Materials REVIEW

Review (Narrative)

Application of Shape Memory Alloy

Eva Clithy, Ph.D.

SUMMARY
Shape memory alloy (SMA) is a special metal material with unique properties,
that is, this material can restore to its original shape through pressure or temper-
ature changes after deformation. The successful development of Ti-Ni SMA in the
1960s, with the continuous deepening of SMA theory and application research,
SMAs gradually entered the practical stage. At present, SMAs have been widely
used in aerospace, biomedicine, mechanical electronics and other fields. This ar-
ticle briefly reviews the application of SMAs and makes perspective comments on
the current problems of SMA research.■

KEYWORDS
Shape Memory Alloy; Ti-Ni Alloy; Materials; Application

Sci Insigt. 2020; 33(3):167-174. doi:10.15354/si.20.re072.

Author Affiliations: Author affili-

ations are listed at the end of this
article.
Correspondence to: Dr. Eva
Clithy, Ph.D., Division of Biology
and Chemistry, The BASE, Chapel
Hill, NC 27510, USA.
Email: [email protected].

Copyright © 2020 The BASE. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License,
which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

SCIENCE INSIGHTS 167

Clithy. Application of Shape Memory Alloy Review

HAPE memory alloy (SMA) refers to a type of memory alloys, and memory alloy films have become

S alloy with a certain initial shape that is plastically

deformed at low temperature and fixed into an-
other shape, and then restored to the original shape by
research hotspots (2).
In the early 1980s, researchers broke through the
difficulties in the study of Ti-Ni alloys. Since then,
heating above a certain critical temperature alloy. The SMAs have been widely used in various fields. There
function that SMA can remember its original shape is have been more than 10,000 technique patents related
called shape memory effect (SME). As a special new to SMA applied in a variety of countries, and hundreds
functional material, SMA is a smart material that inte- of examples have been put into the market. At the same
grates perception and drive. Because of its unique func- time, with the rise of research on smart materials and
tion, it can produce small and exquisite, highly auto- smart institutions, the application of SMA has been
mated, reliable performance components and attracted pushed into a wider field. At present, the number of
attention, and has been widely used. scientific papers related to SMA research has ranked
first in the field of martensitic transformation, and the
application fields involved in such materials are ex-
DEVELOPMENT HISTORY AND STATUS QUO
tremely extensive. So far, more than 10 series of more
OF SHAPE MEMORY ALLOYS than 50 varieties of SMAs have been widely used in var-
ious industries such as electronics, machinery, energy,
The discovery of SME in metals can be dated back to the
medical, aerospace, automotive, home appliances and
1930s. In 1938, Greningerh and Mooradian of the Unit-
construction.
ed States discovered the thermoelastic transformation of
martensite in Cu-Zn alloy. Subsequently, Kurdiumov of
the former Soviet Union studied this phenomenon. In APPLICATION OF SHAPE MEMORY ALLOY
1951, Chang and Read observed in an Au-47:5at% Cd
alloy with an optical microscope that the martensite So far, there have been more than 20 kinds of alloy sys-
interface moved with temperature. This was the first tems with shape memory effect, but the practical appli-
report to observe the SME of metals. A few years later, cations are limited to Ti-Ni and Cu-Zn-Al alloy systems
Burkhart observed the same phenomenon in In-Ti al- (Cu-Al-Ni and Fe-Mn-Si Department of memory alloys
loys. However, at the time, the discovery of these phe- are also under development and application). At present,
nomena was only regarded as a special phenomenon of SMAs are widely used in the fields of electronics, ma-
individual material and failed to arouse enough atten- chinery, energy, aerospace, civil engineering, automo-
tion. It was not until 1963 that Buehler et al. of the US tive, medical, and daily life (3, 4) (Table 1).
Naval Ordnance Laboratory discovered that Ti-Ni alloys
with equal atomic ratios had excellent shape memory Connecting Fastener
functions and successfully developed a shape memory
alloy “Nitinol” with practical value. Since then, the re- Using the excellent shape memory effect of Ni-Ti alloys,
search on SMAs has entered a completely new stage (1). various connection fasteners can be made, such as pipe
In 1969, Raychem first applied pipe joints made of joints, fastening rings, connection sleeves and fastening
Ni-Ti alloy to the US F14 fighter jet. In 1970, NASA rivets.
used Ti-Ni memory alloy wire and used it into a space-
ship antenna. These applications greatly stimulated the Pipe Joint
international research and development of SMAs. In the
1970s, Ni-Ti-based, Cu-Al-Ni-based, and Cu-Zn-Al- The SMA connector has a simple structure, light weight,
based SMAs were successively developed; in the 1980s, small space occupation, high safety, easy disassembly,
Fe-Mn-Si-based, stainless steel-based, and other iron- stable and reliable performance, and has been widely
based SMAs were developed. These alloys have been used in the fields of aerospace, aviation, electronics and
attracting great interest from material workers due to mechanical engineering. Among them, the pipe joint is
their low cost and easy processing. From the 1990s to one of the most successful applications of shape memory
the present, high-temperature SMAs, wide hysteresis alloys. The use method of the pipe joint is shown in

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Clithy. Application of Shape Memory Alloy Review

Table 1. Application Examples of Shape Memory Alloys.

