Smart Materials Module 1 RP

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SMART MATERIALS
(MEDLO8052)
Subject Incharge
Mr. Rohit Bharat Patil
Assistant Professor
email: rohitpatil@sfit.ac.in
St. Francis Institute of Technology Smart Materials

Department of Mechanical Engineering Mr. Rohit Patil 1
The material in this presentation belongs to St. Francis Institute of Technology and is solely for educational purposes. Distribution and modifications of the content is prohibited.
Introduction
• Systems that involve both sensing and actuating materials can be used
to build more sophisticated applications.
• Such systems are referred to as smart structures, which incorporate
sensors and actuators with processing/control units connecting them.
• To get an idea of how smart structures can be implemented, it is
necessary to understand the fundamental components of these
structures: sensor and actuator materials.
• Sensors are materials that respond to a physical stimulus, such as a
change in temperature, pressure, or illumination, and transmit a
resulting signal for monitoring or operating a control.
• Actuators are materials that respond to a stimulus in the form of a
mechanical property change such as a dimensional or a viscosity
change.

Smart Materials
• Smart materials are materials that have the intrinsic and extrinsic
capabilities, first, to respond to stimuli and environmental changes
and, second, to activate their functions according to these
changes.
• Stimulus —stress, strain, light, electric field, temperature and
pressure, etc.
• Response —motion or change in optical properties, modulus,
surface tension, piezoelectricity etc.
• Since its beginnings, materials science has undergone a distinct
evolution: from the use of inert structural materials to materials
built for a particular function, to active or adaptive materials, and
finally to smart materials with more acute recognition,
discrimination and reaction capabilities.

Smart Materials Classification System
• New system that classifies materials according to the way they

function dividing them into two types,
1) Property Change Material Types
2) Energy Exchange Materials Types

• Smart materials classification is multi-layered; one layer reflects

the physical behavior of the material (what it does), and the
other reflects the phenomenological behavior (the effect of
physical behavior).
• Smart materials have a number of characteristics that
distinguish them from the known traditional materials.

Smart Materials Characteristics
Whether as a single material or on a system’s level, small as a

molecule or big as a building shell, smart materials will express the
following characteristics
1. Immediacy – Smart materials respond to the stimuli in real-time.
2. Transiency – Smart materials respond to more than one stimulus
or environmental effect.
3. Self-actuation – What controls the smart material to respond (the
material's intelligence) is internal to the material rather than
being external.
4. Selectivity – Smart materials' response is distinct and can be
predicted.
5. Directness – Smart materials' response is confined to the
‘activating’ event.

Type 1 – Property change material types

• These are the smart materials that experience changes in one or
more of its properties in a response to a direct external stimulus.
These changes are direct and reversible and no external control
system is needed to direct such changes.
• An example of that is a photochromic material that has the ability
to change color when exposed to ultraviolet radiation.
• The most common property change materials are Thermochromic
materials, phototropic materials, Thermotropic materials, shape
memory materials, Mechanochromic materials, Chemochromic
materials, Electrochromic materials, and phase-changing materials.

Smart Materials
Type 2 – Energy exchange materials types

1. This type includes smart materials with the ability of energy
transforming from one form to an output energy of another
form.
2. It can also do its job in a direct and reversible manner. An
example of that are electro-restrictive materials that transform
electrical energy into mechanical energy and thus results in a
change in shape. It can be reversed to its original form easily in
the same manner.
3. Some of the most common types of energy-exchange materials
are light-emitting materials, Piezoelectrics, Thermoelectric ,
Photovoltaics, Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs), and Shape memory
alloys

Smart Materials Systems
Smart material systems:

• A smart material has the ability to do one function, however, by
composing materials together a system is created. The system can do
multiple functions as well as being able to sense the change that
triggers the actuation. Smart material systems are classified based on
how the system responds to the stimuli.
• They are passive, active and hybrid systems
1. Passive smart material systems:

• A materials system is considered a passive system, when the system
senses a certain change in stimulus and responds directly with a sort
of action or actuation. Energy required by the system to initiate this
activation is taken from the recourses of the environment. This type
performs as a closed-loop and it can't be interrupted.

