Shape Memory Alloy Cables for Structural Applications
Publication: Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 28, Issue 4
Abstract
Shape memory alloys (SMAs) have attracted a great deal of attention as a smart material that can be used in various civil engineering applications. In contrast to the use of SMAs in the biomedical, mechanical, and aerospace applications, which requires mostly a small diameter of material, the larger size bars are usually needed in a structural application. It is well known that properties of large-section SMA bars are generally poorer than those of wires because of difficulties in material processing, which also increases the cost. SMA cables have been recently developed as an alternative and new structural element. This study explores the performance of large-diameter nickel-titanium (NiTi) SMA cables and their potential use in civil engineering. The SMA cable, which has a diameter of 8 mm, is composed of 7 strands and each strand has 7 wires with a diameter of 0.885 mm. The uniaxial tensile tests are conducted at various loading rates and strain amplitudes to characterize the superelastic properties of the SMA cable. An optical digital image correlation (DIC) measurement system and an infrared thermal imaging camera are employed to obtain the full-field strain and temperature fields. The cyclic tests are performed to evaluate the low-cycle fatigue characteristics of the SMA cables. Results show that large-diameter SMA cables exhibit very good superelastic properties and can be used in various real-world structural applications.
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Acknowledgments
The authors would like to acknowledge the support of the Center for Infrastructure Renewal and Advanced Materials at the University of Virginia. The authors would also like to thank Fort Wayne Metals Research Products Corp. for providing the NiTi cable specimens at no cost.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 28 • Issue 4 • April 2016
Copyright
© 2015 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: May 1, 2015
Accepted: Aug 19, 2015
Published online: Oct 26, 2015
Discussion open until: Mar 26, 2016
Published in print: Apr 1, 2016
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