New Opportunities for Shape Memory Alloys for Actuators, Biomedical Engineering, and Smart Materials

AbstractRecently a sizeable market has been developing for products and applications based on the functional properties of shape memory alloys. After a lengthy gestation period, these unique materials are finally achieving acceptance in the Marketplace. Their increasing success is due in part to an improved choice ofappropriate applications in a very varied market, and in part to such factors as proven reliability, substantial technical improvements, and the availability of competitively priced high quality materials. Initially, the demonstration ofthe functional properties ofshape memory alloys was limited to numerous gadgets. Today, however, these materials have become commercially important, particularly where they represent the unique solution to technical design problems, for example in the niche areas of microactuators and superelastic materials.