Thermomechanical description of shape memory alloys using the preisach model

Abstract

Shape memory alloys (SMAs) are adaptive materials that exhibit complex thermomechanical behaviors due to multiphysics coupling. The thermomechanical modeling of SMAs is a complex task due to several phenomena involved, and the Preisach model is an interesting alternative to describe the SMA hysteretic behavior based on experimental data. This paper deals with the description of the thermomechanical behavior of SMA using the Preisach model. Experimental tests are performed considering NiTi pseudoelastic wires subjected to different load conditions, establishing reference cases. Afterward, the Preisach model is employed to describe the SMA behavior. Numerical simulations are carried out and compared with the experimental data showing a good agreement. Other experimental data available in the literature are employed to investigate different macroscopic behaviors related to SMAs, including strain-temperature relations of wires and force-displacement relations of springs. Results show that the model is able to describe the thermomechanical behavior of SMAs, being in close agreement with experimental data. Preisach model has advantages such as a simple numerical implementation when compared to phenomenological and thermodynamic-based models, being an interesting approach useful for a wide range of applications that include different macroscopic behaviors.