Fabrication and Characterization of Nitinol-Copper Shape Memory Alloy Bimorph Actuators

This study aims to examine the effect of annealing conditions on nitinol (NiTi) characteristics and applies this knowledge to fabricate a NiTi-copper shape memory alloy bimorph actuator. The effect of the annealing conditions was investigated at various temperatures, i.e., 500, 600, and 650 °C, for 30 min. With the characterizations using x-ray diffraction, energy dispersive spectroscopy, and differential scanning calorimetry techniques, the results showed that annealing temperatures at 600 and 650 °C were able to appropriately form the crystalline structure of NiTi. However, at these high annealing temperatures, the oxide on a surface was unavoidable. In the fabrication of actuator, the annealing at 650 °C for 30 min was chosen, and it was performed at two pre-stressing conditions, i.e., straight and curved molds. From static and dynamic response experiments, the results suggested that the annealing temperature significantly affected the deflection of the actuator. On the other hand, the effect of pre-stressing conditions was relatively small. Furthermore, the micro gripper consisting of two NiTi-copper bimorph actuators successfully demonstrated for the viability of small object manipulation as the gripper was able to grasp and hold a small plastic ball with its weight of around 0.5 mg.