Development of Single Crystal Cu-Al-Ni Shape Memory Alloy

TiNi Aerospace herein proposes to develop a process for manufacturing single crystal Copper-Aluminum-Nickel (Cu-Al-Ni) Shape Memory Alloy using the Stepanov method. This method involves the continuous pulling of molten alloy through a floating graphitedie. The resulting material is known to have significant advantages over commercially available polycrystalline Titanium Nickel (Ti-Ni) Shape Memory Alloys. In particular, the single crystal Cu-Al-Ni has upto 9% strain recovery when heated frommartensite to austenite (shape memory), and upto 20% strain recovery during loading and un-loading in the austenitic phase (super-elasticity). This compares to only 3-6 % for titanium nickel based shape memory material. The proposed effort involvessetting up the necessary equipment, manufacturing initial samples, and performing characterizations test including stress, strain, and transition temperature. Additionally, as a leading manufacturer of SMA devices for the Aerospace industry, TiNiAerospace is in a unique position to market this technology to its many customers. Development of single crystal Cu-Al-Ni Shape Memory Alloy will have an immediate benefit to many aerospace applications. These include release devices, actuators,springs, dampeners, and valves. The proposed technology may also open many new application areas in the commercial aircraft, automotive, and robotic industries where the enhanced strain recovery will make for a far superior actuator.