An overview of vibration and seismic applications of NiTi shape memory alloy

Shape memory alloys (SMAs) exhibit peculiar thermomechanical, thermoelectrical and thermochemical behaviors under mechanical, thermal, electrical and chemical conditions. Examples of these materials are Cu-based SMAs, NiTi SMAs, ferrous SMAs, shape memory ceramics and shape memory polymers. NiTi SMAs in particular, have unique thermomechanical behaviors such as shape memory effect and pseudoelasticity, which have made them attractive candidates for structural vibration control applications. Numerous studies have been conducted in modeling and applications of NiTi SMAs in structural vibration control. Several active, passive and hybrid energy absorption and vibration isolation devices have been developed utilizing NiTi SMAs. In this paper we present an overview of NiTi behaviors, modeling and applications as well as their limitations for structural vibration control and seismic isolation.