SHAPE MEMORY ALLOYS IN SEISMIC RESISTANT DESIGN AND RETROFIT: A CRITICAL REVIEW OF THEIR POTENTIAL AND LIMITATIONS

Shape memory alloys (SMAs) are a class of materials that have unique properties, including Young's modulus-temperature relations, shape memory effects, superelastic effects, and high damping characteristics. These unique properties, which have led to numerous applications in the biomedical and aerospace industries, are currently being evaluated for applications in the area of seismic resistant design and retrofit. This paper provides a critical review of the state-of-the-art in the use of shape memory alloys for applications in seismic resistant design. The paper reviews the general characteristics of shape memory alloys and highlights the factors affecting their properties. A review of current studies show that the superelastic and high-damping characteristics of SMAs result in applications in bridges and buildings that show significant promise. The barriers to the expanded use of SMAs include the high cost, lack of clear understanding of thermo-mechanical processing, dependency of properties on temperature, and difficulty in machining.