Continuous mandibular distraction osteogenesis using superelastic shape memory alloy (SMA)

Distraction osteogenesis is a well-established method of endogenous tissue engineering. It is a biological process of bone neo-formation between segments subjected to tension. The concept of this study was to investigate the distraction osteogenesis with a device capable of creating a permanent and constant force during the whole process as if a very large number of small elongations were applied constantly. The mechanical testing of the device used to produce the constant force and the in vivo analysis of the bone growth after it was implanted in rabbits are presented on this work. The device consists of a NiTi coil spring, superelastic at body temperature, in order to have a stress plateau during the austenitic retransformation during the unloading. The in vivo analysis was made on six female rabbits of 12 months old. A segmental mandibulectomy at the horizontal arm of the mandible and a corticotomy at 5mm distant from the gap were made. Next, following a latency period of five days, the SMA springs were implanted to induce the bone neo-formation. The displacement at the unloading plateau shows that it is necessary to have longer springs or to use several (available commercially) in series in order to fulfil the requirements of a human distraction. The temperature variations induced changes in the spring force. However, when the temperature returns to 37 degrees C the distraction force recovers near the initial level and does so completely when the distraction process continues. For the in vivo study, all six rabbits successfully completed the distraction. The radiographies showed the gap as distraction advanced. A continuity in the newly formed bone with similar transversal and horizontal dimensions than the original bone can be observed on the histologies. In conclusion, the application of a constant force on distraction osteogenesis, using SMA springs, may be a successful alternative to the conventional gradual distraction.     

Material design and shape memory properties of smart composites composed of polymer and ferromagnetic shape memory alloy particles

Ferromagnetic shape memory alloys (FSMAs) such as NiMnGa are expected to be new practical actuator materials with high driving frequency by magnetic field and large strain due to the shape memory effect (SME). However, the brittleness and poor workability of FSMAs, especially at a polycrystalline state, are serious problems and should be improved for a practical use. From this viewpoint a smart composite has been designed by a combination of a polymer matrix and FSMA particles (FSMAP), and a systematic investigation has been done for a NiMnGa-FSMAP/epoxy smart composite. This paper summarizes the design concept and some experimental results of the smart composite. It is pointed out that the single-crystal NiMnGa-FSMAP are easily made by mechanical crush due to the brittleness of FSMAs, and microstructural control is also possible by applying magnetic field during curing. Experimental study revealed that the NiMnGa-FSMAP/epoxy smart composites exhibit both tensile ductility and SME, and that shape memory properties become improved by decreasing particle size of FSMAP. It is concluded that the FSMAP/polymer smart composite has a large potential to be a new practical actuator material.     

Bond behavior of superelastic shape memory alloys to carbon fiber reinforced polymer composites

In this research pull-out specimens were tested to investigate the bond behavior of superelastic NiTi (Nitinol) SMA wires to carbon fiber reinforced polymers (CFRP). A total of 45 pull-out specimens were tested monotonically up to failure. The test parameters considered include the wire diameter and embedment length. A digital image correlation (DIC) system was used to identify the onset and propagation of debonding. Based on the experimental observations two debonding mechanisms were observed: complete debonding after the onset of martensitic transformation of SMA wire, and complete debonding before the onset of wire transformation. The former mechanism predominated, while the latter mechanism governed for larger diameter wires with shorter embedment lengths. A 3-D non-linear finite element model (FEM) was developed to predict the pull-out behavior. A cohesive zone model (CZM) was used to model the interface. A parametric study was conducted using the FEM to quantify the parameters of the cohesive zone model. The results demonstrate that the proposed modeling approach can be used to characterize the bond behavior of superelastic SMA wires embedded in FRP composites.     

Strain rate- and temperature-dependent tensile properties of an epoxy-based, thermosetting, shape memory polymer (Veriflex-E)

In this study, the inelastic deformation behavior of an epoxy-based, thermally triggered shape memory polymer resin, known as Veriflex-E, was investigated. The experimental program was designed to explore the influence of strain rate on monotonic loading at various temperatures which is needed to establish the design space of SMPs in load bearing applications. Thermally actuated shape memory polymers can be thought of as having two phases separated by the glass transition temperature (T _g ). At temperatures below the T _g , Veriflex-E exhibits a high elastic modulus and positive, non-linear strain rate sensitivity in monotonic loading. The Poisson’s ratio at room temperature is independent of the strain rate, but dependent upon the strain magnitude. As the temperature is increased, the strain rate sensitivity in monotonic loading decreases. Well above the T _g , the elastic modulus drops by several orders of magnitude. In this high temperature region, the material achieves strain levels well above 100% and Poisson’s ratio is constant at 0.5 regardless of strain rate or strain magnitude.     

