Thermomechanical Response of Shape Memory Alloy Hybrid Composites

This study examines the use of embedded shape memory alloy (SMA) actuators for adaptive control of the thermomechanical response of composite structures. A nonlinear thermomechanical model is presented for analyzing shape memory alloy hybrid composite (SMAHC) structures exposed to steady-state thermal and dynamic mechanical loads. Also presented are (1) fabrication procedures for SMAHC specimens, (2) characterization of the constituent materials for model quantification, (3) development of the test apparatus for conducting static and dynamic experiments on specimens with and without SMA, (4) discussion of the experimental results, and (5) validation of the analytical and numerical tools developed in the study. Excellent agreement is achieved between the predicted and measured SAMHC responses including thermal buckling, thermal post-buckling and dynamic response due to inertial loading. The validated model and thermomechanical analysis tools are used to demonstrate a variety of static and dynamic response behaviors including control of static (thermal buckling and post-buckling) and dynamic responses (vibration, sonic fatigue, and acoustic transmission). and SMAHC design considerations for these applications. SMAHCs are shown to have significant advantages over conventional response abatement approaches for vibration, sonic fatigue, and noise control.