The Applications of Shape Memory Alloy

Abstract

With the rapid development of the aerospace industry, more stringent new requirements have been put forward for new materials. A large number of intelligent materials have emerged. The most noteworthy among them are shape memory alloys (SMAs). Therefore, the number of SMAs used for aerospace research has increased significantly. It is very necessary to analyze these works. This article focuses a specific kind of active materials called SMAs, especially for the applications of this material in the aerospace field. SMAs are able to ‘memorise’ or restore their previous form when facing thermal, thermomechanical or magnetic changes. Because of its superior performance and diverse uses, it is widely used in various engineering fields. A brief introduction of SMAs is provided in this work. Their outstanding properties and extraordinary working principle can also be seen in this article. Before and nowadays aerospace applications are introduced. The applications of SMAs in wing morphing, lifting body, and variable geometry chevron, were also introduced. This work will promote the application of SMAs in the aerospace field.