Active smart material systems:

• A smart material system is considered an active system when the
functioning of the material is directed and controlled by a system.
• This system has a sensor that is able of detecting the change of the
stimulus, then it sends a signal to the control unit to respond
accordingly and activate the material system.
• The system performance is highly adjustable when required. An
energy source is required for the system to function .

Hybrid smart material systems:

• A hybrid system can combine the features of both active and passive
systems.
• The material can act as a passive system, but the performance can
be monitored and controlled by an active system.
• An example of that is the active shading system. It provides shading
to the glass in the hot days of summer when integrated by the sun
light, but in winter its functions are controlled by an active system to
prevent the shading and allow the necessary heat to enter.
• Hybrid systems has the ability to reach higher levels of performance
and complexity.

Features of Smart Materials
• These materials are part of a group of materials broadly known as

Functional Materials.
• The basic energy forms that gets interchanged are: thermal
energy, electrical energy, magnetic energy, sound energy &
mechanical energy.
• Analogous to Biological Materials: adaptivity, cellular function,
self sensing, actuation & control.
• Smart sensors & actuators are highly embeddable.

Smart Materials Function

Smartness in a scale of Intelligence
• Stupid – Dumb – Foolish –Trivial – Sensible – Smart/Clever–

Intelligent – Wise.
• Present smart materials are in the range from highly sensible to
poorly intelligent level.
• Passive Smartness to Active Smartness; eg. Of passive smartness –
multiphase rocket nozzle of space shuttle.
• Porous Tungsten with silver coating, Graphite, ceramic layer, steel.
• Passive smartness is in open-loop.
 Passive Smartness
 Lack the inherent capacity to transduce energy.
 Can act as only sensors but not as actuators.

Active Smartness
 Processes capacity to modify their geometric or material
properties.
 Thus, inherent capacity to transduce energy.
 Can act as both sensors and actuators.

Types of Smart Materials
1. Shape memory alloys (SMAs)

2. Piezoelectric Materials
3. Electro-strictive smart materials
4. Optical Fibre
5. Polyectrolyte gels
6. Dielectric elastomers
7. Electro rheological and Magneto rheological Fluids

Concept of HBLS and LBHS
Bandwidth can be defined as the maximum frequency range of

input signal that the output can follow.
High bandwidth- low strain generating materials:

• Piezoelectric and Magnetostrictive materials:
Low bandwidth high strain generating materials:

• Shape memory alloys and electro-active polymers

Magnetostrictive Piezoelectric

Piezoelectric Smart Materials
• Piezoelectric materials can be called “the top of the crop” of

smart materials.
• Piezoelectric materials have emerged as the most researched
materials for practical applications among the numerous smart
materials.
• They owe it to a few main reasons, including low cost, high
bandwidth of service, availability in a variety of formats, and ease
of handling and execution.
• The direct piezoelectric effect is the capability of piezoelectric
materials to create an electric field under the influence of
mechanical stress.
• This property of the piezoelectric materials is utilized for the
generation of electrical energy.

• The reciprocal of the direct piezoelectric effect is the inverse

piezoelectric effect in which mechanical strain is developed in
response to the electric field.
• These effects are strongly dependent on the crystal orientation
with respect to the strain or electric field.
• The direct effect makes it possible to use them as sensors, and
the converse effect as actuators.
• The designed structures constructed using piezoelectric materials
can be bent, expanded, or contracted upon the application of
voltage, and they can be used for sensing and actuating purposes
and for easy control.

Piezoelectric Advantages and Disadvantages

Compared to other electronic components, piezoelectric devices have
several advantages, as well as some disadvantages.
Their advantages include the following aspects:
No external power source required: Thanks to their ability to produce
a voltage when acted upon by a force, piezo materials require no
external power source.
Easy installation: With small dimensions, they’re a great fit and easily
installed in high-density electronic devices.
Responsiveness to high-frequencies: Compared to other devices,
piezo materials have a substantially higher frequency response —
which makes them wonderfully responsive in even the most
demanding situations.

