Superelasticity, Shape Memory and Stability of Nitinol Honeycombs under In-plane Compression

Low density Nitinol shape memory alloy honeycombs were fabricated using a new Nb-based brazing method [1], which demonstrated enhanced shape memory and superelastic properties under in-plane compression [2]. Adaptive, light-weight cellular structures present interesting possibilities for design of new architectures and novel applications. This paper presents an overview of ongoing work to address the multi-scale stability of superelastic, thin-walled, SMA honeycombs and the need for design and simulation tools.