Researchers from NASA Glenn Research Center and Ohio Aerospace Institute, both of Cleveland, presented a discussion of work on the development of low-temperature shape memory alloys for aerospace applications at the ASM International SMST 2019 conference in May. “Low-Temperature Shape Memory Alloys Development for Actuation at Cold Temperatures” first covers work on high-temperature SMAs, then reports on low-temperature SMA development.
Substantial efforts in the last decade have been dedicated to developing viable shape memory alloys for use as solid-state actuators at temperatures above 100°C. This work has resulted in several breakthroughs in material development, processing, and applications. While these alloys are being scaled-up and matured, interest is just developing in the counterpart low-temperature shape memory alloys (LTSMAs).
The LTSMAs can yield several benefits in the aerospace arena, but they have not been examined rigorously. Aero-structural and space solutions such as aerodynamic surfaces of aircraft (e.g., vortex generators, strakes, engine chine), deep-space devices (e.g., adaptive radiators, pointing mechanisms), and structural superelastic applications (e.g., planetary rover tires, landing systems), among others, can all benefit from viable LTSMAs.
In this work, several LTSMAs are examined in detail and compared not just by transformation temperatures down to —150°C, but also by work output and actuation stability at temperatures down to —60°C.
Authors: Dr. Othmane Benafan, Mr. Glen S Bigelow, Dr. Ronald D. Noebe, Dr. Anita Garg, NASA Glenn Research Center, Cleveland.
Mr. Darrell J Gaydosh, Ohio Aerospace Institute, Cleveland.
https://www.asminternational.org/web/smst-2019
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