92 Geetha M., Dhanalakshmi K.

/ Ôèçè÷åñêàÿ ìåçîìåõàíèêà 22 5 (2019) 92–101

ÓÄÊ 621.3

Ðàñ÷åò è ïðîåêòèðîâàíèå ýëåêòðîìåõàíè÷åñêèõ ëîãè÷åñêèõ ýëåìåíòîâ

ñ èñïîëüçîâàíèåì ïðîâîëîêè èç ñïëàâà ñ ïàìÿòüþ ôîðìû
M. Geetha, K. Dhanalakshmi
Íàöèîíàëüíûé òåõíîëîãè÷åñêèé èíñòèòóò, Òèðó÷÷èðàïïàëëè, 620015, Èíäèÿ
 ñòàòüå ïðåäëîæåíà êîíñòðóêöèÿ ýëåêòðîìåõàíè÷åñêèõ ëîãè÷åñêèõ ýëåìåíòîâ íà îñíîâå øàðíèðíûõ ïåðåêëþ÷àòåëåé,
ïðèâîäèìûõ â äåéñòâèå ïðîâîëîêîé èç ñïëàâà ñ ïàìÿòüþ ôîðìû. Ïðîâåäåíî èõ ôèçè÷åñêîå ìîäåëèðîâàíèå è òåñòèðîâàíèå.
Ëîãè÷åñêèå ýëåìåíòû ìèêðîýëåêòðîìåõàíè÷åñêèõ ñèñòåì, ïðèâîäèìûå â äåéñòâèå ýëåêòðîñòàòè÷åñêèìè, ïíåâìàòè÷åñêèìè è
ýëåêòðîòåðìè÷åñêèìè ïåðåêëþ÷àòåëÿìè, èñïîëüçóþòñÿ â êà÷åñòâå àëüòåðíàòèâû òðàäèöèîííûì ëîãè÷åñêèì ñõåìàì äëÿ ðàáîòû
â àãðåññèâíûõ óñëîâèÿõ, íàïðèìåð èîíèçèðóþùèõ èçëó÷åíèé è âûñîêèõ òåìïåðàòóð. Àíàëîãè÷íîå ïðèìåíåíèå íàõîäÿò ëîãè÷åñêèå
ýëåìåíòû ìèêðîîïòîýëåêòðîìåõàíè÷åñêèõ ñèñòåì íà îñíîâå ýëåêòðîòåðìè÷åñêèõ ïåðåêëþ÷àòåëåé.  àâòîìîáèëåñòðîåíèè
àêòóàëüíîé çàäà÷åé ÿâëÿåòñÿ ðàçðàáîòêà ïóñêîâûõ ìåõàíèçìîâ äëÿ ðû÷àæíûõ è ñòûêîâî÷íûõ ýëåìåíòîâ. Ðàáîòà èñïîëíèòåëüíîãî
ìåõàíèçìà îáóñëîâëåíà îãðàíè÷åíèÿìè è ñëîæíîñòüþ êîíñòðóêöèè êîíêðåòíîãî óñòðîéñòâà.  íàñòîÿùåé ðàáîòå ïðåäëîæåíî
ðåøåíèå ïî óïðîùåíèþ êîíñòðóêöèè ëîãè÷åñêèõ ýëåìåíòîâ ñ ìåõàíè÷åñêèì ïðèâîäîì íà îñíîâå øàðíèðíûõ ïåðåêëþ÷àòåëåé,
ïðèâîäèìûõ â äåéñòâèå ïðîâîëîêîé ñ ïàìÿòüþ ôîðìû. Ïðîâåäåíà îöåíêà ðàáîòû øàðíèðíûõ ïåðåêëþ÷àòåëåé ñ ïðîâîëîêîé èç
ñïëàâà ñ ïàìÿòüþ ôîðìû ïóòåì ðàñ÷åòà ìèíèìàëüíîãî òîêà, íåîáõîäèìîãî äëÿ ñðàáàòûâàíèÿ ïðîâîëî÷íîãî ìåõàíèçìà áåç çàäåðæêè
ïåðåêëþ÷åíèÿ, ñ ó÷åòîì ïåðåõîäíûõ ïðîöåññîâ ïðè ïåðåêëþ÷åíèè ðåæèìîâ ÂÊË/ÂÛÊË äëÿ ñòàòè÷åñêîãî âõîäà. Ðàññìîòðåíû
ôóíêöèîíàëüíûå âîçìîæíîñòè áàçîâûõ ýëåêòðîìåõàíè÷åñêèõ ëîãè÷åñêèõ ýëåìåíòîâ ñ øàðíèðíûì ïåðåêëþ÷àòåëåì íà îñíîâå
ïðîâîëîêè ñ ïàìÿòüþ ôîðìû.
Êëþ÷åâûå ñëîâà: ñïëàâ ñ ïàìÿòüþ ôîðìû, ïåðåêëþ÷àòåëü ÂÊË/ÂÛÊË, øàðíèðíûé ïåðåêëþ÷àòåëü, ýëåêòðîìåõàíè÷åñêèé,
ëîãè÷åñêèå ýëåìåíòû
DOI 10.24411/1683-805X-2019-15012

