Gm Global Technology Operations LLC

Dynalloy, Inc.

University of Michigan

University System of Maryland

General Motors LLC

Gm Research & Development

Alan L Browne

Nancy L Johnson

Paul W Alexander

Nilesh D Mankame

Xiujie Gao

Guillermo A Herrera

Geoffrey P McKnight

William B Barvosa-Carter

Andrew C Keefe

Christopher Paul Henry

Gary Lee Jones

Patrick B Usoro

John C Ulicny

Jan Henning Aase

Nicholas William Pinto

James Holbrook Brown

Chandra S Namuduri

Richard J Skurkis

Cameron G Massey

John Anthony Cafeo

Diann Brei

Mark A Kramarczyk

Jennifer P Lawall

Christopher Burton Churchill

Leslie Momoda

Pablo D Zavattieri

Robin Stevenson

Marten Wittorf

Thomas B Stanford

Lei Hao

James W Wells

Douglas Martin Linn

Kevin B Rober

Mark A Voss

Diane K McQueen

Norman K Bucknor

Roland J Menassa

Jonathan E Luntz

Osman D Altan

Hanif Muhammad

Adrian B Chernoff

Steven Morris

William R Rodgers

John Neal Owens

Derek L Patterson

Aragorn Zolno

Sanjeev Manubhai Naik

William B Carter

Yuen-Kwok Chin

Chin-Hsu Lin

Bob Ross Powell

Norman Mark Wereley

Patrick G Szymkowicz

Edward D Moss

Craig A Kollar

Paul Richard Meernik

Steven G Corrion

Mark William Verbrugge

Suresh Gopalakrishnan

Alan Jon Jacobsen

Paul Edward Krajewski

Bahram Khalighi

Charles W Wampler, Ii

Jenne-Tai Wang

James C O'Kane

Vidyashankar Ramasastry Buravalla

Alexander Millerman

Kirk D Bennion

Joseph F Szczerba

Donald K Grimm

Xingcheng Xiao

Scott David Thomas

Hamid Ghavami Kia

David R Sigler

Paul G Otanez

Vijay A Neelakantan

Andrew Leslie Bartos

Tao Xie

Christopher E Borroni-Bird

Shushan Bai

Robert Louis Vitale

Wayne Cai

John K Lenneman

Scott P Charnesky

Mark A Golden

Roy J Mathieu

Brian W Whitmarsh

Shawn G Quinn

Ingrid A Rousseau

Andrew Mark Mance

Yen-Lung Chen

Yang T Cheng

Sloan Patrick Smith

Jihui Yang

Jan F Herbst

Robert E Doty

Mohan Sundar

Michael J Lukitsch

Joseph P Fannon

John R Czoykowski

A method of testing a SMA element includes connecting the SMA element to a validation tool, and applying an electrical current to the SMA element over a test cycle. A resistance of the SMA element during the test cycle is measured, while the electrical current is being applied. The measured resistance of the SMA element during the test cycle is correlated to an estimated strain value of the SMA element during the test cycle. A temperature of the SMA element during the test cycle is estimated. A stress in the SMA element during the test cycle is estimated from a stress predicting grid, using the estimated strain value and the estimated temperature of the SMA element during the test cycle. The proper functionality of the SMA element may be determined based on the estimated stress in the SMA element.

Method of testing a shape memory alloy element, and a validation system therefor

An apparatus provides an air shield over a portal access opening between a vehicle access member and a stationary vehicle trim member. An air supply device disposed within the vehicle. The air supply device includes an active material creating the burst of air. The air supply device produces a burst of air that discharges upon opening of the vehicle access member. At least one output port outputs the burst of air. The burst of air forms the air shield in a direction substantially transverse to the portal opening. The air shield is formed across at least a portion of a perimeter of the portal access opening between the vehicle access member and the stationary vehicle trim member. The air shield inhibits precipitation from entering the compartment of the vehicle during a pressure equalization phase that occurs in response to the opening of the vehicle access member.

Air curtain using smart materials

One variation includes a method including using a reversible dry adhesive system to reversibly couple a first substrate to a second substrate. One variation includes a method including using a reversible dry adhesive system to reversibly couple a first substrate to a second substrate during building or reconfiguring a product.

Applications of a reversible dry adhesive system

Fit and finish methods using shape memory polymers ('SMP') are disclosed herein. In an example of the fit and finish method, a first part and a second part are positioned adjacent to one another such that a shape memory polymer in a temporary shape is adjacent to a gap between the first part and the second part. The SMP is heated to a switching temperature of the SMP, which causes the SMP to initiate conversion to a permanent shape so that the SMP extends into the gap to close the gap between the first part and the second part.

Fit and finish methods

A method of testing a shape memory alloy (SMA) actuated device includes cyclically operating the device. The method further includes determining a number of cycles in a functional life of the device based on observations of the device during the cyclical operation. The functional life is a range of consecutive cycles of operation of the device beginning with a first cycle during which the device performs within a specified limit. The functional life is immediately followed by a cycle during which the device performs outside of the specified limit. The method still further includes applying a progressive substitution sub-process to identify an opportunity to increase the number of cycles in the functional life of the device.

