Shape memory materials have been known for many years to possess the unique ability of memorising their shape at some temperature. If these materials are pre-strained into the plastic range, they tend to recover their original un-strained shapes via phase transformation when subjected to heat stimulation. In recent years, this shape memory effect (SME) or strain recovery capability has been explored in aerospace structures for actuating the real-time movement of structural components. Among all the shape memory materials, the nickel-titanium based shape memory alloy (SMA) has by far received the most attention because of its high recovery capabilities. Since SMAs are usually drawn into the form of wires, they are particularly suitable for being integrated into fibre-reinforced composite structures. These integrated composite structures with SMA wires are thus called smart adaptive structures. To achieve the SME, these wires are normally embedded in the host composite structures. In returning to their unstrained shape upon heat application, they tend to exert internal stresses on the host composite structures in which they are embedded. This action could result in a controlled change in shape of the structural components. Although there has been a significant amount of research dedicated to characterising and modelling the SME of SMA wires, little experimental work had been done to offer an in-depth understanding of the mechanical behaviour of these smart adaptive polymeric composite structures. This project examined the deflection and shape change of carbon/epoxy and glass/epoxy cantilever beams through heating and cooling of internal nitinol SMA wires/strips. The heat damage mechanism and cyclic behaviour are major factors in the operation of such a system and need to be clearly understood in order to develop and gain confidence for the possible implementation of future smart actuating systems. Therefore, the objectives of the proposed research were to investigate (i) effect of embedding SMA, wires on mechanical properties of host composite, (ii) assessment of single-cycle and multiple-cycle actuation performance of smart beams, and (iii) thermal effects of excessive heat on the surrounding composite matrix.

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The unique ability of shape memory alloys (SMAs) to remember and recover their original shape after large deformation offers vast potential for their integration in advanced engineering applications. SMAs can generate recoverable shape changes of several percent strain even when opposed by large stresses owing to reversible deformation mechanisms such as twinning and stress-induced martensite. For the most part, these alloys have been largely used in the biomedical industry but with limited application in other fields. This limitation arises from the complexities of prevailing microstructural mechanisms that lead to dimensional instabilities during repeated thermomechanical cycling. Most of these mechanisms are still not fully understood, and for the most part unexplored. The objective of this work was to investigate these deformation and transformation mechanisms that operate within the low temperature martensite and high temperature austenite phases, and changes between these two states during thermomechanical cycling. This was accomplished by combined experimental and modeling efforts aided by an in situ neutron diffraction technique at stress and temperature. The primary focus was to investigate the thermomechanical response of a polycrystalline Ni49.9Ti50.1 (in at.%) shape memory alloy under uniaxial deformation conditions. Starting with the deformation of the cubic austenitic phase, the microstructural mechanisms responsible for the macroscopic inelastic strains during isothermal loading were investigated over a broad range of conditions. Stress-induced martensite, retained martensite, deformation twinning and slip processes were observed which helped in constructing a deformation map that contained the iv limits over which each of the identified mechanisms was dominant. Deformation of the monoclinic martensitic phase was also investigated where the microstructural changes (texture, lattice strains, and phase fractions) during room-temperature deformation and subsequent thermal cycling were captured and compared to the bulk macroscopic response of the alloy. This isothermal deformation was found to be a quick and efficient method for creating a strong and stable two-way shape memory effect. The evolution of inelastic strains with thermomechanical cycling of the same NiTi alloy, as it relates to the alloy stability, was also studied. The role of pre-loading the material in the austenite phase versus the martensite phase as a function of the active deformation modes (deformation processes as revealed in this work) were investigated from a macroscopic and microstructural perspective. The unique contribution from this work was the optimization of the transformation properties (e.g., actuation strain) as a function of deformation levels and pre-loading temperatures. Finally, the process used to set actuators, referred to as shape setting, was investigated while examining the bulk polycrystalline NiTi and the microstructure simultaneously through in situ neutron diffraction at stress and temperature. Knowledge gained from the binary NiTi study was extended to the investigation of a ternary Ni-rich Ni50.3Ti29.7Hf20 (in at.%) for use in high-temperature, high-force actuator applications. This alloy exhibited excellent dimensional stability and high work output that were attributed to a coherent, nanometer size precipitate phase that resulted from an aging treatment. Finally, work was initiated as part of this dissertation to develop sample environment equipment with multiaxial capabilities at elevated temperatures for the in situ neutron diffraction measurements of shape memory alloys on the VULCAN Diffractometer at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The developed capability will immediately aid in making rapid multiaxial v measurements on shape memory alloys wherein the texture, strain and phase fraction evolution are followed with changes in temperature and stress. This work was supported by funding from the NASA Fundamental Aeronautics Program, Supersonics Project including (Grant No. NNX08AB51A). This work has also benefited from the use of the Lujan Neutron Scattering Center at LANSCE, which is funded by the Office of Basic Energy Sciences DOE. LANL is operated by Los Alamos National Security LLC under DOE Contract No. DE-AC52-06NA25396.