Structural design and realization of electromechanical logic elements

using shape memory alloy wire actuator
M. Geetha and K. Dhanalakshmi
Department of Instrumentation and Control Engineering, National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirappalli, 620015, India
This paper presents the design, physical modelling and testing of electromechanical logic elements using shape memory alloy (SMA)
wire actuated hinged beam switches. Microelectromechanical system logic devices actuated by electrostatic, pneumatic and electrothermal
actuation mechanisms are used as alternatives to the conventional logic systems for harsh operating conditions such as ionizing radiations
and high temperature. Microoptoelectromechanical system logic device actuated by electrothermal cantilevers can be used in the same
applications. Mechanical logic units using linkages and joints in automobiles require an appropriate actuation mechanism. The actuation
mechanism used in each case is inherent to typical limitations and design complexity. This work contributes to the evolution of the
mechanical logic design architecture to present simplicity to the logic system, involving SMA actuated hinged beam switches. The
performance of the SMA hinged beam switch is evaluated by assessing the minimum current required for the actuation of the SMA to
reduce the switching delay; also the switching transients during ON and OFF are observed for a static input. The functionality of basic
electromechanical logic elements composed using SMA hinged beam switch is verified.
Keywords: shape memory alloy, ON/OFF switching, hinged beam based configuration, electromechanical, logic elements