Highly flexible materials: Most piezo materials can be constructed in

a wide variety of shapes and sizes, so they’re highly useful across
various applications and fields.
Piezo materials also display the following limitations or
disadvantages:
Small amount of electric charge: Though they’re self-generating,
piezo materials produce fairly small electric charges, which means a
high impedance cable is required to connect them to an electrical
interface.
Environmental conditions affect performance: Piezo materials are
affected by temperature and changes in humidity. Plus, while in the
static condition, they can’t measure output.
Output is relatively low: While some piezo materials produce more
output than others, they’re all relatively low. For their use to be
optimized, an external circuit will often be required.


Magnetostrictive Materials
• Magnetostrictive materials are a class of smart materials that can

convert energy between the magnetic and elastic states.
• Magnetostriction is a property of magnetic materials that causes
them to change their shape or dimensions during the process of
magnetization.
• For this reason, magnetostrictive materials and devices based on
these materials are often referred to as transducers.
• Due to the bidirectional nature of this energy exchange,
magnetostrictive materials can be employed for both actuation
and sensing.
• Alloys based on the transition metals iron, nickel, and cobalt in
combination with certain rare-earth elements are currently
employed in actuator and sensor systems in a broad range of
industrial, biomedical, and defense applications.
St. Francis Institute of Technology Materials and Metallurgy
• Because magnetostriction is an inherent property of

ferromagnetic materials, it does not degrade over time as do
some poled piezoelectric substances.
• In addition, newer magnetostrictive materials provide strains,
forces, energy densities, and coupling coefficients that compete
favorably with more established technologies such as those
based on piezoelectricity.
• As evidenced by the ever-increasing number of patented
magnetostrictive systems, transducer designers are finding new
opportunities to employ magnetostrictive materials in a wide
variety of applications ranging from stand-alone transducers to
complex smart structure systems.


Shape Memory Alloys (SMA)
• Shape memory alloys, such as nickel titanium, undergo a phase

transformation in their crystal structure when cooled from the
stronger, high temperature form (austenite) to the weaker, low
temperature form (martensite).
• When a shape memory alloy is in its martensitic form, it is easily
deformed to a new shape. However, when the alloy is heated
through its transformation temperatures, it reverts to austenite
and recovers its previous shape with great force. This process is
known as shape memory.
• A shape-memory alloy is an alloy that "remembers" its original
shape

Shape Memory Alloys (SMA)
• SMA, smart metal, memory metal, memory alloy, muscle wire,

smart alloy
• An alloy after deformation returns to its pre-deformed shape when
heated.
• An alloy that undergoes large strain & capable of recovering the
initial configuration
• At the end of deformation process spontaneously or by heating.
The shape memory alloy nitinol is used to manufacture stents due to its ability to self-
expand after implantation (Credit: Shutterstock/Alexpunker)
Electro-Active Polymers
• An electroactive polymer (EAP) is a polymer that exhibits a

change in size or shape when stimulated by an electric field.
• The most common applications of this type of material are
in actuators and sensors.
• Electroactive Polymers (EAPs) are polymers that change their
size, shape or volume in response to a strong electrical field.
• In the field of “active materials” (e.g. piezoelectrics, thermo-
elastic polymers, shape memory alloys and polymers or
magnetostrictive materials) electroactive polymers stand out due
to their large active deformation potential, high response speed,
low density and improved resilience.
• They are extremely lightweight, inexpensive, fracture tolerant
and compliant.

Electroactive Polymer
Polyelectrolyte Gels
• Polyelectrolyte gels or hydrogels are polymer gels which hive the

capabilty to reversibly swell and deswell in the presence of
solvent depending on an external stimuli.
• Examples of such stimuli are pH, temperature, specific ions or
light exposure.
• They can be designed in such a way that multi sensitivity is
possible, which means that a hydrogel will respond only if two
stimuli occur simultaneously.
• They exhibit very large strains and high energy densities. The
main drawback of this material are very low mechanical stiffness
and strength as well as the swelling kinetic is size dependent.

