Fuctional Materials

Shape memory alloys are materials that return to their original shape when heated after deformation. However, our laboratory has developed alloys that, contrary to shape memory alloys, deform more and more when heated. This phenomenon can be applied to the manufacture of high-strength, thin-walled tubes, which has been difficult. We are also developing materials with opposite coefficients of thermal expansion, which shrink when heated and expand when cooled, and novel alloys that allow bimetallic motion with a single type of alloy.

	Asst. Prof. TAKEMOTO Yoshito E-mail: tanutake [at] okayama-u.ac.jp Structural Materials/Composites/Functional Materials/Microstructures Directory of Researchers

Titanium Alloys That Deform Spontaneously upon Heating

Shape memory alloys return to their original shape when heated, but we have developed titanium alloys that spontaneously deform in the same direction when heated under slight strain. This phenomenon can be applied to the manufacture of high-strength, thin-walled tubes, which has been difficult in the past, and can fully demonstrate the light weight, high strength, and high corrosion resistance of titanium.