Design of Porous Shape Memory Alloys with Small Mechanical Hysteresis

Abstract

The mechanical hysteresis loop behavior always limits the applicability of shape memory alloys (SMAs) in mechanical devices requiring high sensitivity, durability and energy conversion efficiency. In this study, through experiments and finite element simulations, we systematically investigated the effects of porosity and pore distribution on the mechanical hysteresis behavior of porous Ti49.2Ni50.8 SMAs. Inspired by atomic crystal structures, some porous SMAs with ordered void distributions were investigated to compare them with SMAs with random pore distributions. Our results show that the hysteresis reduces with increasing porosity in porous SMAs. The designed BCC-type ordered porous SMAs possess a narrower hysteresis loop with less energy dissipation at the same porosity. The gradual and homogenous martensitic-phase transformations are responsible for this characteristic. The present work provides an effective way to design porous SMAs with narrow hysteresis, which is promising in applications for mechanical sensors or actuators.

New Insights into the Mechanical Properties, Functional Fatigue, and Structural Fatigue of Ni-Ti Alloy Porous Structures

“…The shape memory properties allow Ni-Ti alloys to recover their original shape even after significant deformation thanks to the reversible martensitic transformation of their crystal structure. Moreover, Ni-Ti alloys exhibit super-elasticity, which enables them to withstand high loads without permanent deformation or mechanical failure [86]. Combining these properties with a porous structure makes porous Ni-Ti particularly promising in the fields of medical devices, aerospace engineering, and structural materials [42], as it can offer the advantages of both porous materials and shape memory alloys.…”