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Innovative Actuators Based on Shape Memory Alloys
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Innovative Actuators Based on Shape Memory Alloys

A special issue of Actuators (ISSN 2076-0825). This special issue belongs to the section "Actuator Materials".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 April 2025 | Viewed by 8270

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Todor Stoilov Todorov

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Industrial Technology, Technical University of Sofia, Sofia, Bulgaria
Interests: synthesis of mechanisms; design of microelectromechanical systems; vibrations; shape memory alloy actuators; shape memory alloys; energy harvesting
Dr. Rosen Mitrev

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Logistics Engineering, Material Handling and Construction Machines, Mechanical Engineering Faculty, Technical University of Sofia, 1797 Sofia, Bulgaria
Interests: computational dynamics of machines and mechanisms; vibrations; shape memory alloy actuators; energy harvesting
Dr. Wei Min Huang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Avenue, Singapore 639798, Singapore
Interests: shape memory materials and technology; sensors and actuators; 4D printing
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Shape memory alloys (SMA) provide unique opportunities for designing actuators with diverse innovative applications in industry, medicine, robotics and life. The high-power density of SMAs is a prerequisite for creating one of the most compact actuators compared to many others based on conventional drives, such as electric motors, hydraulic and pneumatic cylinders, combustion engines, etc. In addition, the specific properties of SMAs allow the development of actuators with diverse functionalities and minimal building elements. The thermal drive of SMAs with one-way and two-way shape memory effect, combined with high-energy density, is an excellent precondition for designing competitive micro- and nano-actuators with applications in medicine, microrobotics and microfluidic systems. This Special Issue intends to provide a forum for researchers and developers to share ideas, current trends and achievements related to SMA-driven actuators. Original and innovative research papers from both academia and industry are welcome. 

Prof. Dr. Todor Stoilov Todorov
Dr. Rosen Mitrev
Dr. Wei Min Huang
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Actuators is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • SMA-based actuators for precise linear or rotary displacement
  • microactuators driven by SMAs in smart structures
  • SMA actuators for application in medicine, aerospace, robotics, and micro- and nanorobotics
  • bistable SMA actuators
  • multidomain modeling and control of SMA-based actuators
  • innovative industry applications of SMA-based actuators
  • innovative methods for the design of SMA actuators
  • methods for improving the dynamics of SMA actuators
  • machine learning, numerical and FEM models of SMA actuators
  • energy harvesting with SMAs