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This thesis explores the design, implementation and performance of a new concept for a low-cost, high-resolution, lightweight, compact and highly-portable tactile display. This tactile device is intended to be used in a novel visuo-tactile sensory substitution/supplemen-tation electronic travel aid (ETA) for the blind/visually impaired.Based on the psychophysiology of touch and using Shape Memory Alloys (SMAs) as the actuation technology, a mechatronic device was designed and prototyped to stimulate the sense of touch by creating sensations of contact on the fingertips.The prototype consists of an array of 64 elements spaced 2.6 mm apart that vertically actuates SMA based miniature actuators of 1.5 mm diameter to a height range of 1.4 mm with a pull force of 300 mN up to a 1.5 Hz bandwidth. The full display weights 200 g and its compact dimensions (a cube of 8 cm side-length) make it easy for the user to carry. The display is capable of presenting a wide range of tactile binary information on its 8 x 8 matrix. Moreover, both mechanical and electronic drive designs are easily scalable to larger devices while still being price attractive.Human psychophysics experiments demonstrate the effectiveness of the tactile information transmitted by the display to sighted people and show feasibility in principle of the system as an assistive technology for the blind/visually impaired.

Orientador: Gustavo Luiz Chagas Manhães de Abreu / Resumo: Diversos estudos relacionados à atenuação de vibrações utilizando materiais inteligentes vem sendo amplamente explorados no meio acadêmico. Neste âmbito, as Ligas de Memória de Forma (LMF) se destacam por apresentarem dissipação de energia vibratória devido ao seu comportamento histerético promovido pelo efeito pseudoelástico. No presente trabalho, dois sistemas com um e dois graus de liberdade, contendo mola helicoidal de LMF como elemento resiliente, são implementados numericamente para demonstrar a atenuação de vibrações ocasionada pelas transformações de fase presentes no material. Para cada um dos sistemas mecânicos investigados, dois modelos termomecânicos são confrontados numericamente visando a obtenção das características de cada modelo em representar a atenuação de vibrações dos sistemas submetidos à carregamentos termo-mecânicos. O trabalho termina comentando as potencialidades da proposta apresentada, discutindo as facilidades e dificuldades encontradas na sua implementação e apontando para o desenvolvimento de futuros estudos. / Mestre

Submitted by RAFAEL DE OLIVEIRA SILVA null (rafa_engemec@hotmail.com) on 2017-04-24T14:27:25Z No. of bitstreams: 1 dissertacao_final.pdf: 3521819 bytes, checksum: b08a60dcaa91691a2bf36a0cc59992e6 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Luiz Galeffi (luizgaleffi@gmail.com) on 2017-04-26T13:27:52Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 silva_ro_me_ilha.pdf: 3521819 bytes, checksum: b08a60dcaa91691a2bf36a0cc59992e6 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-04-26T13:27:52Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 silva_ro_me_ilha.pdf: 3521819 bytes, checksum: b08a60dcaa91691a2bf36a0cc59992e6 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-03-31 / Diversos estudos relacionados à atenuação de vibrações utilizando materiais inteligentes vem sendo amplamente explorados no meio acadêmico. Neste âmbito, as Ligas de Memória de Forma (LMF) se destacam por apresentarem dissipação de energia vibratória devido ao seu comportamento histerético promovido pelo efeito pseudoelástico. No presente trabalho, dois sistemas com um e dois graus de liberdade, contendo mola helicoidal de LMF como elemento resiliente, são implementados numericamente para demonstrar a atenuação de vibrações ocasionada pelas transformações de fase presentes no material. Para cada um dos sistemas mecânicos investigados, dois modelos termomecânicos são confrontados numericamente visando a obtenção das características de cada modelo em representar a atenuação de vibrações dos sistemas submetidos à carregamentos termo-mecânicos. O trabalho termina comentando as potencialidades da proposta apresentada, discutindo as facilidades e dificuldades encontradas na sua implementação e apontando para o desenvolvimento de futuros estudos. / Several studies regarding the vibration attenuation using intelligent materials have been widely explored in the academic world in engineering. In this context, the shape memory alloys (SMAs) exhibit vibratory energy dissipation due to their hysteretic behavior caused by the pseudoelastic effect. In the present work, two systems with one and two degrees of freedom, containing a SMA helical spring as a resilient element, are numerically implemented to demonstrate the vibration attenuation of the system caused by the phase transformations present in the SMA spring. For each considered mechanical systems, two thermomechanical models are numerically confronted in order to obtain the characteristics of each model in representing the vibration attenuation of the systems submitted to thermo-mechanical loads. This work is concluded presenting the potentialities of the design methodology proposed and future developments to be implemented.