1. Introduction most popular logic devices would not be able to perform.

Utilization of the classical logic devices has exponen-
tially increased as a consequence of its excellent perfor-
mance in speed, size, energy efficiency and cost. In spite,
an alternate is required in specific situations where these
© Geetha M., Dhanalakshmi K., 2019
When such an alternate for a conventional logic system is
thought, the underlying trend is to make the new technology
also meet out the challenges laid by the win-win scenario.
It is a hard shell to break; but still, an attempt is made to
 Geetha M., Dhanalakshmi K. / Ôèçè÷åñêàÿ ìåçîìåõàíèêà 22 5 (2019) 92–101
achieve a computing technology adapting to the specific
requirements through the shape memory alloy (SMA) tech-
nology, i.e., the conceptual design and experimental va-
lidation of an SMA actuated electromechanical logic ele-
ment. The unconventional mechanical logic devices use
switching like its conventional counterpart, to realize the
logic states which deployed different types of actuation
mechanisms like electrostatic, electrothermal and pneumatic
wherein the movement of the gate electrode towards the
source and drain (resembling the conventional design),
variation in the thermal coefficients of the bimetals and,
variation of the air pressure are respectively their principles
of operation for switching.
The advancement and growth of technology are promi-
nently guided with the development of unconventional sys-
tems in addition to the improvement in the conventional
systems in all ventures. As well, the development of logic
elements in an unconventional technology becomes in-
evitable in places where the traditional technology fails and
is not applicable. Hence, the need for implementation of
the logic functionalities using an alternative technology is
felt [1–3]. Mechanical logic elements are designed using
moving mechanical components like levers, joints, and
gears to realize the operations of a typical conventional
logic element; the logic levels are represented as two finitely
separated positions of the links. They are capable of handl-
ing force, displacement, and logic simultaneously. These
logic devices designed in macro- and microdomains are
suitable for operation in environments such as with strong
electromagnetic fields or high radiations and high tem-
perature [2–4] and can find applications in automobile
industry and robotics. The drawback of the mechanical logic
devices is that the linkages and joints are highly sensitive
to geometry and therefore should have high dimensional
accuracy. An alternative that can shun this shortcoming and
moreover involve feasibility of control using electrical input
could be brought about by realizing the electromechanical
version. Microoptoelectromechanical system (MOEMS)
logic devices are actuated by electrothermocantilevers [5];
they require a dedicated optical waveguide for the trans-
mission of light which complicates the design and fab-
rication, further affects the size.
In classical logic systems, switching is the fundamental
mechanism used to realize the operation of logic elements.
Furthermore, in unconventional systems too, the switching
principle is retained to realize logic functionalities with an
appropriate actuation mechanism to perform switching. To
compete with the size and component density featured by
the classical logic system, microelectromechanical system
(MEMS) technology supports the development of uncon-
ventional logic systems to incorporate the switching me-
chanism which can feasibly adopt various types of actuation
mechanisms [6, 7]. Though the unconventional (mecha-
nical) logic systems would emerge as an alternative to the
classical systems where the latter is not applicable, never-
theless the former too will suffer its limitations. Literature
93
reports about the realization of a switching mechanical logic
elements through electrothermal actuators, pneumatic actua-
tors and electrostatic actuators [1, 4, 5]. The performance/
characteristics of these actuation mechanisms reveal the
following limitations: thermal actuation consumes higher
power and has a slower response time, electrostatic actuators
require high actuation voltage and also has only a limited
operating range and, pneumatic actuators are beneficial only
till certain values of air pressure, compressibility of air and
has a poor performance at slow speed of operation. A patent
published in 2013 is about another unconventional meso-
scale mechanism for omnidirectional steering using me-
chanical logic gate synchronizers [8]. To circumvent the
difficulties with the aforementioned conventional actuation
mechanisms, mechanical actuators driven by electrical input
is preferable, for which piezoelectric actuator using electro-
static principle is the explicitly available option owing to
its ease of fabrication in MEMS technology. The concept
of electromechanical actuation based on SMA actuated
hinged beam switch could be encouraging to realize the
logic functionalities with enhanced operating conditions in
SMA unlike the piezoelectric.
Only a few literatures are available on the design and
implementation of mechanical logic elements. Papers [1,
2] demonstrated the design and development of micro-
mechanical AND gate using flexures to transmit motion
and force and a micropneumatic actuator is used to drive
the device. MEMS logic gates based on electrostatic ac-
tuation of a microcantilever for NAND and NOR logics
have been proposed in [4]. The concept of a circuit breaker
in microscale with an SMA actuated cantilever as a normally
closed temperature-sensitive switch to protect the device
[5, 9] described the fabrication and characterization of
microoptoelectromechanical AND, OR, XOR logic gates
developed using electrothermo actuated cantilevers working
as ON/OFF switches.
Logic elements generally involve two levels of input
and output namely low and high logic levels. To realize
logical constructs in physical devices, the use of switches
that has the two states ON and OFF is inevitable and there-
fore a switching mechanism becomes the fundamental build-
ing block, be it the conventional or unconventional logic
systems. The use of shape memory alloy for switching is
suitable since by nature it has the advantage of possessing
two different phases of crystal structure that can represent
the two-level logic. In addition, the shape memory effect/
actuation cycle of SMA inherently is related to the switching
functionality. This feature also enables to configure the
mechanism as a hinged beam switch.
Shape memory alloys are adaptive materials which have
the ability to return to a predetermined shape when heated.
When SMA is cold, or in its martensitic phase it has very
low yield strength and can be deformed to any new shape,
which is retained until there is an increase in temperature.
When heated above its transformation temperature, the
crystal structure changes from martensitic to austenitic phase
94 Geetha M., Dhanalakshmi K. / Ôèçè÷åñêàÿ ìåçîìåõàíèêà 22 5 (2019) 92–101
and return to its original shape. This solid to solid phase
transformation of SMA facilitates the realization of the two
logic levels of the logic element.
Shape memory alloys can be engineered to be able to
perform repetitive actuation in microcomponents and mac-
rodevices. The multiphysics behaviour of SMA allows the
conversion of electric or thermal energy to a mechanical
force for actuator applications and, the change in electrical
resistance during actuation for sensor applications. The
resistivity of SMA is the factor that promotes Joule heating
and henceforth makes electromechanical actuation possible,
likewise change in electrical resistance promotes self-sens-
ing as well, its high work density makes SMA an excellent
choice for electromechanical actuation in situations re-
quiring large force and displacement.
It is proposed to explore the features of SMA in a
different orientation to realize the two logic levels of the
digital domain. The ability of repetitive actuation of con-
figured SMA has the advantages of offering two stable states
to represent the logic levels with good repeatability. Use of
SMA hinged beam switches would be the right approach to
realize the logic functionalities. Since the SMA is actuated
by means of joule heating, the design and realization of
basic and derived logic elements using SMA are perceived
as electromechanical logic elements and are presented in
this article. Logic 0/1 is realized from the position (open/
close) of SMA hinged beam in the electromechanical logic
elements such as NOT, AND, OR, NAND and NOR accom-
modative to change in logic states.
2. Design and working of electromechanical
logic functions
The electromechanical actuation mechanism employs
SMA actuated hinged beam arrangement as a switch. The
bistable phases of SMA which is the fruition of its non-
linearity are exploited to realize the two-state logic. Here
SMA is configured to produce a minimum displacement
through a minimum actuation current just to enable ON
and OFF of a switch; hence, the low-speed response which
is its integral demerit is thus overruled. Further, low driving
voltage, noiseless actuation, and simplicity in mechanism
makes it a factual choice for realizing a logic element rather
than other actuators.
2.1. The basic building block of SMA actuated
electromechanical logic element for switching
The basic building block of the electromechanical logic
element is an SMA wire actuated hinged beam arrangement
which acts as a switch [9]. The switch is configured with a
flexible member, the hinged beam (5 × 1.5 × 0.4 cm3) and a
point of contact on a fixed beam. The hinged beam is
displaced by the actuation of an SMA wire (commercially
available nitinol from Dynalloy Inc. of 100 mm length and
0.15 mm diameter) which is connected between the free
end/tip of beam and its hinged end through the hub posts.
The switch is positioned on the posts placed on the cent-
roidal axis of an I shaped structural support and the entire
structure is made up of acrylic. The surface of both fixed
and hinged beams are coated with copper strips to be able
to make/break contact thereby enable normally opened (NO)
or normally closed (NC) condition depending on the archi-
tecture and operation of the logic elements. The structural
modelling is done in CATIA with the above specifications
and shown in Fig. 1.
The hinged beam is displaced through the actuation of
joule heated SMA wire while its cooling occurs through
free convection in air. Being the primary component of the
switch, the hinged beam also provides the required passive
bias force to reset the SMA wire at its low temperature
which is an added benefit. On applying current to the pre-
stressed SMA wire, it contracts thus regaining its original
shape and dislodges the hinged beam vertically, to make or
break the contact corresponding to the structure of each
logic function. During actuation, if the hinged beam estab-
lishes a contact in the switch, then it is initially in the NO
condition, or if it breaks a contact, the switch is initially in
the NC condition. When a connection is established between
the fixed beam and hinged beam then the output of the
arrangement is at logic 1, else if there is no connection,
then the output is at logic 0.
2.2. The logic elements
The architecture of the electromechanical logic elements
is derived using the basic building block which is the SMA
wire actuated hinged beam arrangement working as a
switch. The configuration of the logic elements such as
NOT, AND, OR, NAND and NOR are physically realized
for two inputs, and their logic conditions are verified.
a
aSMA wire
ahinged beam