Disposable Use in Industry
Fasteners Combination of Printed Circuit Board
Pipe Joint Welding of Integrated Circuits
Antennas for Space Vehicles Connector Splint for Electrical Appliances
Fire Alarm Sealing Rings
Reusable in Industry
Temperature Sensors Thermal Energy Conversion Device
Thermostat for Adjusting Indoor Temperature Control Elements of Thermoelectric Relays
Shutters for Greenhouse Windows Pen Drive for Recorders
Clutch for Automobile Radiator Fan Manipulators, Robots
Medical Use
Filters to Eliminate Clotting Thrombus Fixed Splint for Fracture Site
Orthopedic Rod Arched Metal Wires for Orthodontics
Clips for Brain Aneurysm Surgery Artificial Tooth Roots
Valve of Artificial Heart and Artificial Kidney Artificial Joints

Figure 1 (5). The outer diameter of the pipe to be con- of the thin-walled tube and the head, the fastening
nected is φ; after the one-way memory treatment of the screw, the nut, and the bearing positioning ring.
Ti-Ni alloy with an inner diameter of φ (1 - 4%), use a
cone at low temperature (< Mf). The die is expanded to Satellite Antenna
make its diameter φ (1 + 4%). The lubricant used for the
expansion can be a polyethylene film; insert the to-be- Satellite antenna is one of the most typical application
connected pipe from both ends of the pipe joint at a low examples of shape memory alloy (11). The antenna is
temperature. Remove the insulation material and wait made of Ti-Ni alloy, which is processed into a parabolic
for the temperature of its pipe joint to rise to room tem- antenna in the state of the alloy matrix, and then cooled
perature. Since the inner diameter of SME is restored to to below the Mf point to generate martensite. This type
the size before expansion, the tight connection of the of martensite is easily deformed, so the antenna can be
pipeline is realized. folded and crumpled into small groups and placed in the
satellite. After the satellite enters space orbit, the alloy
Fastening Rivets wire is heated by heating or using solar energy. Once
the temperature reaches 77 °C (> Af), the alloy wire
Rivets and bolts are usually used for fastening in engi- folded into small clusters undergoes a reverse phase
neering, but in some occasions (such as in a sealed vacu- change and opens completely, returning to the original
um), it is difficult to operate, and SMA fastening rivets parabolic antenna shape.
can easily achieve this kind of fastening. As shown in
Figure 2 (6), the tail of the rivet is shaped like an open- Regulator
ing. Before tightening, cool the rivet in dry ice and
straighten the tail, insert it into the hole of the fastener, Using SMA to restore shape when heated, its restoring
the temperature rises to restore the shape, and the rivet force can do work to the outside, and it can be made
tail can be tightened by splitting the tail. In addition, into various driving adjustment elements. This type of
the shape memory alloy connecting fasteners that have driving mechanism integrates temperature sensing and
been put into practical use also include the sealing ring driving into one, with simple structure, high sensitivity

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Clithy. Application of Shape Memory Alloy Review

Figure 1. Schematic Diagram of the Use of Shape Memory Alloy Pipe Joints.

A. Pipelines waiting to be connected; B. Memory pipe joint; C. Post-expansion of the diameter; D. Before SMA casing connection; E.
Connected tightly after heating.

Figure 2. Schematic Diagram of the Use of Shape Memory Alloy Fastening Rivets.

A. Molding, T > Af; B. Straightening, T > Mf; C. Inserting, T > Mf; D. Heating, T > Af.

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Clithy. Application of Shape Memory Alloy Review

Figure 3. The Thermostat Driven by the Memory Alloy.

a. Main valve; b. Return spring; c. Sub-valve; d. Housing; e. Push rod; f. Spring seat; g. Memory alloy element.

and good reliability. It has always been one of the re- through temperature changes. Figure 4 depicts a micro-
search hotspots of scientific researchers (8, 9). Figure 3 manipulator with 5 degrees of freedom of shoulder, el-
shows the SMA thermostat used in automobiles (10). bow, wrist and finger (11). The fingers and wrists rely
The temperature range of the most efficient automobile on the expansion and contraction of the Ti-Ni alloy coil
engine is 60-80 °C. When the actual temperature is spring to realize opening and closing and bending
higher than this temperature, the SMA spring expands movements, and the elbows and shoulders rely on the
and compresses the bias spring to open the circulating extension and contraction of the linear Ti-Ni alloy wire
water cooling system; when the temperature is low, the to achieve bending movements. Each shape memory
bias spring force is greater than the memory The alloy alloy element is controlled by the pulse width adjustable
spring forces and compresses the memory alloy spring, current directly connected. The biggest feature of this
turning off the circulating water cooling system. SMA manipulator is its miniaturization. Another important
thermostat has the advantages of long life and stable feature is its soft movement, which is very close to the
driving. movement of the human hand. It can complete the
work of removing paper cups that have fallen into the
Manipulator water. In addition to the 5-degree-of-freedom manipu-
lator, Japan has also developed 13-degree-of-freedom
The shape memory element has the dual functions of and 17-degree-of-freedom manipulators in recent years.
temperature sensing and driving, so it can be used to
make robots and manipulators to change the action Medical Applications

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Clithy. Application of Shape Memory Alloy Review

Figure 4. Three-Dimension Depiction of a Micromanipulator Using Shape Memory Alloy as the

Driving Element.

