Nitinol: The Super Elastic Memory Alloy
Art Design with Nitinol. Photo Source: LicenseAttributionNoncommercial Some rights reserved by seanae on flickr.com
Nitinol is a revolutionary alloy, made from nickle and titanium. Nitinol has the unique property of remembering it’s original shape, even after large deformations and stress. Nitinol is used in many different ways, and from reinventing the wheel to creating a safer medical stent, nitinol has been used to recreate and innovate the way things function.
Nitinol’s special property works because of it’s crystalline structure. Its structure works by remembering it’s normal state, and when deformed, can turn into a more basic structure with energy. This basic structure then switches back to a normal state afterwards. With that property, the alloy can easily be deformed to an advantage. NASA has used nitinol to create a wheel that is self repairing under pressure, and a design company has even created an experimental fashion accessory. Nitinol is a unique metal that can change the world.
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