A REVIEW OF UTILIZING SHAPE MEMORY ALLOY IN STRUCTURAL SAFETY

Abstract

The advancement of material technology has
paved the way for smart materials to emerge in the civil
engineering sector. These smart materials possess the potential
to encounter structural deterioration. Therefore, proper
attention should be provided to smart materials regarding both
research and application. Shape memory alloy (SMA) is a
unique smart material that demonstrates growing applicability
in numerous sectors. Recently, a lot of emphasis is being given
to SMA research with a view to utilizing SMA in civil
engineering structures. SMAs have some special properties
such as high damping capacity, self-centering mechanism, two
way memory, self-adaptability etc. for which they can be used
to make various types of structural control devices. An
integrated assessment of the fundamental properties of SMAs,
based on the existing data is presented by this paper in a
concise and graphical manner. This paper also discusses the
possibility of implementing SMAs in a wide range of civil
engineering application, therefore motivating the large scale
development of smart structures.