• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.183-193
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• 2022

Structural health monitoring and structural vibration control are multidisciplinary and frontier research directions of civil engineering. As intelligent materials that integrate sensing and actuation capabilities, shape memory alloys (SMAs) exhibit multiple excellent characteristics, such as shape memory effect, superelasticity, corrosion resistance, fatigue resistance, and high energy density. Moreover, SMAs possess excellent resistance sensing properties and large deformation ability. Superfine NiTi SMA wires have potential applications in structural health monitoring and micro-drive system. In this study, the mechanical properties and electrical resistance sensing characteristics of superfine NiTi SMA wires were experimentally investigated. The mechanical parameters such as residual strain, hysteretic energy, secant stiffness, and equivalent damping ratio were analyzed at different training strain amplitudes and numbers of loading-unloading cycles. The results demonstrate that the detwinning process shortened with increasing training amplitude, while austenitic mechanical properties were not affected. In addition, superfine SMA wires showed good strain-resistance linear correlation, and the loading rate had little effect on their mechanical properties and electrical resistance sensing characteristics. This study aims to provide an experimental basis for the application of superfine SMA wires in engineering.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.4 no.3
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• pp.367-389
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• 2008

Shape Memory Alloys (SMAs) are unique materials with a paramount potential for various applications in bridges. The novelty of this material lies in its ability to undergo large deformations and return to its undeformed shape through stress removal (superelasticity) or heating (shape memory effect). In particular, Ni-Ti alloys have distinct thermomechanical properties including superelasticity, shape memory effect, and hysteretic damping. SMA along with sensing devices can be effectively used to construct smart Reinforced Concrete (RC) bridges that can detect and repair damage, and adapt to changes in the loading conditions. SMA can also be used to retrofit existing deficient bridges. This includes the use of external post-tensioning, dampers, isolators and/or restrainers. This paper critically examines the fundamental characteristics of SMA and available sensing devices emphasizing the factors that control their properties. Existing SMA models are discussed and the application of one of the models to analyze a bridge pier is presented. SMA applications in the construction of smart bridge structures are discussed. Future trends and methods to achieve smart bridges are also proposed.

• International Journal of Aeronautical and Space Sciences
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.91-98
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• 2006

The thermomechanical behaviors of SMA thin film actuator and their application are investigated. The numerical algorithm of the 2-D SMA thermomechanical constitutive equation is developed and implemented into the ABAQUS finite element program by using the user defined material (UMAT) subroutine. To verify the numerical algorithm of SMAs, the results are compared with experimental data. For the application of SMA thin film actuator, the methodology to maintain the precise configuration of inflatable membrane structure is demonstrated.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.313-333
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• 2012

Reinforced concrete (RC) framed buildings dissipate the seismic energy through yielding of the reinforcing bars. This yielding jeopardizes the serviceability of these buildings as it results in residual lateral deformations. Superelastic Shape Memory Alloys (SMAs) can recover inelastic strains by stress removal. Since SMA is a costly material, this paper defines the required locations of SMA bars in a typical RC frame to optimize its seismic performance in terms of damage scheme and seismic residual deformations. The intensities of five earthquakes causing failure to a typical RC six-storey building are defined and used to evaluate seven SMA design alternatives.

• Proceedings of the Computational Structural Engineering Institute Conference
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• 2002.04a
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• pp.478-485
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• 2002

The shape memory alloys (SMAs) are often used in smart materials and structures as the active components. Their ability to provide a high recovery force and a large displacement has been used in many applications. In this paper the radial displacement of an externally pressurized elliptic composite cylinder where SMA liner or strips actuators are bonded on its inner or outer surface is investigated numerically. The elliptic composite cylinders consisting of an inlet duct system with SMAs are designed and analyzed to determine the feasibility of such a system for the removal of stiffeners from an externally pressurized duct of an aircraft inlet. The deformations caused by prestrained SMAs placed on either surface of an elliptic composite cylinder are studied when activated. The externally pressurized elliptic composite cylinders with the SMA actuators were analyzed using the 3-D finite element method incorporated with 3-D SMA behaviors. The results show that the role of stiffeners may be switched by the activated light SMA actuators.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.15 no.6
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• pp.1521-1542
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• 2015

The use of shape memory alloys (SMAs) in dynamical systems has an increasing importance in engineering especially due to their capacity to provide vibration reductions. In this regard, experimental tests are essential in order to show all potentialities of this kind of systems. In this work, SMA springs are incorporated in a dynamical system that consists of a one degree of freedom oscillator connected to a linear spring and a mass, which is also connected to the SMA spring. Two types of springs are investigated defining two distinct systems: a pseudoelastic and a shape memory system. The characterisation of the springs is evaluated by considering differential calorimetry scanning tests and also force-displacement tests at different temperatures. Free and forced vibration experiments are made in order to investigate the dynamical behaviour of the systems. For both systems, it is observed the capability of changing the equilibrium position due to phase transformations leading to hysteretic behaviour, or due to temperature changes which also induce phase transformations and therefore, change in stiffness. Both situations are investigated by promoting temperature changes and also pre-tension of the springs. This article shows several experimental tests that allow one to obtain a general comprehension of the dynamical behaviour of SMA systems. Results show the general thermo-mechanical behaviour of SMA dynamical systems and the obtained conclusions can be applied in distinct situations as in rotor-bearing systems.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Aeronautical & Space Sciences
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.129-134
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• 2010

