抄録
Ti-Ni shape memory alloy (SMA) is the functional material which has shape memory properties and superelasticities. Since Ti-Ni SMA works well at temperatures below 373K, this SMA is expected to be a driving source of heat-engines using low-temperature thermal energy. However, previous SMA heat-engines have several problems. For example, the low product-life cycle due to the inhomogeneous temperatures of the SMA element during heating/cooling. Therefore, conventional SMA heat-engines have not been put into practical use. We proposed a gear driven type SMA heat engine using SMA spiral spring actuators for improving of product-life cycle of the SMA heat-engine. And it is introduced gear driven type. However since the mechanical loss is increased by multistage gear train and one-way-clutches, output of this system is smaller than previous SMA heat engine. Therefore we produce a new system which consists of two SMA spiral spring joined by pulley belt. In this research, the output characteristics of this heat-engine are investigated.