A. Fingers; B. Elbow; C. Shoulder; a. Ti-Ni alloy spiral spring; b. Bias spring; c. Valve-tightening wheel; d. Ti-Ni alloy wire. Manipulator
weight: 50 g; Manipulator height: 15 cm.

As a new type of intelligent material, SMA is also very chromosomal aberration, etc. or cause thrombosis, that
active in the medical field. So far, the main application is, the material is more biocompatible difference. There-
fields of shape memory alloys in medicine include the fore, only alloys that form a passivation film with strong
following. stability after being in contact with living organisms can
(i) Dentistry (only contact with the surface of the liv- be implanted in living organisms. After many experi-
ing body). ments, it was confirmed that only Ti-Ni alloy can satisfy
(ii) Plastic surgery (transplanted in a living body, in the abovementioned conditions in the existing practical
contact with living tissue for a long time) memory alloys (12). Therefore, Ti-Ni alloy is the only
(iii) Spare parts of medical instruments (without direct SMS currently used in medicine. Because Ti-Ni alloy has
contact with biological tissues). peculiar shape memory effect, good biocompatibility,
In addition to the required shape memory or super elasticity and excellent wear resistance and good
superelastic properties, the SMA used in the medical corrosion resistance. Therefore, it has been widely used
field must also meet the reliability requirements of in clinical medicine and medical equipment (13).
chemistry and biology. Generally, the metal implanted
in the living body will dissolve to form metal ions in the
environment of biological fluids, some of which will
PERSPECTIVE
cause various cytotoxic reactions such as carcinogenicity,

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Clithy. Application of Shape Memory Alloy Review

In the research and application of SMA, there are still turized to improve the response speed and control accu-
many problems to be solved (11), for example: (i) Be- racy.
cause the various functions of SMA are dependent on There is still much work to be done in this regard.
the martensite phase transformation, they need to be The future development direction and trend of SMA
continuously heated, cooled and loaded, Unloading, and research can be summarized in the following aspects: (i)
the material changes have hysteresis, so SMA is only fully explore, improve and perfect the performance of
suitable for low-frequency (below 10Hz) narrow-band existing SMA; (ii) research and develop new alloy mate-
vibration, which greatly limits the application of mate- rials with shape memory effect; (iii) SMA film Research
rials. (ii) SMA itself has defects such as damage and and application; (iv) Research and development of SMA
cracks. How to overcome these defects and improve the intelligent composite materials; (v) Development of
performance of materials is an urgent problem that high-temperature SMA.
needs to be solved. (iii) The existing SMA mechanism
model still has some defects in practical engineering ap-
CONCLUSION
plications. How to overcome these shortcomings, so as
to accurately simulate the material behavior of SMA is
In sum, as a new type of functional material, SMA has
also an important topic that needs to be studied; (iv) In
the unique advantages that other materials are difficult
medical applications, continue to study the biocompati-
to replace, and the application prospect is very broad. In
bility and cytotoxicity of SMA. (v) As a new type of
the future, as the basic theoretical research of SMA be-
functional material, SMA’s processing and preparation
comes more mature and the application development
processes are difficult to control. At present, there is no
efforts continue to increase, new application fields will
SMA automatic production line, and the material cost is
surely be explored.■
also quite expensive. (vi) To improve the application
level, SMA components also need to be further minia-

ARTICLE INFORMATION
Author Affiliations: Division of Biology and Critical revision of the manuscript for im-
Role of the Funder/Sponsor: N/A.
Chemistry (DBC) (Clithy), The BASE, Chapel Hill, portant intellectual content: Clithy.
NC 27157, USA. Statistical analysis: N/A. How to Cite This Paper: Clithy E. Application
Obtained funding: N/A. of Shape Memory Alloy. Sci Insigt. 2020;
Author Contributions: Dr. Clithy has full ac-
Administrative, technical, or material support: 33(3):167-174.
cess to all of the data in the study and takes
Clithy.
responsibility for the integrity of the data and Digital Object Identifier (DOI):
Study supervision: Clithy.
the accuracy of the data analysis. http://dx.doi.org/ 10.15354/si.20.re072.
Study concept and design: Clithy. Conflict of Interest Disclosures: The author
Acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data: declared no competing interests of this manu- Article Submission Information: Received,
Clithy. script submitted for publication. March 02, 2020; Revised: March 25, 2020;
Drafting of the manuscript: Clithy. Accepted: May 10, 2020.
Funding/Support: None.

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