There are two different ways of using SMA wires as actuators for shape control of flexible structures; which can be either embedded within the composite laminate or externally attached to the structure. Since the actuator can be placed at different offset distances from the beam, external actuators produce more bending moment and, consequently, considerable shape changes with the same magnitude...

In this paper, hysteretic behavior modeling, system identification and control of a mechanism that is actuated by shape memory alloy (SMA) wires are presented. The mechanism consists of two airfoil plates and the rotation angle between these plates can be changed by SMA wire actuators. This mechanism is used to identify the unknown parameters of a hysteresis model. Prandtl–Ishlinskii method is ...

Despite the fact that shape-memory alloy (SMA) has several mechanical advantages as it continues being used as an actuator in engineering applications, using it still remains as a challenge since it shows both non-linear and hysteretic behavior. To improve the efficiency of SMA application, it is required to do research not only on modeling it, but also on control hysteresis behavior of these m...

Shape memory alloy (SMA) thin films formed by sputter deposition have attracted considerable attention in the last decade. Current intensive research demonstrated that thin films' unique fine microstructure is responsible for superior shape memory characteristics in films, compared to that of bulk materials. Simultaneously, much effort has been taken in the development and fabrication of microd...

We have developed two types of shape memory alloy (SMA) actuator and estimated the long-term reliability of SMA microcoils. A tube type tip articulator consists of 4 sets of SMA microcoil (wire diameter: 0.125 mm, coil diameter: 0.5 mm) for driving source and super elastic alloy (SEA) microcoils (wire diameter: 0.1 mm, coil diameter: 0.5 mm) for bias springs, support plates and flexible outer t...

This research studied the optimal design of Shape Memory Alloy (SMA) muscle wire bundle actuators. Current literature describes the use of multiple muscle wires placed in parallel to increase the lifting capabilities of an SMA actuator, which however, is limited to wires of like-diameter. A constrained optimization problem was formulated, with constraints on the maximum number of wires, voltage...

This paper describes the design of a controller for a tactile shape display for dexterous telemanipulation applications. This device consists of an array of pin elements which rest against the human finger tip. Shape memory alloy (SMA) wire actuators raise individual pins to approximate the desired surface shape on the skin. To overcome the slow response times of SMA actuators we have implement...

In this paper the design of a biped robot actuated with Shape Memory Alloy (SMA) springs with minimum degrees of freedom is presented. SMA springs are a class of smart materials that are known for their high power to mass and volume ratios. It was shown that utilizing spring type of SMAs have many advantages as large deformation, smooth motion, silent and clean movement compared to ordinary typ...

Shape memory alloy (SMA) actuators can be made very compact and simple. An effective control algorithm is an integral part of every SMA actuator. This article presents a review of the state of the art research on control of SMA systems. It is worth noting that almost exclusively all control systems applied to SMA actuators are not model-based control algorithms. In other words, the control syst...

In this paper, a modular microactuator based on shape memory alloy (SMA) actuation to drive the joints of a microgripper is described. Its design is a combination of two SMA actuators installed on the links of a special mechanism : one of them drives the rotation of the joint and the other one produces the necessary force to manipulate objects. An accurate model of the thermo-mechanical behavio...