Polyelectrolyte Gels

Magneto- Rheological Fluids
Magnetorheological fluids (mr fluids) consist of magnetically polarizable

particles which are suspended in a carrier fluid. When a magnetic field is applied,
the particles align themselves accordingly, form chain-like superstructures, and
the rheological properties often change substantially.
When an external field is applied, the magnetically polarizable particles become
magnetized/polarized and chain-like structure formation along field direction is
favored.
The free rotation of the particles within the flow is then hindered, and the
viscosity increases. With increasing external field strength, the particle
arrangement along the field direction becomes stronger, and consequently the
viscosity increases.

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Composite Materials
• Composites are multifunctional materials having unprecedented

mechanical and physical properties which can be tailored to
meet the requirements of a particular application.
• Many composites also exhibit great resistance to wear,
corrosion, and high-temperature exposure.
• Composites technology also makes possible the use of an entire
class of solid materials, ceramics, in applications for which
monolithic versions are unsuited because of their great strength
scatter and poor resistance to mechanical and thermal shock.

Composite Materials
• Composites are important materials which are now used widely,

not only in the aerospace industry, but also in a large and
increasing number of commercial mechanical engineering
applications, such as internal combustion engines; machine
components; thermal management and electronic packaging;
automobile, train, and aircraft structures and mechanical
components, such as brakes, drive shafts, flywheels, tanks, and
pressure vessels;
• Dimensionally stable components; process industries equipment
requiring resistance to high-temperature corrosion, oxidation,
and wear; offshore and onshore oil exploration and production;
marine structures; sports and leisure equipment; ships and
boats; and biomedical devices.

Composite Materials
• Solid materials can be divided into four categories—polymers,

metals, ceramics, and carbon, which we consider as a separate
class because of its unique characteristics. We find both
reinforcements and matrix materials in all four categories. This
gives us the ability to create a limitless number of new material
systems which have unique properties that cannot be obtained
with any single monolithic material.
• Table shows the types of material combinations which are now in
use.

Composite Materials
Properties and Characteristics

• Composites are usually classified by the type of material used
for the matrix.
• The four primary categories of composites are polymer matrix
composites (PMCs), metal matrix composites (MMCs), ceramic
matrix composites (CMCs), and carbon matrix composites
(CAMCs). Carbon–carbon composites (CCCs) are the most
important subclass of CAMCs.
• At this time, PMCs are by far the most widely used type of
composites.
• A common way to represent fiber-reinforced composites is to
show the fiber and matrix separated by a slash. For example,
carbon fiber-reinforced epoxy is typically written carbon/epoxy,
or in abbreviated form, C/Ep.

Composite Materials
• Figure shows the main types of reinforcements used in

composite materials, aligned continuous fibers, discontinuous
fibers, whiskers (elongated single crystals), particles, and
numerous forms of fibrous architectures produced by textile
technology, such as fabrics and braids.

Composite Materials
• Composites are strongly heterogeneous materials. That is, the

properties of a composite vary considerably from point to point in
the material, depending on which material phase the point is located
in.
• Many artificial composites, especially those reinforced with fibers,
are anisotropic, which means their properties vary with direction
(the properties of isotropic materials are the same in every
direction).
• This is a characteristic they share with a widely used natural fibrous
composite, wood. As for wood, when structures made from artificial
fibrous composites are required to carry load in more than one
direction, they are used in laminated form (plywood).
• Particulate composites can be effectively isotropic if the
reinforcements are equiaxed, that is, have roughly the same
dimensions in three orthogonal directions (think of sand particles).

Composite Materials
• Many fiber-reinforced composites, especially PMCs, MMCs,

and CAMCs, do not display plastic behavior as metals do,
which makes them more sensitive to stress concentrations.
However, the absence of plastic deformation does not mean
that composites are brittle materials like monolithic ceramics.
• The heterogeneous nature of composites results in complex
failure mechanisms which impart toughness. Fiber-reinforced
materials have been found to produce durable, reliable
structural components in countless applications.
• The unique characteristics of composite materials, especially
anisotropy, require the use of special design methods.

