Investigation of TiNi shape memory alloy for thermosensitive wire drive

Abstract

TiNi shape memory alloys are nowadays widely used in engineering and medicine. The unique capabilities of this material are particularly apparent in applications for space technology. One of the actual present problems is the design of thermosensitive devices for space applications. In this work, we investigated a TiNi alloy as a working element material for the thermosensitive wire drive as an actuator. An optimum thermomechanical treatment of NiTi alloys was selected based on the analysis of functional and mechanical properties. It consists of a multi-cycle implementation of transformation plasticity under 220 MPa constant stress and a shape memory effect in the free state.