• Journal of the Korean Society for Heat Treatment
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• v.21 no.6
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• pp.307-313
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• 2008

The tensile deformation and shape recovery behaviors were studied in Ni-Ti shape memory wires showing different transformation characteristics by annealing at $200{\sim}600^{\circ}C$. Both R phase ${\rightarrow}$ B19' martensitic transformation at lower temperature and B2 ${\rightarrow}$ R phase transformation at higher temperature occurred in the shape memory wires annealed at $200{\sim}500^{\circ}C$. Transformation temperature and heat flow of B19' martensite increase but those of R phase main almost constant even with increasing annealing temperature. In the case of wires annealed and then cooled to $20^{\circ}C$, plateau on stress-strain curves in tensile testing can be observed due to the collapse of R phase variants and the formation of deformation-induced B19' martensite. In the case of wires annealed and then cooled to $-196^{\circ}C$, however, plateau on stress-strain curves does not appear and stress increases steadily with increasing tensile deformation. Comparing shape recovery rate with cooling temperature after annealing, shape recovery rate of the wire cooled to $20^{\circ}C$ is higher than that of the wire cooled to $-196^{\circ}C$ after annealing, and maximum shape recovery rate of 95% appears in the wire annealed at $400^{\circ}C$ and then cooled to $20^{\circ}C$. $R_s$ and $R_f$ temperatures measured during shape recovery tests are higher than $A_s$ and $A_f$ temperatures measured by DSC tests even at the same annealing temperature.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Precision Engineering Conference
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• 2006.05a
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• pp.295-296
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• 2006

We developed wire frame drive unit based on SMA for the 3D Shape display. Our basic concept is wire frame combination connected with a chain form which can create various shapes and it compared with pin array mechanism which is not able to display mushroom shape. It imitates antagonist mechanism of human musculoskeletal system. we create similar motion using repair-relaxation mechanism and locking mechanism by SMA. Therefore, in this paper, we propose SMA control solution for actuating repair-relaxation mechanism and locking mechanism. In our control system. we use optical sensor and quantitative angle between wire frames for closed loop control. And we supply amplified current for SMA by circuit composed of transistor and apply PWM signal to circuit for efficient control. So, wire frame drive unit enable diversity angle control based on sensor data. And then combination of wire frame drive units will create various objects.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society for Noise and Vibration Engineering Conference
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• 2007.05a
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• pp.924-927
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• 2007

In this study, adaptation of two-way shape memory effect of SMA wire to the actuator is examined. Therefore the SMA characteristics which are training, material properties, response time at different thermal cycling rates are tested. During training, permanent deformation is accumulated till a certain number of cycle and then saturated. The amount of two-way strain is unchangeable over all cycle and the slope of strain(or stress)-temperature curve is slower as the increase of applied stress. The rate effect is observed resulted from the thermal distribution which heating profile differs from cooling as thermal cycling time. Using the estimated SMA properties, an experimental test for the simple smart wing is performed.

• Proceedings of the KSME Conference
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• 2007.05a
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• pp.154-159
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• 2007

Some shape memory alloys like NiTi show noticeable high damping property in pseudoelastic range. Due to its instinct characteristics, a NiTi alloy is commonly used for passive damping applications, in which the energy may be dissipated by the conversion from mechanical to thermal energy. Previous researches found the NiTi wires own higher damping property than the bars; therefore the wire form is adopted in this study. A loss factor is introduced for measuring the damping property of the NiTi wires. The experimental observation shows the mechanical behaviors of NiTi wires are dependent on temperature, strain rate and strain amplitude. Moreover, it is found the first several decades of loading-unloading cycles can obviously influence the property of NiTi wires under the same working conditions.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.189-200
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• 2007

As a functional material, shape memory alloy (SMA) has attracted much attention and research effort to explore its unique properties and its applications in the past few decades. Some of its properties, in particular the electrical resistance (ER) based self-sensing property of SMA, have not been fully studied. Electrical resistance of an SMA wire varies during its phase transformation. This variation is an inherent property of the SMA wire, although it is highly nonlinear with hysteresis. The relationship between the displacement and the electrical resistance of an SMA wire is deterministic and repeatable to some degree, therefore enabling the self-sensing ability of the SMA. The potential of this self-sensing ability has not received sufficient exploration so far, and even the previous studies in literature lack generality. This paper concerns the utilization of the self-sensing property of a spring-biased Nickel-Titanium (Nitinol) SMA actuator for two applications: ER feedback position control of an SMA actuator without a position sensor, and estimation of the opening of a SMA actuated valve. The use of the self-sensing property eliminates the need for a position sensor, therefore reducing the cost and size of an SMA actuator assembly. Two experimental apparatuses are fabricated to facilitate the two proposed applications, respectively. Based on open-loop testing results, the curve fitting technique is used to represent the nonlinear relationships between the displacement and the electrical resistance of the two SMA wire actuators. Using the mathematical models of the two SMA actuators, respectively, a proportional plus derivative controller is designed for control of the SMA wire actuator using only electrical resistance feedback. Consequently, the opening of the SMA actuated valve can be estimated without using an extra sensor.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Intelligent Systems
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.147-152
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• 2016

