Time Response of Shape Memory Alloy Actuators

Force/displacement actuators with the high output power and time response can be fabricated from shape memory wires or ribbons. Typically Ni-Ti shape memory alloys are used as an active material in such actuators. They are driven by Joule heating and air convection cooling. In the present work, the time response of various types of Ni-Ti actuators having different transformation temperatures and geometrical sizes, is studied systematically under conditions of free and forced air convection. The simple analytical model for calculating the time response is developed which accounts for the latent heat and thermal hysteresis of transformation. For all the types of considered actuators, the calculated time response is in a good agreement with that observed experimentally. Finally, on the base of the suggested model, we present the time response of Ni-Ti actuators calculated as a function of their transformation temperature and cross section dimensions.