Composite Materials
They are commonly designed to offer wide range of properties and

characteristics, some are,
1. Stiffness and strength
2. Low coefficient of expansion
3. Resistance against fatigue
4. Ease in manufacturing complex shapes
5. Simple repair of damaged structures
6. Resistance to corrosion

Composite Materials
Manufacturing Processes of Composite

1. Wet lay-up.
2. Spray-up.
3. Compression moulding.
4. Injection moulding.
5. Resin transfer moulding.
6. Vacuum infusion.
7. Filament winding.
8. Pultrusion.

Composite Materials
Manufacturing Considerations
• Composites also offer a number of significant manufacturing
advantages over monolithic metals and ceramics. For example,
fiber-reinforced polymers and ceramics can be fabricated in large,
complex shapes that would be difficult or impossible to make
with other materials.
• The ability to fabricate complex shapes allows consolidation of
parts, which reduces machining, assembly, and fastener costs.
Some processes allow fabrication of parts to their final shape (net
shape) or close to their final shape (near-net shape), which also
produces manufacturing cost savings.
• The relative ease with which smooth shapes can be made is a
significant factor in the use of composites in aircraft, wind
turbine blades, and other applications for which aerodynamic
considerations are important.
Nano Composite Materials

• Nanocomposites are the heterogeneous/hybrid materials that are
produced by the mixtures of polymers with inorganic solids (clays to
oxides) at the nanometric scale.
• A nanocomposite combines two or more materials – of which at least
one is a nanomaterial – with different physical and chemical
properties.
• Nanocomposite materials are designed to exhibit properties that
exceed, sometimes drastically, the capabilities of the sum of their
constituent parts.
• Nanocomposites are those composites in which one phase has
nanoscale morphology like nanoparticles, nanotubes, or lamellar
nanostructure. They have multiphases, so are multiphasic materials, at
least of the phases should have dimensions in the range of 10–
100 nm.

• The result of the addition of nanoparticles is a drastic improvement in

properties that can include mechanical strength, toughness and electrical
or thermal conductivity.
• Nanocomposites can be classified on the basis of their dispersed matrix
and dispersed phase materials Improved Properties
• With the help of this rapidly expanding field, now-a-days, it has been
possible to generate many exciting new materials with novel properties
via innovative synthetic approaches. The properties of the so-called
found not only depended on the properties of their originals.
• We cannot ignore the fact that sometimes it also happened that the
newly generated property in the material is unknown to the parent
constituent materials.
• Hence, the idea behind nanocomposite is to use building blocks with
dimensions in nanometer range to design and create new materials with
unprecedented flexibility and improvement in their physical properties.


• Nanocomposites can be formed by blending inorganic nanoclusters,
fullerenes, clays, metals, oxides, or semiconductors with numerous
organic polymers or organic and organometallic compounds, biological
molecules, enzymes, and sol-gel derived polymers.
• Nanocomposite materials that are obtained by the combination of two or
more separate building constituents in one material offers unique
properties that plausibly arises from their small size, large surface area,
and off course from the interfacial interaction between the phases.
Figure: Formation of nanocomposite materials.

• Their extra ordinary potential have been smoothly utilized to

enhance the biological potential of many drugs, biomaterials,
catalysts, and also in some high-value added materials
• Nanocomposites are the solid combination of а bulk matrix and
nаnodimensionаl phase(s) which differ in properties due to
dissimilarities in structure and chemistry.
• Properties that have indicated substantial improvements:
1. Mechanical properties (strength, bulk modules, withstands limit.
2. Thermal stability
3. Hinders flame and reduce smoke generations
4. Permeability of gases, water, and solvents are reduced
5. More surface appearance
6. Improved electrical conductivity
7. Increased chemical resistance
8. Enhance optical clarity as compared to conventionally filled polymers
• Nanocomposite materials can be classified in the following way

based on the presence or absence of polymeric material in the
composite.
• The nanocomposites in which the compositions do not contain
any polymers or polymer-derived materials are called non-
polymer-based nanocomposites.
• Non-polymer-based nanocomposites are also known as inorganic
nanocomposites.
• They can be further classified into metal-based nanocomposites,
ceramic-based nanocomposites, and ceramic-ceramic-based
nanocomposites.