Effect of superelastic shape memory alloy wires on the impact behavior of carbon fiber reinforced in situ polymerized poly(butylene terephthalate) composites

Low-velocity impact properties of shape memory alloy (SMA) wires and carbon fiber reinforced poly(butylene terephthalate) obtained by resin transfer molding were characterized. At the subcritical regime the dissipated energy is not affected by the presence of the wires. However SMA has a positive effect on the maximum absorbed energy, since the maximum allowable load is higher. The contribution of the SMA wires to the higher impact performance of the hybrid composite is suggested to be due to their energy absorbing capability, and also to the high reversible force that acts as a healing force.     

Vibrations of plates with superelastic shape memory alloy wires

The article illustrates an approach to the passive vibration control of thin plates utilizing prestressed superelastic shape memory alloy (SMA) wires. The SMA wires can freely slide within protective sleeves that are either embedded within the structure or bonded to its surface. The vibration control mechanism combines an effective continuous elastic foundation representing the support provided by SMA wires to the structure with the energy dissipation as a result of the hysteresis occurring in the wires. The other approach to the vibration control employs superelastic wires attached to the structure at discrete points. The mathematical formulation of the problem presented in the article can be adopted for a rigorous computational analysis. In particular, a closed form expression is obtained for the loss factor in large aspect ratio plates supported at the midspan by a system of parallel SMA wires. As follows from numerical examples presented for such plates, the proposed method offers a significant damping, far exceeding that observed in conventional engineering structures.     

Low-energy tensile-impact behavior of superelastic NiTi shape memory alloy wires

Superelastic property of shape memory alloys (SMAs) is becoming increasingly important for impact applications due to their large recoverable strains and high capacity to dissipate energy. In this work, tensile behavior of superelastic NiTi SMA wires at impact strain rates was studied by instrumented tensile-impact technique, which allows to obtain material properties on the order of 1–10² s⁻¹. The results show that even at impact strain rates, martensite can be induced by tension in NiTi. At impact, a plateau stress appears during transformations similar to that at quasi-static strain rates, but 100–150 MPa higher in stress. This is due to the higher temperatures achieved during the deformation due to the close to adiabatic nature of the impact event. The influence of the strain rate over the mechanical behavior of NiTi was spread to the quasi-static strain rates so that the evolution of several parameters was also studied on the range 10⁻⁵–10² s⁻¹. Therefore, forward stress-induced martensitic (SIM) transformation stresses (σ^Ms and σ^Mf) and deformation energy (E_d) increase with strain rate, but they are strain rate independent from 10⁻¹ s⁻¹ at least until 10² s⁻¹. Reverse SIM transformation stresses (σ^As and σ^Af), recoverable strain energy (E_r), and dissipated energy (W_d) depend mainly on maximum strain achieved during the deformation, but for strains corresponding to a load–unload cycle with complete SIM transformation, σ^As, σ^Af and E_r are higher at impact than at quasi-static strain rates, and W_d shows similar values at very low strain rates and at impact.     

Shape memory and thermo-mechanical properties of shape memory polymer/carbon fiber composites

In this study, chopped carbon fiber reinforced trans-1, 4-polyisoprene (TPI) was developed via a proposed new manufacturing process with the aim of improving weak mechanical properties of bulk TPI bulk. Specimens of the developed shape memory polymer (SMP) composites were fabricated with carbon fiber weight fraction of 5%, 7%, 9%, 11% and 13%, respectively. Measured are the effects of chopped carbon fiber and temperature on: (a) shape recovery ratio and rate; (b) stress–strain relationship; (c) maximum tensile stress, strain and Young’s modulus; and (d) maximum stress and residual strain under a constant strain cyclic loading. In addition, SEM micrographs were also presented to illustrate the fracture surface. The present experimental results show that the SMP with 7% carbon fiber weight fraction appears to perform best in all the tests. This indicates that the 7% carbon fiber weight fraction could be the optimum value for the SMP developed using the proposed manufacturing process.     

