Thermomechanical properties of TiNiCu12 wire reinforced Kevlar/epoxy composites

TiNi12 wt%Cu shape memory alloy wire reinforced Kevlar/epoxy composites were produced and the thermomechanical behaviors of the composites were studied. Results showed that the prestrain level does not affect significantly the stress-strain and stress-temperature behaviors of the TiNiCu composites. Only the strain-temperature behavior of the composites is sensitive to the prestrain level. Composites with a small prestrain level show a larger hysteresis and a larger strain rate upon heating than those with a large prestrain level.