Thermomechanical Characterization and Modeling of Ni60Ti40 SMA for Actuated Chevrons

Abstract

This work describes the thermomechanical characterization and preliminary FEA modeling of commercial jet engine chevrons incorporating active Shape Memory Alloy (SMA) beam components. The SMA beams, when activated, induce the necessary bending forces on the chevron structure to deflect it into the fan flow and reduce noise. The primary focus of this work is the characterization of the SMA material (Ni60Ti40 wt%) chosen to actuate these chevrons and the preliminary modeling of the active chevron system behavior. To fully understand the material and calibrate the model, various thermomechanical experiments are performed on both untrained and trained standard SMA tensile specimens. Material properties for the shape memory alloy components are derived from this tensile experimentation. By using this data, a 3-D FEA implementation of a phenomenological SMA model is calibrated and used to analyze the response of a system motivated by the active chevron. The problem modeled consists of a pre-curved SMA beam clamped firmly against a straight aluminum substrate. The model proves to be an accurate tool for predicting the mechanical response of such a system subject to defined thermal inputs.