!acopper strip
" "afixed beam
! #asupport structure
#
b
$a8o
%a8i
%
$
Fig. 1. CATIA 3D model of the SMA actuated hinged beam switch:
normal (a) and projected view (b) (color online)
 Geetha M., Dhanalakshmi K. / Ôèçè÷åñêàÿ ìåçîìåõàíèêà 22 5 (2019) 92–101 95

2.2.1. NOT logic element

The structure of the NOT logic element is similar to
that of the basic hinged beam switch as shown in Fig. 1,
thereby its functionality. The functionality is achieved by a
single hinged beam switch which is in the normally closed
position. A DC supply of +5V (Vi) is constantly applied to
the copper strip of the fixed beam. When the SMA wire is
energized with a current of 200 mA (logic 1) it contracts,
thus moving the hinged beam upwards during when the
contact is disconnected from the supply and the output
voltage Vo = 0. When the SMA wire is not energized
(logic 0), the switch remains in the normally closed position
and output Vo = +5V (logic 1).
2.2.2. AND logic element Fig. 3. CATIA 3D model of OR logic element (color online)
The configuration of the AND logic element is made of
two hinged beam switches connected in series as shown in 2.2.5. NAND logic element
Fig. 2 and both are in the normally open condition. The In this logic element the arrangement of hinged beam
input and output voltages of the switches are Vi1 , Vi2 , Vo1 switches is similar to that of OR logic element, whereas
and Vo2 respectively. The second switch get its DC supply both the switches are in the normally closed condition.
from the first switch when the contact gets established. Output Vo = 1 when either or both inputs at logic 0 and
When the SMA wire is energized, the input is logic 1 else when both the inputs are at logic 1, Vo = 0. The model is
the input is logic 0. If the input to both the switches is logic shown in Fig. 5.
0, the switches remain in the open condition and Vo2 = 0. If
any one of the inputs is logic 1, one of the switches alone 3. Evaluation of the electromechanical logic
closes and the other is open and hence Vo2 =  0. If both the structural element
SMA hinged beam switches are energized, a contact is The actuation system of the basic electromechanical
established between both the switches, making Vo2 = 1. logic element comprising of the hinged beam, a flexible
2.2.3. OR logic element integral and an SMA wire for electrical actuation, is formu-
lated in two dimensions to obtain its structural performance
In this arrangement two normally open SMA hinged
and the thermo mechanical behaviour. The elevation of the
beam switches is connected in parallel as shown in Fig. 3.
assembly is shown in Fig. 6.
When any of the inputs are at logic 1 a connection is
established between Vi and Vo , accordingly Vo = 1. Also 3.1. Structural analysis of the SMA actuated hinged
when both the SMA wires are energized, both the switches beam
are closed there by Vo = 1. The structural performance is presented in terms of the
2.2.4. NOR logic element forces acting on the structure, the moment and the deflection
of the beam. Consider a hinged beam of length L actuated
The construction of the NOR logic element is as shown
by an SMA wire of length l, whose initial length in the
in Fig. 4 is similar to that of the AND logic element but for
the switches being normally closed. Hence when both the
inputs are at logic 0, Vo = 1, else the output Vo = 0.

