Fatigue measurement of a shape memory Ti-Ni-Cu wire used as artificial heart muscle

Abstract

Influence of fatigue on shape memory effect in Ni-Ti-Cu wires was quantitatively evaluated. Strain and variation of transformation points was measured under constant tensile load. Transformation points depending on cycle numbers of SMA wire specimen decrease until 1000 thermal cycles and length of the sample at high and low temperature increases when the number of thermal cycles increases.