Superelastic shape memory alloy cables: Part I – Isothermal tension experiments

Cables (or wire ropes) made from NiTi shape memory alloy (SMA) wires are relatively new and unexplored structural elements that combine many of the advantages of conventional cables with the adaptive properties of SMAs (shape memory and superelasticity) and have a broad range of potential applications. In this two part series, an extensive set of uniaxial tension experiments was performed on two Nitinol cable constructions, a 7 × 7 right regular lay and a 1 × 27 alternating lay, to characterize their superelastic behavior in room temperature air. Details of the evolution of strain and temperature fields were captured by simultaneous stereo digital image correlation and infrared imaging, respectively. Here in Part I, the nearly isothermal, superelastic responses of the two cable designs are presented and compared. Overall, the 7 × 7 construction has a mechanical response similar to that of straight wires with propagating transformation fronts and distinct stress plateaus during stress-induced transformations. The 1 × 27 construction, however, exhibits a more compliant and stable mechanical response, trading a decreased force for additional elongation, and does not exhibit transformation fronts due to the deeper helix angles of the layers. In Part II that follows, selected subcomponents are dissected from the two cable’s hierarchical constructions to experimentally break down the cable’s responses.