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 5359 KiB  
Article
Displaying Tactile Sensation by SMA-Driven Vibration and Controlled Temperature for Cutaneous Sensation Assessment
by Tomohiro Nozawa, Renke Liu and Hideyuki Sawada
Actuators 2024, 13(11), 463; https://doi.org/10.3390/act13110463 - 18 Nov 2024
Viewed by 367
Abstract
In this paper, we propose a novel tactile display that can present vibration patterns and thermal stimuli simultaneously. The vibration actuator employs a shape memory alloy (SMA) wire to generate micro-vibration with a frequency control of up to 300 Hz. The micro-vibration is [...] Read more.
In this paper, we propose a novel tactile display that can present vibration patterns and thermal stimuli simultaneously. The vibration actuator employs a shape memory alloy (SMA) wire to generate micro-vibration with a frequency control of up to 300 Hz. The micro-vibration is conducted to a tactile pin for amplifying the vibration, to be sufficiently recognized by a user. A thermal stimulation unit, on the other hand, consists of four Peltier elements with heatsinks for heat radiation. Four vibration actuators and a thermal unit are arranged in a flat plane with a size of 20 mm × 20 mm, on which a user places the tip of an index finger to feel the presented vibratory stimuli under different temperature conditions. We conducted an experiment by employing nine subjects to evaluate the performance of the proposed tactile display and also to investigate the effects of temperature on recognizing tactile sensation. The results demonstrated that the proposed device was feasible for the quantitative diagnosis of tactile sensation. In addition, we verified that the sensitivity of tactile sensation decreased with colder stimuli. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Actuators Based on Shape Memory Alloys)
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12 pages, 4255 KiB  
Article
SMA Wire Use in Hybrid Twisting and Bending/Extending Soft Fiber-Reinforced Actuators
by Seyedreza Kashef Tabrizian, Fovel Cedric, Seppe Terryn and Bram Vanderborght
Actuators 2024, 13(4), 125; https://doi.org/10.3390/act13040125 - 28 Mar 2024
Viewed by 1567
Abstract
Soft fiber-reinforced actuators have demonstrated significant potential across various robotics applications. However, the actuation motion in these actuators is typically limited to a single type of motion behavior, such as bending, extending, and twisting. Additionally, a combination of bending with twisting and extending [...] Read more.
Soft fiber-reinforced actuators have demonstrated significant potential across various robotics applications. However, the actuation motion in these actuators is typically limited to a single type of motion behavior, such as bending, extending, and twisting. Additionally, a combination of bending with twisting and extending with twisting can occur in fiber-reinforced actuators. This paper presents two novel hybrid actuators in which shape memory alloy (SMA) wires are used as reinforcement for pneumatic actuation, and upon electrical activation, they create a twisting motion. As a result, the hybrid soft SMA-reinforced actuators can select between twisting and bending, as well as twisting and extending. In pneumatic mode, a bending angle of 40° and a longitudinal strain of 20% were achieved for the bending/twisting and extending/twisting actuators, respectively. When the SMA wires are electrically activated by the Joule effect, the actuators achieved more than 90% of the maximum twisting angle (24°) in almost 2 s. Passive recovery, facilitated by the elastic response of the soft chamber, took approximately 10 s. The double-helical reinforcement by SMA wires not only enables twisting in both directions but also serves as an active recovery mechanism to more rapidly return the finger to the initial position (within 2 s). The resulting pneumatic–electric-driven soft actuators enhance dexterity and versatility, making them suitable for applications in walking robots, in-pipe crawling robots, and in-hand manipulation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Actuators Based on Shape Memory Alloys)
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36 pages, 18651 KiB  
Article
Scaling Effects on Morphing Structures: Preliminary Guidelines for Managing the Effects on a Case Study
by Antonio Concilio, Bernardino Galasso and Salvatore Ameduri
Actuators 2023, 12(10), 366; https://doi.org/10.3390/act12100366 - 22 Sep 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1641
Abstract
The technique of morphing in aerospace engineering is a relatively new discipline targeting the improvement of aircraft performance, even through dramatic changes to some critical geometrical and mechanical features, to adapt aircrafts’ configurations to evolving operation conditions. The development path of morphing systems [...] Read more.
The technique of morphing in aerospace engineering is a relatively new discipline targeting the improvement of aircraft performance, even through dramatic changes to some critical geometrical and mechanical features, to adapt aircrafts’ configurations to evolving operation conditions. The development path of morphing systems is complex and shall pass through articulated gates to prove its readiness level due to the concurrence of different disciplines and approaches. The characterization and demonstration of the concepts in a representative environment, such as wind tunnel test facilities, are some of the most relevant steps needed for the maturation of the engineering technique. The practical size limitations of test facilities usually impose the use of scaled models. In the case of morphing systems, whose architecture is strictly dependent on the available room, and whose performance is tightly correlated with the general structural stiffness, changes in dimensions may affect the overall behaviour significantly. Therefore, the adaptive design may change a lot until it arrives to the formation of completely different products. Transportability issues of certain architectural forms, as well as the different classes of vehicles, are also related to that aspect. The scope of this paper is to investigate the impact of some effects of scaling processes on certain features of a morphing system, particularly focusing on the stiffness parameters, for their impact on several features such as the load bearing capability and structural stability in both steady and dynamic conditions. As a case study, a rotorcraft blade segment integrated with torsional shape memory alloy (SMA) actuators was considered. Relevant numerical models were exploited to highlight the different evolution laws of the characteristic structural parameters vs. the referred scale factors. In this investigation, the axial, flap, lag bending, and torsion stiffnesses, as well as normal modes and stress levels, are considered. The achieved results confirm the complexity of attaining an effective reproduction of the targeted morphing architecture, as scaled configurations are considered. In spite of the unavoidable specificity of the analysis herein reported, it is believed that such attainments can have a general validity at least to some extent, and the outcomes may be exported to other morphing systems, at least as guidelines. This study took place within the European project SABRE (Shape Adaptive Blades for Rotorcraft Efficiency, H2020). Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Actuators Based on Shape Memory Alloys)
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22 pages, 8932 KiB  
Article
Hybrid Solenoids Based on Magnetic Shape Memory Alloys
by Manuel Mauch, Marco Hutter and Bernd Gundelsweiler
Actuators 2023, 12(8), 328; https://doi.org/10.3390/act12080328 - 15 Aug 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1710
Abstract
The mobility of today and tomorrow is characterized by technological change and new challenges in drive concepts such as electric or hydrogen vehicles. Abolishing conventional combustion engines creates even more need for switching or valve technology in mobility systems. For switching and controlling [...] Read more.
The mobility of today and tomorrow is characterized by technological change and new challenges in drive concepts such as electric or hydrogen vehicles. Abolishing conventional combustion engines creates even more need for switching or valve technology in mobility systems. For switching and controlling purposes, solenoids are used in large numbers and in a wide variety of applications, thus making a significant contribution to the overall success of the energy transition, and not only in the automotive sector. Despite their long existence, continued research is being carried out on solenoids involving new materials and actuator concepts. Great interest is focused on providing an adjustable force–displacement characteristic while simultaneously reducing the noise during switching. At IKFF, research is being conducted on hybrid electromagnets in the border area of switching and holding solenoids. This paper aims to present the major advantages of this hybrid drive concept based on an electromagnetic FEA simulation study of two drive concepts and specially developed and characterized prototypes with magnetic shape memory (MSM) alloys. The concepts differ in the spatial orientation of the MSM sticks to generate an active stroke of the plunger, which contributes to a beneficial force–displacement characteristic and lower power consumption while minimizing switching noise. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Actuators Based on Shape Memory Alloys)
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19 pages, 6571 KiB  
Article
A Study of a Bistable Reciprocating Piston Pump Driven by Shape Memory Alloys and Recuperative Springs
by Mihail Kostov, Todor Todorov, Rosen Mitrev, Konstantin Kamberov and Rumen Nikolov
Actuators 2023, 12(2), 90; https://doi.org/10.3390/act12020090 - 17 Feb 2023
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1894
Abstract
This paper presents and examines a new design concept for a bistable reciprocating piston pump. The bistable pump mechanism belongs to the bistable mechanisms, which have two stable positions at the end of the suction and discharge strokes. The transition between the stable [...] Read more.
This paper presents and examines a new design concept for a bistable reciprocating piston pump. The bistable pump mechanism belongs to the bistable mechanisms, which have two stable positions at the end of the suction and discharge strokes. The transition between the stable positions is achieved by using triggering force at each beginning of suction and discharge and subsequent movement using a recuperative spring. In this mechanism, the triggering forces are created by two Shape Memory Alloy (SMA) wires. Geometric and force expressions for the pump suction and discharge strokes are derived. Additional equations are obtained for the balance of moments for the two stable equilibrium positions and the unstable position in the middle of the stroke. Numerical studies have been conducted for the suction and discharge strokes, considering the force exerted by the gas on the piston, which is modelled by an indicator diagram assuming a polytropic process. It was found that the load on the mechanism has significant non-uniformity. The diagrams illustrating the distribution of total moments showed that the cold SMA wire shifted the point of instability. The numerical example shows how to choose the right spring stiffness to obtain energy recovery. In this way, the triggering SMA forces act only at the beginning of the two strokes and, after that, the recuperative forces substitute the action of the SMA forces. The theoretical relationships and methods presented here are suitable for synthesizing new pumps or analyzing similar mechanisms. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Actuators Based on Shape Memory Alloys)
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Planned Papers