超弹性形状记忆合金棒力学性能的实验研究

对超弹性形状记忆合金(SMA)棒进行力学性能实验,研究了荷载循环、应变幅值和荷载频率对其滞回曲线以及耗能量、损耗因子、残余应变的力学参数的影响。结果表明,应力-应变曲线在循环加卸载中逐渐变化并趋于稳定;耗能量和损耗因子均随应变幅值的增加而增加,随荷载频率的增加而减小;稳定的SMA棒的超弹性、耗能能力和阻尼性能均较差,但其输出力较大,故可作为复位或限位装置用于土木工程中。     

Damping properties of thermoplastic-elastomer interleaved carbon fiber-reinforced epoxy composites

The aim of this study is to characterize the damping properties of carbon fiber-reinforced interleaved epoxy composites. Several types of thermoplastic-elastomer films, such as polyurethane elastomers, polyethylene-based ionomers and polyamide elastomers were used as the interleaving materials. The damping properties of the composite laminates with/without the interleaf films were evaluated by the mechanical impedance method. Also, the effects of the lay-up arrangements of the carbon-fiber prepregs on the damping properties of the interleaved laminates were examined. The viscoelastic properties of interleaved polymer films were reflected in the damping properties of the corresponding interleaved laminates. The loss tangent of the interleaf films at the test temperature played an important roll in the loss factor of the interleaved laminates. Also, the stiffness of the films at the resonant frequency of the laminates was another important parameter that controlled the loss factor of the interleaved laminates.     

Stiffness and vibration characteristics of SMA/ER3 composites with shape memory alloy short fibers

Shape memory alloys (SMAs) possess both sensing and actuating functions due to their shape memory effect, pseudo-elasticity, high damping capability and other remarkable characteristics. Combining the unique properties of SMAs with other materials can create intelligent or smart composites. In this paper, epoxy resin composites filled with Ni–Ti alloy short fibers were developed. Microstructure was observed using digital HF microscope. The dynamic mechanical properties were investigated by measuring the first vibration mode of clamped cantilever beams and by dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA). Moreover, the natural frequency of SMA composites was predicted theoretically. As a result, the temperature dependency of vibration property and DMA characteristics is affected largely due to the addition of SMA short fibers. The vibrational characteristics of SMA composites can be improved by the addition of small amounts of SMA short fibers. The addition of 3.5 wt.% of SMA short fiber content to epoxy resin resulted in the maximum increment in both natural frequency and storage modulus. This suggested that there exists an optimum SMA fiber content for vibration characteristics.     

超弹性TiNi记忆合金螺旋弹簧的滞回性能实验研究

通过滞回性能实验研究了大尺寸Ti Ni形状记忆合金(Ti Ni SMA)螺旋弹簧用于结构振动控制的可行性。利用两种Ti Ni合金制作了大尺寸超弹性螺旋弹簧试件。对Ti Ni弹簧试件进行了单轴反复荷载作用下的力学实验,获得了其在不同加载条件下的恢复力-位移曲线。分析了不同循环加卸载次数、加载频率、位移幅值对两种Ti Ni弹簧的滞回环及等效刚度、单位循环耗能、等效阻尼比和残余位移4个力学参数的影响。研究结果表明,超弹性Ti Ni弹簧可提供较大的恢复力、位移以及稳定的复位性能,并具有一定的耗能能力,在工程结构自复位振动控制中具有较好的应用潜力较好。     

Ti-Ni基记忆合金复合材料的研究进展

Ti-Ni形状记忆合金因具有优异的形状记忆效应和超弹性及良好的耐腐蚀性、生物兼容性等诸多优点,被广泛应用于航空航天、机械、电子、生物医用等领域.Ti-Ni基复合材料中Ti-Ni基体和增强相之间的交互作用可使其集优异力学性能、功能特性于一体.本文主要阐述了近几年采用不同方法制备的Ti-Ni形状记忆合金复合材料的最新研究进...     

A review of shape memory polymer composites and blends

Shape memory polymers (SMPs) are a kind of very important smart polymers. In order to improve the properties or obtain new functions of SMPs, SMP composites and blends are prepared. We thoroughly examine the research in SMP composites and blends achieved by numerous research groups around the world. The preparation of SMPs composites and blends is mainly for five aims: (1) to improve shape recovery stress and mechanical properties; (2) to decrease shape recovery induction time by increasing thermal conductivity; (3) to create new polymer/polymer blends with shape-memory effect (SME); (4) to tune switch temperature, mechanical properties, and biomedical properties of SMPs; (5) to fabricate shape memory materials sensitive to electricity, magnetic, light and moisture. The trend of SMP composite development is discussed. SMP composites and blends exhibit novel properties that are different from the conventional SMPs and thus can be utilized in various applications.     