Fig. 2. 3D model of AND logic element in CATIA (color online) Fig. 4. CATIA 3D model of NOR logic element (color online)
96 Geetha M., Dhanalakshmi K. / Ôèçè÷åñêàÿ ìåçîìåõàíèêà 22 5 (2019) 92–101

SMA wi re

θ
l2

l1 θ

L L/4

Fig. 7. Schematic of the SMA actuated hinged beam (color online)

where φ is the angle of inclination of the SMA wire with

Fig. 5. CATIA 3D model of NAND logic element (color online) the horizontal axis in the deformed condition, F1 , F2 are the
resultant forces in the beam at the hinged end, Px , Py are
prestrained state is li . The SMA wire is held as shown in the component forces of the SMA wire due to the shape
Fig. 7 with l1 as the height of the SMA tip post and l2 as memory effect, and θ is the angle of rotation of the hinged
the height of the SMA hub post. The maximum deflection beam. The deflection of the beam depends upon the force
of a beam with rectangular cross section, loaded at the centre and angle of inclination of the SMA wire.
is given by The moment of the beam at the point O can be calcu-
PL2 lated by applying the equilibrium condition for the moment
δ= , (1) as shown in Fig. 9:
48 EI
where E is the Young’s modulus, I is the moment of inertia M 0 + Px cos θ(l1) + Py sin θ(l1 ) = 0, (7)
of the beam, L is the length of the beam and P is the weight M 0 = −Px cos θ(l1 ) − Py sin θ(l1 ). (8)
loaded on the beam. The moment of inertia of such a beam From the expressions (4) and (5) it is evident that the
can be calculated by resultant forces depend on the rotating angle of the beam θ.
bd 3 The deflection of the beam can be changed by varying θ.
I= , (2)
12 The deflection is achieved by using SMA wire clamped
where b is the width of the beam and d is the thickness of between the supports as shown in the Fig. 7. The SMA
the beam. wire is actuated by joule heating. As the SMA wire shrinks
The moment is obtained by integration [10] and is ex- in length, it pulls the beam from its initial position. Thus
pressed as a function of beam rotating angle θ: the deflection of the beam is achieved with the change in
bd[b 2 (1 − cos (2θ) + d 2 (1 + cos (2θ))] the rotation angle θ. Considering maximum deflection of
I (θ) = . (3) the beam, the rotation angle is given by
12
l + l2 sin θ
Various forces acting on the beam and the SMA wire are as cos θ = . (9)
L
shown in the Fig. 8. The solution for the above equations Differentiating θ gives its rate of change as
can be obtained by resolving the forces acting in the system. l
Applying the equilibrium conditions along the X and Y θ′ = . (10)
L sin θ + l1 cos θ
directions:
F1 = Px cos θ + Py sin θ, (4) Px sin θ
F2 = Py cos θ − Px sin θ, (5)
Px = P cos φ and Py = P sin φ, (6) Px X
θ P
y cos θ

SMA wire
Py sin θ
SMA
hub 2y
Px cos θ
SMA post
Hinged beam
tip
post F2 F1
Y
Fig. 6. Front view of the SMA hinged beam (color online) Fig. 8. Resolving forces (color online)
 Geetha M., Dhanalakshmi K. / Ôèçè÷åñêàÿ ìåçîìåõàíèêà 22 5 (2019) 92–101 97