Figure: Classification of polymer- and non-polymer-based

nanocomposites

Non-polymer-based nanocomposites:
1. Metal-based nanocomposites
Bimetallic nanoparticles being investigated in detail in the form of
either of alloy or core-shell structures due to their improved catalytic
properties and advancement in optical properties related to
individual and differentiate metals.
They can be characterized by:
1. Super plasticity,
2. Lower melting points,
3. Increased strength and hardness,
4. Improved magnetic properties,
5. Increased electrical resistivity, etc.

Ceramic-based nanocomposites
• Ceramic-based nanocomposites are defined as ceramic
composites with more than one solid phase, in which at least one
of the phases has dimensions in the nanoscale range (<50–
100 nm).
• In these types of composites, both the phases have combined
magnetic, chemical, optical, and mechanical properties.
• These can be characterized by:
1. Better toughness
2. Increased ductility
3. Increased strength and hardness

Ceramic-ceramic-based nanocomposites
• The non-polymer-based nanocomposites can be also classified as
ceramic/ceramic nanocomposites which can be used in the area
of artificial joint implants for fracture failures and it could
promptly reduce the cost of surgery and would extend the
mobility of the patient.
• The life spam would increase by 30 years, if the use of zirconia-
toughened alumina nanocomposite implants is used effectively.
• The most promising prospects of both metal-based
nanocomposites and ceramic-based nanocomposites are in the
application of areas in dentistry in which the non-polymer-based
nanocomposites or the inorganic materials that is metal or
ceramics such as calcium phosphate, hydroxyapatite, and
bioactive glass nanoparticles are very advantageous in alveolar
bone regeneration and enamel substitution.
Polymer-based nanocomposites
• The polymer or copolymer which contains nanoparticles or
nanofillers dispersed in the polymer matrix is termed as poly
nanocomposites. One dimension (1D) must be lying in the range
of 1–50 nm and these possess several shapes like as platelets,
fibers, spheroids, etc.
• Polymer nanocomposites are known to be a class of reinforced
polymer with a very low, i.e., less than about 5% of nanometric
clay particles.
• They have drastically enhanced or improved thermal, mechanical
as well as the barrier properties as compared to the micro- and
also the conventional composites.
• These materials can be differentiated notably by: improved fire
resistance and thermal stability, improved barrier properties, and
increased recyclability
• However, despite of having so many advantages, it is still very

much difficult to prepare a uniform dispersion between the filler
and the matrix, as shown in Figure.
• Hence, unlikely, it reflects the lower mechanical as well as
thermal properties in the produced nanocomposites.
Uniform dispersion between the filler and matrix in nanocomposites

Uses of nanocomposites:
Figure: Various uses of polymer nanocomposites.

• Many number of polymer nanocomposites for example, rubber,

propylene, styrene butadiene rubber, and ethylene vinyl acetate
are used in barrier applications.
• They can act as a tremendous barrier for chemicals like toluene,
sulfuric acid, and hydrochloric acid as well as for several gases such
as, carbon dioxide, oxygen, and nitrogen.
• Polymer nanocomposites are also used in food packaging, and the
particular examples for food packaging includes processed cheese,
meat, and dairy products also the medical containers for carrying
blood collection tubes, baby pacifiers, and drinking water bottles.
• Nanocomposites are also incorporated for beer bottle
manufacture, so as to reduce many problems like biological and
non-biological aspects, beer colloids instability, oxygen permeation,
and change in taste due to light exposure.

• The double core Wilson tennis ball is the most recently

commercialized sports goods (Figure 6), in which the coating of
clay nanocomposites is done in order to maintain the internal
pressure for a long period of time and also the core is coated by
butyl rubber clay nanocomposite which doubled the shell life
and acts a gas barrier.
The core of this Wilson tennis ball is covered by a polymer-clay nanocomposite

coating.
• The poly nanocomposites help in the reduction of weight and

processing cost so that they used by tire companies which are the
major driving force for their usage.
• Mostly for automobile tire manufacturing, styrene butadiene and
natural rubber nanocomposites are preferred the most. It is due
to their improved thermal properties and abrasion resistance that
contribute to the long life of the tires.
• They have great applications in solar cells, transistors, battery
manufacturing, etc.
• The thermoset polymer nanocoatings which are incorporated clay
and nanosilver could improve the antibacterial properties and is
used in medical sectors.
• Bio-nanocomposites are used in cosmetics industries and also in
the fabrication of implants, scaffolds, diagnostics, and biomedical
devices.
Nanocomposites have been growing with a speedy rate so as

