University of Kentucky Research Foundation

Eric Wolsing

Bruce Lanier Walcott

James E Lumpp

Robert Ryan Vallance

Osamah A Rawashdeh

Sumanth Chikkamaranahalli

Instruments and methods for measuring a property of a shape memory alloy are provided. The instrument includes a base plate, a non-contact movable mass, a force gauge, an actuator, a biasing spring, a heater for heating the shape memory alloy, and a non-contact displacement detector. The biasing spring and the shape memory alloy are disposed whereby a force applied thereby is applied substantially through a center of stiffness of the movable mass. The displacement detector measures a displacement of the movable mass in a colinear direction with a direction of movement of the movable mass and with a direction of the force applied by the biasing spring and the shape memory alloy. The linear motion stage comprises a housing and at least one guide bar, and wherein a calculated axial expansion of the guide bar is substantially equal to a calculated axial expansion of the base plate.

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Shoals, IN, United States of America

Eric Wolsing