2N sinθ
 
The step response is given by
Li
T= + Ta . (15)
2N cosθ hc Ac (1 − e−t T )
M0  

The temperature of the wire is controlled indirectly by

Py sin θ
Py cos θ
Fig. 9. Resolving moment (color online)
The strain in the SMA wire is given by
l − li
∈= , (11)
li
where li is the prestrained length of the SMA wire. The
change in θ is associated with the strain rate ∈ of the SMA
wire, thus θ′ is rewritten as
li ∈
θ′ = . (12)
L sin θ + l1 cos θ
The deflection of the beam δ can be calculated if the
value of θ is known, which is evident from the Eqs. (1) and
(3). For a known strain ∈ of the SMA wire, the change of
rotation of the beam θ′ can be found using Eq. (12).
3.2. Thermomechanical analysis of the SMA actuated
hinged beam switch
The electrothermomechanical behaviour of an elect-
rically driven SMA actuated hinged beam which is used as
a switching element is formulated. The front view and the
schematic of the SMA actuated hinged beam switch is as
shown in Figs. 6 and 7, respectively. To characterize the
function of the SMA actuated hinged beam as a switching
element, the main factors of interest are the deflection of
the hinged beam and the amount of actuation current to the
SMA wire.
The one-dimensional heat transfer equation of SMA wire
with Joule heating and natural cooling [11] is given by the
expression
d T (t )
mCp = Li − hc Ac [T (t ) − Ta ], (13)
dt
2
where m = ρπd l 4 is the mass of the wire, ρ is the density
of the wire in kg/m3, Cp is the specific heat capacity in
J/kg K, h c is the heat convection coefficient for ambient
cooling condition in W/m2 K , T a is the ambient temperature
in °C, i is the current in the wire in A, Ac is the convective
surface area of the wire m2, Lis the potential difference
across the wire in V.
The transfer function of equation (13) is given by
T (s)  1 (mCp ) 
=  + Ta . (14)
P(s )  s + (hc Ac ) (mCp ) 
When a current i flows through the SMA wire, then P = Li.
varying the intensity of the current flowing through it. The
corresponding shape change starts in the wire when the
temperature just crosses the austenite start temperature As
and ends up with the austenite finish temperature Af . The
switching requires to make/break the contact. To establish
any of these conditions, it is sufficient to merely displace
the hinged beam rather than to establish/maintain the maxi-
mum deflection for which a maximum safe current may
not be essential. Therefore the current which induces the
initial change in shape at As is chosen to achieve the mini-
mum deflection of the hinged beam. Since a minimum
current is used to operate the switch, it enables the logic
element to work at reduced operating voltages thereby
conserving energy. Use of minimum current helps ensures
in immediate cooling of the SMA wire during the cycle
thus enhancing the switching speed, and results in reduced
hysteresis.
3.3. Electromechanical switch
The configuration of the electromechanical switch is
the combination of the hinged beam and the SMA wire for
actuation. During the OFF (input at logic 0) condition of
the switch, the SMA wire is in the prestrained condition. It
is in the martensitic state, just held to the structure and holds
the hinged beam in its original position. During the ON
condition (input at logic1), the SMA wire is energized
through Joule heating. The temperature of the wire
increases; at As the austenite start temperature the wire
contracts henceforth generating stress which induces a force
P on the beam and displaces it. The maximum deflection
of the hinged beam is achieved when the SMA wire attains
a maximum temperature through Joule heating and strains
to a maximum limit, which is considered to be the logic 1
state of the electromechanical logic element and is given by
PL2
δmax = (16)
4bd [b 2 (1 − cos (2θ) + d 2 (1 + cos (2θ)]
and at the logic 0 state the deflection δ = 0.
Fig. 10. Experimental set up block diagram
98 Geetha M., Dhanalakshmi K. / Ôèçè÷åñêàÿ ìåçîìåõàíèêà 22 5 (2019) 92–101

Fig. 11. Circuit diagram for displacement and delay measurement of NOT logic

4. The physical model of the electromechanical logic for logic 1 is given to the SMA wire, it contracts to dislodge
element the connection between the fixed beam and the hinged beam.
The hardware and experimental facility is developed to Therefore the connectivity check fails and the buzzer is not
verify the operation and performance of the electrome- operated, thereby indicating the logic 0 output. Thus the
chanical logic elements. operation of a basic electromechanical switching element
and the truth table of the NOT logic functionality is verified
4.1. Development of the hardware (Table 1). Similarly, the structures of the other logic ele-
The basic block diagram of the experimental set up is ments such as OR, AND, NAND and NOR are designed
as shown in Fig. 10. A microcontroller is used to automate using basic hinged beam switch; the corresponding truth
the process of analyzing the input-output characteristics of tables are verified.
the electromechanical logic element by interfacing with the
4.3. Implementation of NOT logic function in a circuit
drive current circuit. It is also used to control the current
breaker application
supplied to the SMA wire and to measure the displacement
of the hinged beam and its transients for various excitation NiTi shape memory alloy based mechanisms are nowa-
currents [12]. The basic experimentation is the verification days being used for many mechatronic instrumentation
of logic functionalities by applying step signal correspond- [13].This application reports a normally closed circuit
ing to logic 0 and logic 1, to the SMA wire. The circuit breaker mechanism based on an SMA actuated hinged beam
diagram to measure the delay and displacement of NOT as shown in Fig. 13. It operates on the principle of a NOT
logic functionality and, the drive current circuit are shown logic function. The circuit breaker is placed in the power
in Figs. 11 and 12, respectively.
4.2. Verification of the logic functions
In case of NOT operation, the switch is initially in the
‘normally closed’ position. The input is given to the copper
strip of the fixed beam and the output is measured at the
copper strip on the hinged beam; these two points are
connected to the I/O pins of the microcontroller. The state
of the switch (ON/OFF) is identified by following a check
for continuity. When the input to SMA wire is at logic 0, a
connection persists between the fixed beam and the hinged
beam of the arrangement ensuring the connectivity between
the I/O pins of the microcontroller and hence a buzzer is
switched ON indicating logic 1 output. When a step signal Fig. 12. Drive current circuit
 Geetha M., Dhanalakshmi K. / Ôèçè÷åñêàÿ ìåçîìåõàíèêà 22 5 (2019) 92–101 99

Table 1 the logic element that characterizes the switching speed.

