Heating to thermal shock of Cu-based SMA using a solar concentrator

• Published in: IOP conference series. Materials Science and Engineering Vol. 444; no. 3; pp. 32014 - 32020
• Main Authors: Tudora, C, Abrudeanu, M, Stanciu, S, Anghel, D, Plaiaşu, G A, Rizea, V, Ştirbu, I, Cimpoeşu, N, Anton Prisacariu, B
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Bristol IOP Publishing 29.11.2018
• Subjects: Alternative energy sources; Concentrators; Copper; Heat; Heating; Shape memory alloys; Solar energy; Thermal shock
• ISSN: 1757-8981; 1757-899X; 1757-899X
• DOI: 10.1088/1757-899X/444/3/032014

Solar energy represents a renewable energy which is one of the most expected to breakthrough in the next years in many application fields, as a heating source. It is expected that we can use solar energy in order to activate special materials, sensitive to heat variation, like shape memory alloys. Shape memory alloys present an increasing number of applications in the last years. Solar heat is free and endless on short time (hundreds of years) so it represents an ideal source of energy. Using a proper mirror-concentrator system, at a reduced scale for temperature lower than 500-600 °C, we can activate any type of shape memory element with different temperatures, rates of heating or maintaining periods of the heat using the shutter aperture. We analyse the behaviour of a shape memory alloy based on copper at different heating cycles in regime of shocks till 300 respectively 600 °C (with different heating rates, till 120°C/ms, excepting first cycle). The temperature variation was registered and analysed using Graphtec Corporation equipment and Origin software.