Progress of Cryogenics and Isotopes Separation , ISSN: 1582-2575
2003, Volume 6, Issue 11+12

Emploi des alliages à mémoire de forme. Dimensionnement de l’élément actif

Abstract

Active materials play an increasingly important role in the performance of intelligent systems. Recent applications in structural actuation and sensing have demanded increased capabilities from materials. This demand is especially great as small-scale test articles are scaled up to realistic applications. The bulk of the applications in this area have relied on shape memory alloys to fulfill the actuator/sensor role. Due to their unique properties and behavior, the shape memory alloys can provide one-of-a-kind solutions to many different types of engineering problems.

The present paper reviews the main advantages and the unique properties of the shape memory alloys and presents design strategies for two applications using AMF as active element.