Truth tables of NOT, OR, AND, NAND and NOR logic The instantaneous change in logic states corresponding to
elements the given inputs is a demanding feature of any logic element
Logic levels of the input and output for every repetition and change in input.
Input Output 5.1. Switching transients
Logic 0 0 mA Logic 0 0V Though the functionalities of the electromechanical
Logic 1 200 mA Logic 1 5V logic elements are verified through the truth tables, it is
NOT logic essential to possess fast switching transients to be applicable.
Switching transient is defined as the time the logic element
Cases Input 1, mA Input2, mA Output, V
takes to switch to the new output. The SMA wire can
1 0 5 withstand a safe heating current (maximum) of 410 mA as
2 200 0 per its geometry. If the safe heating current is given to the
OR logic SMA wire, it undergoes a maximum strain with maximum
displacement. If in continuation, when logic 0 input is given,
1 0 0 0
the SMA wire will take a considerable amount of time to
2 0 200 5 cool and return to its original state and, be ready for the
3 200 0 5 next cycle. This lapsed time is beyond the acceptable limits
4 200 200 5 of the switching speed; but can be reduced provided the
displacement is made minimal by actuating it with a mini-
AND logic
mum current, which also conserves the energy. Therefore
1 0 0 0 reducing the switching transient is considered to be an
2 0 200 0 essential aspect of the basic SMA hinged beam switch.
3 200 0 0 5.1.1. Measurement of the optimum switching current
4 200 200 5 From the above discussion, it is clear that the switching
NAND logic transients of the SMA hinged switch can be reduced if its
1 0 0 5 heating and cooling time is chosen to be the minimum. Drive
current circuits are designed as per the circuit shown in
2 0 200 5
Fig. 12 to produce various currents from 200 to 280 mA in
3 200 0 5 steps of 20 mA to be given as the logic 1 input to the SMA
4 200 200 0 wire and the corresponding displacements of the hinged
NOR logic beam are measured; from which the optimum switching
current (minimum current corresponding to the minimum
1 0 0 5
displacement that can be maintained) is determined. The
2 0 200 0 procedure adopted is by capturing the displacement of the
3 200 0 0 hinged beam for various currents as video images using
4 200 200 5 Nikon Coolpix T900 SLR camera in full HD (1920 × 1080)
of resolution at 30 frames per second and processing it.
The video is given as input to a windows desktop application
line of the circuit under test. When the current flowing designed in Visual C++ environment to measure the dis-
through the SMA wire increases beyond the safe limit (logic placement and provides output data as a text report file as
1 input to the NOT logic), temperature of the wire increases shown in Table 2, as well a graph is plotted between the
above the threshold level, actuating the hinged beam, dis-
connecting the current path to the circuit under test until aSMA wire
the temperature drops. When the temperature is reduced to
ahinged beam
the normal level (logic 0 input to the NOT logic) the con-
nection between the power line and circuit is established !acopper contacts
through the bias spring. The specifications of the wire are "a8i

