to the experimental results obtained with classical HCF fatigue tests.

Bending fatigue life enhancement of NiTi alloy by pre-strain warm surface mechanical attrition treatment

Many structures like medical stents made of superelastic NiTi shape memory alloy (SMA) are subjected to cyclic bending loads and show a limited fatigue life due to crack nucleation and growth in the surface layers under local tensile stress. Here, we enhance the bending fatigue life of NiTi plates by pre-strain warm surface mechanical attrition treatment (pw-SMAT) where the austenite phase is directly subjected to severe plastic deformation and grain refinement without inducing phase transformation. Amorphous and grain size gradient (5–100 nm) microstructures, as well as a maximum compressive residual stress of 1093 MPa are produced in the surface layer of the NiTi plates via the pw-SMAT. The compressive residual stress notably reduces the surface tensile stress from bending. The grain size gradient layers with improved hardness and reduced hysteresis have high fatigue crack nucleation resistance, while the middle large-grained layers of the plates have high fatigue crack growth resistance. The combined effects of the gradient nanostructure and the compressive residual stress substantially increase the bending fatigue life of the NiTi plates from an original 103 cycles to over 1.3 × 104 cycles. The results open up a new route to improve the bending fatigue life of NiTi plates by heterogenous nanostructures.