their large number of applications. In the next 10 years, the
worldwide production will exceed 600,000 tons in the following
regions:
1. Superior strength fibers and films
2. UV protection gels
3. Drug delivery systems
4. New fire retardant materials
5. Anti-corrosion barrier coatings
6. Lubricant and stretch paints

Smart Structures
A smart structure is a system that incorporates particular functions of

sensing and actuation to perform smart actions in an ingenious way.
Five components of a smart structure
1. Data acquisition
2. Data transmission
3. Command and control unit
4. Data instructions
5. Action Devices
Data acquisition
The aim of this component is to collect the required data needed for
appropriate sensing and monitoring of sensor.
Data transmission
The purpose of this part is to forward the raw data to a local and/or
central command and control the units.
Smart Structure

Smart Structures
Command and control unit:

The role of this unit to manage and control the whole system by
analyzing the data, reaching to appropriate conclusion and
determining the actions required.
Data Instructions:
The function of this part is to transmit the decisions and the
associated instructions back to the members of the structures.
Action Devices:
The purpose of this part is to take actions by triggering the controlling
devices/ Units.

Buildings and Bridges
• Skyscrapers and long bridges are subject to resonance created by

high winds and seismic activity.
• In order to mitigate the resonance effect, it is important to build
large dampers into their design to interrupt the resonant waves.
• If these devices are not in place, these buildings and bridges can
be shaken to ground.
• A damping system is a much larger and is also designed to absorb
the violent shocks from earthquake.
• The size of dampers depend upon the size of building.
• Passive and active damping systems.
Semi- Active:
 Combines features of passive and active damping.
 They are fully controllable yet require less power to operate.

Magneto Rheological Fluid (MR)
• Magneto Rheological Fluid dampers are semi active devices, that

can change their level of damping by varying the amount of current
supplied to an internal electromagnet that controls the flow of MR
fluid.
• A full scale MR fluid damper that is 1 meter long and weighs 250
kilograms This one damper can exert 20 tons of force on a building.

• During an earthquake,
sensors attached to the
building will signal the
computer to supply the
dampers with electrical
charge.
• The electrical charge
magnetises the coil,
turning the MR liquid in
near- solid.

Applications of Smart Materials

• Smart materials find a wide range of applications in day to day life,
aerospace, civil engineering applications and mechatronics to name a
few.
• It involves composite materials embedded with fiber optics, actuators,
sensors, microeletromechanical systems (MEMS)s, vibration control,
sound control, shape control, product health or lifetime monitoring,
self repair, artificial organs, damping aeroelastic stability.
• Pacemakers are a smart system designed to respond to an irregular
heart rate with an electrical impulse that regulates it.
• Structural health monitoring- Embedding sensors within structures to
monitor stress and damage can reduce maintenance costs and increase
lifespan. This is already used in over forty bridges worldwide.
• In nuclear Industries: Smart technology offers new opportunities in the
nuclear industrial sector for safety enhancement, personal exposure
reduction, lifecycle cost reduction and performance improvement.

Self Repair: One method in development involves embedding thin
tubes containing uncured resin into materials. When damage occurs,
these tubes break, exposing the resin which fills any damage and sets.
Self repair could be important in inaccessible environments such as
underwater or in space.
In the field of defense and space: Smart materials have been
developed to suppress vibrations and change shape in helicopter
blades.
Shape Memory alloy devices are being developed that are capble of
achieving accelerated breakup of vortex waves of submarines and
similarly different adaptive control surfaces are developed for
aeroplane wings.

