Fatigue Behavior of Ni-Ti Shape Memory Alloys

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded a $445,000 grant to a research team to investigate the fatigue behavior of additive manufactured (AM) nickel-titanium shape memory alloys (SMAs), which can "remember" their original shape after deformation. The grant will fund the acquisition of equipment to assess the dynamic stiffness and longevity of materials under external forces.

Dynamic stiffness is crucial for applications like automotive suspensions, while fatigue life determines how quickly materials wear out—critical for new technologies like composites and AM materials. Nickel-titanium exhibits favorable responses to fatigue cycles, and this equipment will help develop AM parts printed from this alloy and evaluate their fatigue performance.

The new electrodynamic test system for conducting dynamic and static tests on various materials will be located at Youngstown State University. The research team includes Youngstown State University and Penn State Shenango.