The below list represents only planned manuscripts. Some of these manuscripts have not been received by the Editorial Office yet. Papers submitted to MDPI journals are subject to peer-review.

Title: Displaying Tactile Sensation by SMA-driven Vibration and Controlled Temperature for Cutaneous Sensation Assessment
Authors: Tomohiro Nozawa; Renke Liu; Hideyuki Sawada
Affiliation: Department of Pure and Applied Physics, Waseda University, Tokyo 169-8555, Japan
Abstract: In this paper, we propose a novel tactile display that can present vibration pattens and thermal stimuli simultaneously. The vibration actuator employs a shape memory alloy (SMA) wire to generate micro-vibration with the frequency control up to 300 Hz. The micro-vibration is conducted to a tactile pin for amplifying the vibration to be sufficiently recognized by a user. A thermal stimulation unit, on the other hand, consists of four Peltier elements with heatsinks for heat radiation. Four vibration actuators and a thermal unit are arranged in a flat plane with the size of 20 mm x 20 mm, on which a user places the tip of an index finger to feel the presented vibratory stimuli under different temperature conditions. We conduct an experiment by employing nine subjects to evaluate the performance of the proposed tactile display, and also to investigate the effects of temperature in recognizing tactile sensation. The results demonstrated that the proposed device was feasible for quantitative diagnosis of tactile sensation. In addition, we verified that the sensitivity of tactile sensation decreased with colder stimuli.

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