Shape
Memory
Alloy
Shape
memory
alloy
is
a
unique
metal
that
can
arrange
itself
into
a
specific
form
when
heated
at
or
above
its
transition
temperature,
in
this
case,
90°C.
Heating
the
alloy
to
this
transition
temperature
causes
it
to
go
from
any
shape
back
to its
original
shape.
This
original
shape
is
obtained
by
heating
the
alloy
to
its
annealing
temperature (usually
500°C),
then
shaping
the
alloy
and
allowing
it
to
cool.
Overview
Muscle
Memory
and
Moments
Activity:
In
this
activity,
students
will
get
the
opportunity
to
experiment
with
the
properties
of
shape
memory
alloy
by
calculating
moments
and
hypothesizing
the
shape
memory
alloy's
ability
to
lift
weight. Students
will
use
their
knowledge
from
the
classroom
to
design
and
build
a
circuit
as
well
as
program
the
device
to
lift
a
weight
to
a
specified
angle
and
remain
there.
Do
It
Yourself Stent Design
Activity:
One
application
of
shape
memory
alloy
today
is
a stent.
Stents are
a
medical
device
that
are
used
to
open
up
clogged
arteries
in
the
human
body
and
allow
blood
to
flow
freely. Instead
of
expanding
by
a
balloon
catheter, stents made
of
shape
memory
alloy
expand
through
human
body
temperature. In
this
future
DIY stent design
activity,
students
will
experiment
with
different stent geometry
and
test
how
well
their
designs
perform.