The influence of the strain-rate on the thermomechanical characteristics of shape memory alloys (SMAs) is numerically investigated. The three-dimensional SMA constitutive equations of strain-rate effect is developed. The strain-rate effect is taken into account by introducing a coupling equation between the production rate of martensite and the temperature change. For the numerical results, the SMA algorithm is implemented into the ABAQUS finite element program. Numerical simulation shows that the pseudoelasticity of SMA may significantly be changed by considering the strain-rate due to the temperature change.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.4 no.6
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• pp.607-627
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• 2013

The application of shape memory alloys (SMAs) to the seismic response reduction of civil engineering structures has attracted growing interest due to their self-centering feature and excellent fatigue performance. The loading rate dependence of SMAs raises a concern in the seismic analysis of SMA-based devices. However, the implementation of micromechanics-based strain-rate-dependent constitutive models in structural analysis software is rather complicated and computationally demanding. This paper investigates the feasibility of replacing complex rate-dependent models with rate-independent constitutive models for superelastic SMA elements in seismic time-history analysis. Three uniaxial constitutive models for superelastic SMAs, including one rate-dependent thermomechanical model and two rate-independent phenomenological models, are considered in this comparative study. The pros and cons of the three nonlinear constitutive models are also discussed. A parametric study of single-degree-of-freedom systems with different initial periods and strength reduction factors is conducted to examine the effect of the three constitutive models on seismic simulations. Additionally, nonlinear time-history analyses of a three-story prototype steel frame building with special SMA-based damping braces are performed. Two suites of seismic records that correspond to frequent and design basis earthquakes are used as base excitations in the seismic analyses of steel-braced frames. The results of this study show that the rate-independent constitutive models, with their parameters properly tuned to dynamic test data, are able to predict the seismic responses of structures with SMA-based seismic response modification devices.

• Advances in nano research
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.261-271
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• 2023

The present study follows three main goals. First, an analytical solution with high accuracy is developed to assess the effects of embedding pre-strained shape memory alloy (SMA) wires on the critical buckling temperatures of rectangular sandwich plates made of soft core and graphite fiber/epoxy (GF/EP) face sheets based on piecewise low-order shear deformation theory (PLSDT) using Brinson's model. As the second goal, this study compares the effects of SMAs on the thermal buckling of sandwich plates with those of carbon nanotubes (CNTs). The glass transition temperature is considered as a limiting factor. For each material, the effective ranges of operating temperature and thickness ratio are determined for real situations. The results indicate that depending on the geometric parameters and thermal conditions, one of the SMAs and CNTs may outperform the other. The third purpose is to study the thermal buckling of sandwich plates with advanced hybrid SMA/CNT/GF/EP composite face sheets. It is shown that in some circumstances, the co-incorporation of SMAs and CNTs leads to an astonishing enhancement in the critical buckling temperatures of sandwich plates.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.495-508
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• 2018

Shape memory alloys (SMAs) exhibit superelasticity given the ambient temperature is above the austenite finish temperature threshold, the magnitude of which significantly depends on the metal ingredients though. For the monocrystalline CuAlBe SMAs, their superelasticity was found being maintained even when the ambient temperature is down to $-40^{\circ}C$. Thus this makes such SMAs particularly favorable for outdoor seismic applications, such as the framed structures located in cold regions with substantial temperature oscillation. Due to the thermo-mechanical coupling mechanism, the hysteretic properties of SMAs vary with temperature change, primarily including altered material strength and different damping. Thus, this study adopted the monocrystalline CuAlBe SMAs as the kernel component of the SMA braces. To quantify the seismic response characteristics at various temperatures, a wide temperature range from -40 to $40^{\circ}C$ are considered. The middle temperature, $0^{\circ}C$, is artificially selected to be the reference temperature in the performance comparisons, as well the corresponding material properties are used in the seismic design procedure. Both single-degree-of-freedom systems and a six-story braced frame were numerically analyzed by subjecting them to a suite of earthquake ground motions corresponding to the design basis hazard level. To the frame structures, the analytical results show that temperature variation generates minor influence on deformation and energy demands, whereas low temperatures help to reduce acceleration demands. Further, attributed to the excellent superelasticity of the monocrystalline CuAlBe SMAs, the frames successfully maintain recentering capability without leaving residual deformation upon considered earthquakes, even when the temperature is down to $-40^{\circ}C$.