Experimental feedforward and feedback control of a one-dimensional SMA composite

The control of embedded shape memory alloy (SMA) actuators has recently become a topic of interest in the field of smart structures. The inherent difficulties associated with SMA actuators has resulted in a variety of approaches. Homogenization provides a simplified, yet mathematically rigorous, method of determining average stress and strain fields in a composite. A modified constitutive model is presented based on experimental results demonstrating the inability of most simple phenomenological models to capture the effective behavior of SMAs during thermal activation. A feedforward controller is presented for a SMA composite based on the homogenization of a modified phenomenological model for SMAs in a linear matrix.