Shape memory actuators - potentials and specifics of their technical use and electrical activation
Due to a martensitic phase change shape memory alloys can revert to their original shape by heating when they undergo an appropriate treatment. Actuator elements with this shape memory effect can show a significant design change combined with a considerable force. Therefore they can be used to solve many technical tasks in the field of actuating elements and mechatronics. These intelligent materials will play an increasing role in the next years, especially within the automotive technology, energy management, power and mechanical engineering as well as medical technology. In order to use the potential of these materials in an optimal way it is necessary to know and understand the extraordinary and unconventional properties of shape memory alloys. This paper will present the commonly used systems of shape memory alloys of today including their performance characteristics and will explain the basics of the shape memory effect in a vivid way. A multitude of application possibilities of shape memory actuators will be presented, in particular the research and development projects that have been carried out at the Konstanz University of Applied Sciences during the last years. In this way a solid state heat engine and an intramedullary nail for bone elongation will be presented as well as various adaptive systems for automotive safety and comfort systems, driven by shape memory elements. Regarding the applications in the automotive field a special focus will be given to different electrical activations to enable very fast contraction times of the shape memory components.
Long-Time Stability of Ni-Ti-Shape Memory Alloys for Automotive Safety Systems
In automotive a lot of electromagnetically, pyrotechnically or mechanically driven actuators are integrated to run comfort systems and to control safety systems in modern passenger cars. Using shape memory alloys (SMA) the existing systems could be simplified, performing the same function through new mechanisms with reduced size, weight, and costs. A drawback for the use of SMA in safety systems is the lack of materials knowledge concerning the durability of the switching function (long-time stability of the shape memory effect). Pedestrian safety systems play a significant role to reduce injuries and fatal casualties caused by accidents. One automotive safety system for pedestrian protection is the bonnet lifting system. Based on such an application, this article gives an introduction to existing bonnet lifting systems for pedestrian protection, describes the use of quick changing shape memory actuators and the results of the study concerning the long-time stability of the tested NiTi-wires. These wires were trained, exposed up to 4 years at elevated temperatures (up to 140 °C) and tested regarding their phase change temperatures, times, and strokes. For example, it was found that AP-temperature is shifted toward higher temperatures with longer exposing periods and higher temperatures. However, in the functional testing plant a delay in the switching time could not be detected. This article gives some answers concerning the long-time stability of NiTi-wires that were missing till now. With this knowledge, the number of future automotive applications using SMA can be increased. It can be concluded, that the use of quick changing shape memory actuators in safety systems could simplify the mechanism, reduce maintenance and manufacturing costs and should be insertable also for other automotive applications.
Effects of reservoir volume on performance of pulse tube cooler.
A pulse tube cooler has the advantages of long-life and low-vibration over conventional cryocoolers such as G-M and Stirling coolers because of the absence of moving parts at low temperature. On the other hand, the combination of a reservoir and orifice is indispensable to optimize the performance of pulse tube coolers. In order to make the pulse tube cooler compact for practical applications, the volume of reservoir should be minimized. This paper analyzes the effects of the reservoir volume on the thermodynamic performance of various components in a simple orifice and a double-inlet pulse tube cooler by combining a linearized model with a thermodynamic analysis. Expressions of entropy production for those components are presented. The results show that the reservoir volume has a significant influence on the entropy production in the various components when the reservoir to pulse tube volume ratio is smaller than about 5. The ratio is important to determine the minimum reservoir volume for a pulse tube cooler. Optimum settings for a double-inlet pulse tube cooler are also discussed.