<div>Accelerating the development of novel materials is one of the central goals of the Materials Genome Initiative and improving the predictive power of computational</div><div>material science methods is critical to attain this goal. Molecular dynamics (MD) is one such computational technique that has been used to study a wide range of materials since its invention in the 1950s. In this work we explore some examples of using and increasing the predictive power of MD simulations to understand materials phenomena and provide guidelines to design tailored materials. We first demonstrate the use of MD simulations as a tool to explore the design space of shape memory alloys, using simple interatomic models to identify characteristics of an integrated coherent second phase that will modify the transformation characteristics of the base shape memory alloy to our desire. Our approach provides guidelines to identify potential coherent phases that will achieve tailored transformation temperatures and hysteresis. </div><div><br></div><div>We subsequently explore ideas to enhance the length and time scales accessible via MD simulations. We first discuss the use of kinetic Monte Carlo methods in MD simulations to predict the microstructure evolution of carbon fibers. We ?find our approach to accurately predict the transverse microstructures of carbon fibers, additionally predicting the transverse modulus of these fibers, a quantity difficult to measure via experiments. Another avenue to increase length and time scales accessible via MD simulations is to explore novel implementations of algorithms involved in machine-learned interatomic models to extract performance portability. Our approach here results in significant speedups and an efficient utilization of increasingly common CPU-GPU hybrid architectures.</div><div><br></div><div>We finally explore the use of machine learning methods in molecular dynamics, specifically developing machine learning methods to discover interpretable laws directly from data. As examples, we demonstrate the discovery of integration schemes for MD simulations, and the discovery of melting laws for perovskites and single elements. Overall, this work attempts to illustrate how improving the predictive capabilities of molecular dynamics simulations and incorporating machine learning ideas can help us design novel materials, in line with the goals of the Materials Genome Initiative.</div>

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<p>  </p> <p>Architectured materials offer engineers more options for choosing materials with their desired properties. Segmenting materials to create topological interlocking materials (TIMs) creates materials, which can deform in greater amounts without failure and absorb more strain energy. Previous research on TIMs has shown that the stiffness and reaction force of these materials can be directly controlled by controlling the boundary forces offered by the frame which constrains these materials.</p> <p>The research presented in this paper investigated a TIM made into a 1-Dimension beam like structure called a lintel. This research investigated not only the mechanics of this structure, but also developed a method of directly controlling the reaction force at a given displacement using shape memory alloy (SMA) wires. These wires would actuate the boundary pieces used to constrain the system. These actuation wires coupled with force sensors imbedded into the lintel allowed a feedback control loop to be established, which would control the reaction force. The reaction force was then controlled to create a smart structure which could optimize the strain energy absorption under the constraint of a maximum allowable load, similar to cellular solids used in packaging and padding materials.</p> <p>To develop this smart structure, four separate investigations occurred. The first was finite element analysis (FEA) performed to model the loading response of the lintel. This experiment demonstrated that the Mises Truss Model was effective at modelling the lintel. The second was an experimental validation of the FEA model performed in the first investigation. This experiment validated the Mises Truss Model for the lintel. The third investigation simulated the active lintel using computational software and the model of the lintel established in the first two investigations. This experiment demonstrated computationally the ability of SMA wires to control the reaction force as desired in an idealized case. The fourth and final investigation experimentally validated the ability to create and active lintel and created a functioning prototype. This demonstrated experimentally the ability of the active lintel to control reaction force as desired.</p> <p>This project has demonstrated the viability to create smart structures using segmented materials, which in the future may be used in a variety of applications including robotics and adaptive structures in harsh environments. </p>