Shape Memory Alloys (SMAs) undergo changes in shape and hardness when heated or cooled, and do so with great force. Since wire-type SMAs contract in length when heated and pull with a surprisingly large force and move silently, they can be used as actuactors which replace motors. These SMA actuators can be heated directly with electricity and can be used to create a wide range of motions. This paper presents the mechanical design and control for a three fingered, six degree-of-freedom robotic hand actuated by SMA actuators. Each finger has two joints and each joint is actuated with two tendons in the antagonistic manner. In order to create the sufficient force to make the smooth motion, the tendon is composed of two SMA actuators in parallel. For controlling the current to heat the SMA actuators, PWM drivers are used. In experiments, the antagonistic interaction of fingers are evaluated.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Precision Engineering Conference
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• 2003.06a
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• pp.1577-1580
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• 2003

In the recent years, as the research and the development of micro and precision machinery become active, the interest of micro actuators using SMA(Shape Memory Alloy) has been increased. The dynamic characteristic analysis of SMA is necessary for actuator application and many common researches report the material characteristics of SMA sufficiently. However, the research on dynamic characteristics is very deficient. In this paper, the helical spring are fabricated with NiTi SMA wire of high resistivity. The force, response speed, temperature, and displacement are measured by digital force gauge, infrared thermometer, and laser displacement sensor so that the dynamic characteristics of this SMA is analyzed. Also, bidirectional actuator was fabricated and experimented for its performance.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.353-374
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• 2014

Recent studies were dedicated to the realization of measurements on stay-cable samples of different geometry and static conditions as available at several facilities. The elaboration of the acquired data showed a a satisfactory efficacy of the dampers made of NiTi wires in smoothing the cable oscillations. A further attempt to investigate the applicability of the achieved results beyond the specific case-studies represented by the tested cable-stayed samples is herein pursued. Comparative studies are carried out by varying the diameter of the NiTi wire so that similar measurements can be taken also from laboratory steel cables of reduced size. Details of the preparation of the Ni-Ti wires are discussed with particular attention being paid to the suppression of the creep phenomenon. The resulting shape of the hysteretic cycle differs according to the wire diameter, which affects the order of the fitting polynomial to be used when trying to retrieve the experimental results by numerical analyses. For a NiTi wire of given diameter, an estimate of the amount of dissipated energy per cycle is given at low levels of maximum strain, which correspond to a fatigue fracture life of the order of millions of cycles. The dissipative capability is affected by both the temperature and the cycling frequency at which the tests are performed. Such effects are quantified and an ageing process is proposed in order to extend the working temperature range of the damper to cold weathers typical of the winter season in Northern Europe and Canada. A procedure for the simulation of the shape memory alloy behavior in lengthy cables by finite element analysis is eventually outlined.

• International Journal of Aeronautical and Space Sciences
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.58-63
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• 2012

In general, a conventional flap on an aircraft wing can reduce the aerodynamic efficiency due to geometric discontinuity. On the other hand, the aerodynamic performance can be improved by using a shape-morphing wing instead of a separate flap. In this research, a new flap morphing mechanism that can change the wing shape smoothly was devised to prevent aerodynamic losses. Moreover, a prototype wing was fabricated to demonstrate the morphing mechanism. A shape memory alloy (SMA) wire actuator was used for the morphing wing. The specific current range was measured to control the SMA actuator. The deflection angles at the trailing edge were also measured while various currents were applied to the SMA actuator. The trailing edge of the wing changed smoothly when the current was applied. Moreover, the deflection angle also increased as the current increased. The maximum frequency level was around 0.1 Hz. The aerodynamic performance of the deformed airfoil by the SMA wire was analyzed by using the commercial program GAMBIT and FLUENT. The results were compared with the results of an undeformed wing. It was demonstrated that the morphing mechanism changes the wing shape smoothly without the extension of the wing skin.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.319-327
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• 2019

Continuous rotating SMA actuators require motion conversion mechanisms, so their structure is relatively complex and difficult to realize the miniaturization. Here, a new type of continuous rotating actuator driven by SMA is proposed. It combines the movable tooth drive with SMA drive. The structure and working principle of the integrated movable tooth drive system is introduced. The equations of temperature, stress and strain of memory alloy wires, and the output torque of drive system are given. Using these equations, the temperature, the output forces of the SMA wires, and output torque of the drive system are studied. Results show that the compact drive system could give large output torque. To obtain large output torque plus small fluctuation, large eccentricity and small diameter of the SMA wire should be taken. Combined application of ventilation cooling and high current can increase the rotary speed of the drive system.