chosen to match the current ratings of the circuit under test. #a8o

5. Performance evaluation
! " #
The performance of the electromechanical logic ele-
ments shall be assessed from its transient behaviour (in terms
of the speed of response), since it is this initial response of Fig. 13. Conceptual illustration of NOT logic in a circuit breaker
100 Geetha M., Dhanalakshmi K. / Ôèçè÷åñêàÿ ìåçîìåõàíèêà 22 5 (2019) 92–101
Table 2
Displacement of the hinged beam for varying amplitudes
of Joule heating
Displacement, µm
Current, mA
Heating phase Cooling phase
200 640 720
220 1368 1502
240 2180 2412
260 2998 3380
280 3618 3618
excitation current and output displacement which is shown
in Fig. 14. The image is processed by an edge detection
procedure to identify the two ends of the SMA wire, and
the displacement of the hinged beam in each frame is
evaluated from the time of the video input and the frame
rate. The optimum switching current of 200 mA produces a
minimum displacement of 640 µm during the ON time and
720 µm during the OFF time.
5.1.2. Measurement of the delay
Delay has not been taken as an influencing parameter
in the reported literature on mechanical logic gates, but it
makes no meaning if a logical element takes a considerable
amount of time to switch between its states. Propagation
delay is defined as the time the signal takes to traverse from
the input to the output of the logic element.
This delay includes the time lapsed during the ON and
OFF switching process which corresponds to the time in-
clusive of the displacement during actuation and the re-
straining of the SMA wire.
The microcontroller is programmed to measure the
lapsed time whenever a contact is made or broken between
the fixed beam and hinged beam to evaluate the delay of
the logic element. As explained earlier, the SMA hinged
beam switch is initially in the ‘normally closed’ position.
For the first state of the truth table when logic 0 input is
given, the fixed beam and hinged beam are in contact and,
Fig. 14. Displacement of hinged beam during Joule heating
continuity exists indicated by the beep sound of the buzzer.
For the next state of the truth table when a 200 mA current
signal is given through the microcontroller as a logic 1 pulse
to the SMA wire, it contracts and displaces the hinged beam
from its contact with the fixed beam. The continuity check
fails indicated by a break in the beep sound of the buzzer.
The microcontroller is programmed to measure the time
between the current given to the SMA wire and the time at
which the hinged beam displaces, and it is measured as the
ON delay. The input is now disconnected and the hinged
beam is allowed to return to the original position, cor-
responding time lapsed is the OFF delay. The process is
repeated for 100 cycles and the average ON time and OFF
time delay are found to be 1.1 ms and 1.08 ms respectively.
The delay can further be reduced if the mechanical arran-
gement of the structure is optimized.
5.2. Effect of hysteresis
A hysteresis loop is formed when the temperature of
the SMA wire is changed cyclically from martensitic phase
to austenitic phase through Joule heating. This transfor-
mation is called as the thermally induced transformation
[14], at constant stress. The transformation thus occurred
in the SMA wire used for the actuation of electromechanical
logic element with the geometry of 100 mm length and 0.15
mm diameter through Joule heating is as shown in Fig. 14.
Another case is the stress induced transformation [14] that
occurs at a constant temperature when also a hysteresis cycle
is formed.
This case of transformation is obtained for the SMA
wire with the above said geometry under uniaxial loading
in COMSOL as shown in Fig. 15. In both the cases, hys-
teresis occurs as the austenite to martensite transformation
occurs over a different temperature range or stress levels
than the martensite to austenite transformation resulting in
a nonlinear behaviour of the material. From Figs. 14 and
15 it can be noticed that the hysteresis width of the thermally
induced transformation through Joule heating is less than
that of the stress-induced transformation. The reduced hys-
teresis width is an indication of the suitable design of the
Fig. 15. The axial stress–strain curve of SMA wire in COMSOL
 Geetha M., Dhanalakshmi K. / Ôèçè÷åñêàÿ ìåçîìåõàíèêà 22 5 (2019) 92–101
mechanical structure of the SMA wire actuated switch and
the choice of a minimal current for minimal displacing
actuation thus reducing the cooling time of the SMA wire.
Thus nonlinearity could be avoided by proper choice of
structural design and optimal operating conditions.
6. Conclusion
The nonlinear characteristic of SME facilitates the bis-
table phases of SMA permitting the realization of the two
logic states thereby, the design of electromechanical logic
elements such as NOT, OR, AND, NAND and NOR. The
physical design of electromechanical logic elements is
accomplished using SMA actuated hinged beam switch. The
structural modelling of the logic elements is done in CATIA
V5. Physical models with the respective arrangement of
the hinged beam switches are constructed, and the logical
operation of the elements are verified. The SMA hinged
beam is used as an ON/OFF switch to make or break contact
with the copper strip of the fixed beam and that of the hinged
beam to realize logic 0 or logic 1 states indicated by the
position of the SMA hinged beam. The truth tables of NOT,
OR, AND, NOR and NAND logic elements are verified.
The displacement of the hinged beam switch for various
actuation currents of the SMA are found, and the optimum
current for minimum displacement is obtained to reduce
the switching transient of the hinged beam switch and thus
reduce the ON/OFF delay of the logic element. The ON/
OFF delay thus measured is about 1.1 ms and 1.08 ms
respectively for the minimum actuation current of 200 mA.
This delay can be reduced by optimizing the design of the
structure in the mesoscale, and further by realizing in
microscale. The axial stress and strain hysteresis curve for
the SMA wire is obtained in COMSOL. The displacement
of the hinged beam for various actuation currents is plotted,
and the minimum actuation current is found to reduce the
cooling time of SMA which results in the reduced switching
transients.
The logic element designed based on SMA actuated
electromechanical principle exhibits satisfactory perfor-
mance, since it does not depend on the geometry, friction
between the joints and flexures etc. unlike the mechanical
logic elements do. SMA technology is also compatible and
appropriately fit in environments of high temperature and
hazardous radiations for the design of mechanical logic
elements. The mechanical logic elements can find appli-
Ñâåäåíèÿ îá àâòîðàõ
Muthuveeran Geetha, Research Scholar, National Institute of Technology, India, geethakannadasan78@gmail.com
Kaliaperumal Dhanalakshmi, Dr., Prof., National Institute of Technology, India, dhanlak@nitt.edu
101
cations in instrumentation in the field of automobile. The
mechanism of omnidirectional steering [8] implemented in
automobiles through mechanical logic gates can now be
thought of replacing by these electromechanical logic ele-
ments. The circuit breakers implemented using mechanical
AND gates does not facilitate automatic restoration of power
after the fault is rectified. This can be made possible with
SMA based logic elements and the system can be fully
automated.
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Received 02.10.2019,
revised 02.10.2019,
accepted 09.10.2019