Applicability of Shape Memory Alloys in Aircraft Interiors

This paper evaluates possible applications for SMAs (Shape Memory Alloys) based on the requirements in the field of aircraft interiors. The authors gather requirements regarding industry standards and regulations by detailed literature research and lead user interviews. They develop a classification scheme for SMA-based actuators, which consists of SMA-specific technical attributes and requirements. This classification scheme allows one to evaluate the feasibility of using SMA-based systems in aircraft interiors. Furthermore, this paper clusters critical requirements and discusses solutions for limitations of SMAs in aircraft interiors. The authors identify critical and noncritical requirements for the implementation of SMA-based actuators. They suggest solutions for critical requirements in order to improve the possible range of applications for SMAs. The study exclusively regards the field of aircraft interiors and the currently existing industry standards and only indirectly takes laws into account. The evaluated requirements and proposed solutions can be transferred to other areas such as the automotive industry. This structured analysis of the feasibility of SMA-based systems in aircraft interiors is an innovative research work and, therefore, is valuable in order to benefit from the advantageous properties of SMAs.