Test method

The present disclosure relates to a system, for selectively actuating a safety mechanism, to protect against electrical shock, using a transformable material. The system includes the transformable material, being: (1) connectable electrically to an electrical component having an unwanted electrical charge and (2) changeable between a deformed shape and an undeformed shape based on electrical input resulting from the electrical charge at the electrical component. The transformable material is also (3) connected mechanically to the safety mechanism so that change in the transformable material causes movement of the safety mechanism. The transformable material is further (4) configured and arranged in the system to, in response to being exposed to the electrical input, change to its undeformed shape and thereby actuate the safety mechanism.

Activation of human-protecting safety mechanisms using smart materials

A vehicle wiper assembly includes a wiper blade having a length, and an active material disposed along the length of the wiper blade and coupled thereto. The active material includes a shape memory alloy material with a crystallographic phase that is changeable between austenite and martensite, and is elastically deformable and operatively applies a spring force against a portion of the wiper blade when the crystallographic phase is martensite.

Enhanced vehicle wiper blade using active materials

An energy absorber is disclosed herein. The energy absorber includes a structure defining a hollow interior portion. The energy absorber also includes a working volume defined in at least a portion of the hollow interior portion. The energy absorber further includes shape memory alloy (SMA) particles positioned within the working volume. The SMA particles have an Austenite finish temperature (A) that is lower than a temperature encountered in an application in which the energy absorber is used so that the SMA particles exhibit stress-induced superelasticity.

Energy absorbers including shape memory alloy particles

In various embodiments, the present disclosure relates to systems, for selectively actuating a safety mechanism, using a transformable material, to protect against an unwanted condition. The system in one implementation includes first and second pulley devices configured to accommodate multiple strands of the transformable material. In another implementation, the system includes two connection points for holding the transformable material and an overload-protection sub-system for protecting the transformable material from overload. In still another implementation, the system includes a first biasing element and a manual-release sub-system including a second biasing element.

Activation of safety mechanisms using smart materials

A vent assembly is disposed within an interior space of a vehicle for opening and closing fluid communication between the interior space and an exterior of the vehicle. The vent assembly includes a housing defining a plurality of openings and a plurality of vanes disposed in the openings. An actuator mechanism moves the vanes between an open position and a closed position, and includes a shaped memory alloy (SMA) member for actuating the vanes between the open and closed positions. The SMA member is activated when a hatch of the vehicle is opened to move the vanes into the open position and thereby open fluid communication between the interior space and the exterior to alleviate excessive air pressure buildup during closure of the hatch.

Shape memory alloy active hatch vent

An actuation assembly adapted for driving a load and protecting against overloading and overheating conditions, includes an actuator defining a stroke when exposed to an activation signal, and further includes a protection device comprising a superelastic shape memory alloy element connected in series to and cooperatively configured with the actuator, and operable to both produce a secondary work output path for the actuator and discontinue the signal.

Superelastic shape memory alloy overloading and overheating protection mechanism

A support system includes a support, a root magnet, an object, and a cover magnet. The root magnet is fixedly attached to the support. The cover magnet is fixedly attached to the object. The root magnet and the cover magnet are configured to be magnetically attracted to one another such that the object is magnetically attached to the support when the root magnet and the cover magnet are aligned with one another in an attachment arrangement. The root magnet and the cover magnet are configured to magnetically repel one another such that the object is detached from the support when the root magnet and the cover magnet are unaligned with one another in a detachment arrangement.

Support system for magnetically supporting an object on a support

A magnetic separator system may include a rotating wheel, a conveyor belt drawn around the wheel, and at least one magnetic array. The pulley transports material mix through a spatially modulated magnetic field generated by the magnetic array. The magnetic array may be fixed in place on the pulley and directed towards the stream of material mix, or multiple magnetic arrays may be distributed on the conveyor belt or wheel of the pulley.

Magnetic separator system and method using spatially modulated magnetic fields

Some on-vehicle devices, such as air dams, air spoilers, and HVAC system baffles, may have movable components that are pulled from one position to another by shrinkage of a linear shape memory alloy (SMA) actuator. Upon an activation signal, the shrinkage of the SMA actuator occurs when it is resistance heated by an electrical current. It is found that useful information concerning the overall intended operation of the on-vehicle device may be obtained by computer analysis of the temporal variation of both current flow through the actuator and its electrical resistance as it is heated to perform its function in the device. A comparison of present current flow and variation of resistance, during activation of the device, with prescribed stored values can reveal malfunction of components of the device as it is being used, in place, on the vehicle.

Intrinsic monitoring of shape memory alloy actuated devices

Growing community of inventors

Grosse Pointe, MI, United States of America

Alan L Browne