3-D rolling car driven by shape memory alloy

• Main Author: Ong, Wei Ming.
• Other Authors: School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2013
• Subjects: DRNTU::Engineering::Mechanical engineering
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/51084
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Shape Memory Alloy (SMA) is a material that remembers its original shape and will return to its initial shape when the alloy is heated above certain transition temperature. It was first discovered by Arne Olande in 1938. Despite of the long discovery of SMA since 1930s, its application among all industries is still minor. In this research, SMA will be used as actuator in creating motion of a 2-D rolling car. The car can move forward or backward at an average speed which depends on the response of the SMA. The motion of the car is achieved by altering the center of gravity of the car with the aid of annealed thin wires which are made from SMA. Center of gravity of the car is altered by retracting the thin wires which is attached to the main weight of the car. It is done by passing current through the selected SMA thin wires actuator, which in turn will heat up the thin wires and ultimately changes the position of the center of gravity of the car. The entire circuit of the rolling car will be powered by a 12V rechargeable dry cell battery pack. The key component to achieve the movements of the 2D rolling car is the annealed thin SMA wires which precisely attached on a PCB board and allow retracting motion while current passing through due to heat. The retracting motion is controlled by the duration of heating up the thin wires and period of heating it.