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Name: Unknown
Status: N/A
Age: N/A
Location: N/A
Country: N/A
Date: Around 1993
Question:
What is a shape memory alloy and how does it work?


Replies:
These are materials that can be deformed somewhat, (for example, folded, bent, twisted, etc,) and then when they are heated up a little, they return to almost their original shape. I believe that the principle is that there are impurities, called dislocations, that are locations where atoms are out of place. Some of these are extended through out large regions of the material. When you bend the material these are deformed but not destroyed. When you heat the material up these dislocations tend to move to their original shape and carry the surrounding material with them. This restores the shape. If the material is melted or heated to much the dislocations are changed or completely destroyed and this property is gone.

Sam Bowen


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