Development of innovative adaptive 3D Fiber Reinforced Plastics based on Shape Memory Alloys

The importance of the functionalized Fiber Reinforced Plastics (FRP) is growing steadily in recent years in lightweight application industries. In this paper the design as well as the realization of three-dimensional FRP with integrated textile-based actuators and the validation of their deformation behavior is described. This deformation is obtained by using textile processed Shape Memory Alloy (SMA) materials. The friction spinning technology is used for the production of the shape memory alloy hybrid yarn, where the SMA acts as actuating core and glass as well as polypropylene staple fibers act as sheath in order to realize the maximum possible movement of the SMA wire within the composite during current induced activation. The actuating properties of the SMA are achieved by joule heating. In order to validate the influence of the actuating properties of the SMA on the deformation behavior of the 3D FRP, structural constructions are varied. The results show that the actuatory behavioral property of the adaptive FRP is greatly dependent on structural parameters.