基于超弹性形状记忆合金的钢结构抗震研究进展

采用形状记忆合金(SMA)、粘弹性橡胶等材料的结构,其地震响应存在温度相关性,对其结构性能的评估应考虑温度影响和区域温度分布特性的不确定性。以第二代基于性能的地震工程评估框架为基础,该文提出一种考虑区域温度分布特性的温度相关型结构地震风险评估方法。该方法将传统地震易损性扩展为地震动强度-温度联合易损性,在此基础上得到包含温度分布信息的修正区域易损性,并用于评估结构地震风险。基于该方法,该文以9层SMA支撑钢框架结构作为分析对象,研究温度对结构性能的影响。选取北京和文昌为案例地区,给出其区域温度分布特性描述,并计算对象结构的地震风险曲线。结果表明：环境温度降低将影响结构变形分布。同时,结构在低温下更易发生倒塌。相对于位于文昌和设计基准温度下的对象结构,位于北京的对象结构具有更高的倒塌风险。所提出的方法能够量化评估不同地区温度相关型结构的地震风险。     

Enhancement of mechanical strength by shape memory effect in TiNi fiber-reinforced composites

Since there are strong demands for materials that have the high mechanical properties, the authors developed the new design concept that improve the material strength. It uses SMA to actively control the material strength. Using the TiNi shape memory fiber-reinforced epoxy matrix composite as the test specimen, the experiment was conducted to analyze the effectiveness of the new design concept. The test was conducted by the photoelastic method. The photoelastic fringe patterns and the behavior of K-value at the crack tip clearly support the effectiveness of the new design concept. Then, an analytical model based on Eshelby’s model is developed in order to compute the average matrix compressive stress. The experimental trend that |ΔK₁| increases with prestrain ϵ_T was in good agreement with the predictions based on the present model.     

形状记忆聚合物纤维及增强复合材料的研究进展

形状记忆聚合物纤维及增强复合材料是从形状记忆聚合物中发展起来的一种新型智能材料.它除了具有质量轻便、价格低廉、变形能力优异、模量变化可逆、驱动方式多样、设计结构简单等优点,还具备弹性模量较高、回复应力较大等特点,有效地弥补了传统形状记忆聚合物的不足.首先概述了形状记忆聚合物纤维及纤维增强形状记忆聚合物复合材料的驱动方法...     

Tensile and fatigue behavior of superelastic shape memory rods

The tensile and fatigue behavior of superelastic shape memory alloy (SMA) bars heat-treated at three different temperatures were examined. Low cycle fatigue tests at variable load rates were carried out to determine the effect of stress and frequency on residual strain and energy dissipation in a fatigue cycle. The mechanism of energy dissipation was studied by monitoring the temperature changes in the fatigued samples as a function of applied stress and frequency of testing. Results from the tensile tests revealed that the stress for the Austenite to Martensite transformation decreased from 408 MPa to 204 MPa with an increase in temperature of heat treatment from 300 to 450 °C. The ultimate strength of the SMA increased from 952 MPa to 1115 MPa when the heat treatment temperature was increased from 300 to 450 °C. Fatigue testing prior to conducting the tensile test decreased the ultimate strength of the SMA and also reduced the failure strain. The energy dissipation in fatigue tests was found to decrease as test frequency increased from 0.025 Hz to 0.25 Hz and the change in sample temperature during the test at the lower test frequency was found to be considerably higher than at the higher frequency.     

Micromechanical simulation of tensile failure of discontinuous fiber-reinforced polymer matrix composites using Spring Element Model

The micromechanical damage and strength of discontinuous fiber-reinforced polymer matrix composites was simulated by the Spring Element Model (SEM), and SEM was compared with Periodic Unit-Cell (PUC) simulation to clarify the potential of SEM. Tensile failure simulations indicate that SEM can be effectively used to predict the strength of long discontinuous fiber reinforced composites. The transition between matrix cracking mode and fiber breaking mode is also discussed to clarify the fiber length at which SEM can be used to predict strength. In addition, the strengths predicted with SEM are compared with the results of experiments on long discontinuous fiber-reinforced thermoplastic composites.     

Bending properties of epoxy resin matrix composites filled with Ni-Mn-Ga ferromagnetic shape memory alloy powders

Two types of epoxy resin matrix composites filled with Ni-Mn-Ga ferromagnetic shape memory alloy powders, with and without magnetic field during curing, were prepared, aiming to create anisotropic and isotropic alignments of the Ni-Mn-Ga particles. The bending properties of the composites are found to be significantly influenced by the distribution of Ni-Mn-Ga particles in the epoxy matrix. The composites without magnetic field during curing exhibit larger bending strength and fracture strain than the composites with magnetic field during curing. The fractography reveals that the Ni-Mn-Ga particle chains formed in the composites with magnetic field during curing facilitate the initiation and propagation of cracks, thus weakening the bending properties.