In Structural Engineering:
These materials are used to monitor the civil engineering structures to
evaluate their durability. Not only the smart materials are restricted to
sensing but also, they adapt to their surrounding environment such as
ability to move, vibrate and demonstrate various other responses.
Smart materials are also being developed to monitor structural
integrity in aircrafts and space structures.
Biomedical Applications:
Certain materials like poly0electrlyte gels are being experimented for
artificial muscles applications, where a polymer matrix swollen with a
solvent that can expand or contract when exposed to an electric field
or other stimulations.
Due to biodegradability of these martials, it may make it useful as drug
delivery system.


Reducing Waste:
Most of the food grown for consumption is thrown away without
consumption due to their expiration date.
These dates are conservative estimates and actual product life cycle may
be longer. Manufacturer are now looking for ways to extend product life
cycle with packaging using smart materials.
As food becomes less fresh, chemical reactions takes place with in the
packaging and Bactria buildup. Smart labels have been developed that
change color to indicate the presence of an increased level of chemical or
bacteria on it.
Some companies have developed ‘time-temperature indicators’ that
change color over time at a speed dependent on temperature.
The electronic waste are the fastest growing components of domestic
waste. Recently fasteners constructed from SMA materials are used that
can self-release on heating. Once fasteners have been released,
components can be separated simply by shaking the product.

Health:
Biosensors made from smart materials can be used to monitor blood
sugar levels in diabetics and communicate with a pump to administer
insulin as required.
Now a days different companies are developing smart orthopedic
implants such as fracture plates that can sense whether bones are
healing and communicate data to the surgeon.
Other possible devices include replacement joints that communicate
when they become loose or if there is an infection.
Current technology limits the response of these devices to
transmitting data but in future, they could respond directly by self-
tightening or releasing antibiotics. This could reduce the need for
invasive surgery.


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St. Francis Institute of Technology Smart Materials

St. Francis Institute of Technology Smart Materials

St. Francis Institute of Technology Smart Materials

Smart Materials Classification System

• New system that classifies materials according to the way they

St. Francis Institute of Technology Smart Materials

Smart Materials Classification System

• Smart materials classification is multi-layered; one layer reflects

St. Francis Institute of Technology Smart Materials

Smart Materials Characteristics

Whether as a single material or on a system’s level, small as a

St. Francis Institute of Technology Smart Materials

Smart Materials Classification System

Type 1 – Property change material types

St. Francis Institute of Technology Smart Materials

Type 2 – Energy exchange materials types

St. Francis Institute of Technology Smart Materials

Smart Materials Systems

Smart material systems:

1. Passive smart material systems:

St. Francis Institute of Technology Smart Materials

Smart Materials Systems

Active smart material systems:

St. Francis Institute of Technology Smart Materials

Smart Materials Systems

Hybrid smart material systems:

St. Francis Institute of Technology Smart Materials

Features of Smart Materials

• These materials are part of a group of materials broadly known as

St. Francis Institute of Technology Smart Materials

Smart Materials Function

St. Francis Institute of Technology Smart Materials

Smartness in a scale of Intelligence

• Stupid – Dumb – Foolish –Trivial – Sensible – Smart/Clever–

St. Francis Institute of Technology Smart Materials

St. Francis Institute of Technology Smart Materials

Types of Smart Materials

1. Shape memory alloys (SMAs)

St. Francis Institute of Technology Smart Materials

Concept of HBLS and LBHS

Bandwidth can be defined as the maximum frequency range of

High bandwidth- low strain generating materials:

Low bandwidth high strain generating materials:

St. Francis Institute of Technology Smart Materials

St. Francis Institute of Technology Smart Materials

Piezoelectric Smart Materials

• Piezoelectric materials can be called “the top of the crop” of

St. Francis Institute of Technology Smart Materials

Piezoelectric Smart Materials

• The reciprocal of the direct piezoelectric effect is the inverse

St. Francis Institute of Technology Smart Materials

Piezoelectric Smart Materials

Piezoelectric Advantages and Disadvantages

St. Francis Institute of Technology Smart Materials

Piezoelectric Smart Materials

Highly flexible materials: Most piezo materials can be constructed in

Piezoelectric Smart Materials

St. Francis Institute of Technology Smart Materials

Piezoelectric Smart Materials

St. Francis Institute of Technology Smart Materials

• Magnetostrictive materials are a class of smart materials that can